Organic Agriculture
Beginning with early organic research in the 1970s, WSU had been an active participant in the pursuit of information, tools, and organic solutions to agricultural production and sustainability challenges. CSANR bolstered this legacy by establishing an Organic Crop Research Grant Program with funding from USDA between the years of 2002 – 2011, analyzing the trends of Washington state organic statistics, and connecting the public to organic agriculture resources, information and experts. CSANR continues it’s investment in organic agriculture research through the BIOAg Grant Program – which has expanded the eligible research activities to include livestock as well as biologically intensive strategies that are effective for both organic and conventionally managed farms and ranches. Many faculty at WSU are involved in organic research and extension efforts, and an undergraduate major in organic farming is offered.
More information on past organic research grants can be found in the CSANR Grants Database.
Ongoing WSU Organic Agriculture efforts and opportunities:
- WSU Organic Agricultural Systems Major
- The WSU Eggert Family Organic Farm
- Washington Organic Statistics
- WSU Organic Agriculture Publications
- WSU organic research database.
- WSU Small Farms website.
- Pacific NW Vegetable Extension team
- WSU Organic Gardening
- WSU Organic Farming Systems-Puyallup
- WSU Small Grains organic production
- WSU Organic Tree Fruit and WSU Tree Fruit
- WSU Organic Vineyard Management
- WSU Extension publications
- WSU Theses, dissertations, documents in the WSU Library Research Exchange
Examples of WSU organic agriculture projects, publications, educational offering
- Identifying hotspots in the carbon footprint of a small-scale organic vegetable farm. C. Adewale, S. Higgins, D. Granatstein, C.O. Stockle, B.R. Carlson, U.E. Zaher, L. Carpenter-Boggs. 2016. Agricultural Systems 149:112-121.
- Avian Biodiversity: Impacts, Risks, and Descriptive Survey (A-BIRDS). W. Snyder, WSU Entomology.
- Soil physical properties, nitrogen, and crop yield in organic vegetable production systems. C. Cogger, A. Bary, A. Fortuna, L. Myhre, and D.P. Collins. 2016. Agronomy Journal 108:1142-1154.
- Tautges, N.E., J.R. Goldberger, and I.C. Burke. 2016. A survey of weed management in organic small grains and forage systems in the northwest United States. Weed Science 64(3): 513-522.
- Organic agriculture in the 21st century. J.P. Reganold and J.M. Wachter. 2016. Nature Plants 2:15221
- Introducing Organic Quinoa Production Systems in the Palouse. K. Murphy, WSU Crops & Soils
- Financial competitiveness of organic agriculture on a global scale. D.W. Crowder, and J.P. Reganold. 2015. Proc.National Academy of Sciences USA 112:7611-7616.
- Organic Farming Footprints L. Carpenter-Boggs, WSU Crops & Soils
- Productivity, Economics, and Fruit and Soil Quality of Weed Management Systems in Commercial Organic Orchards in Washington State, USA. D. Granatstein, P. Andrews, A. Groff. 2014. Organic Agriculture 3:197-207.
- Sustainability of three apple production systems. J.P. Reganold, J.D. Glover, P.K. Andrews and H.R. Hinman. 2000. Nature 410:926-930.
- Considerations for transitioning perennial production to organic. D. Granatstein, WSU. NRCS Conservation webinar, April 2017.
Other Organic Agriculture Resources
- Organic agriculture webinars from Oregon Tilth and NRCS
- eOrganic. A part of the national eXtension website. Includes many practical webinars.
- National Organic Program (NOP). USDA-AMS.
- ATTRA. A progarm of the National Center for Appropriate Technology. Many organic publications.
- SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education)
- OREI (Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative). USDA grant program,
- OSU (Oregon State University Organic Program)
- UC Davis (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program)
- OFRF (Organic Farming Research Foundation)
- The Organic Center
- Organic ePrints. A Eurpoean-based repository for many science-based publications on organic agriculture.
- Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland.
Certification
Certified organic fruit are produced, packed, and stored using approved practices that promote sustainable balance in the ecosystem by protecting resources and the environment, while producing healthy trees and quality fruit. Organic tree fruit production and sales continue to grow locally and nationally with Washington state being the lead producer of organic apples, pears, and cherries.
For resources to help understand the certification process, visit the following webpages:
- Washington State Dept. of Agriculture (WSDA) Organic Certification page
- Oregon Tilth
- National Organic Program (USDA) Guide to Organic Certification
- Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). Lists of organic-compliant inputs.
- WSU-CSANR
Contact Information:
David Granatstein, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist
Email Address:
granats@wsu.edu
Office Location:
WSU Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center
1100 N. Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801
Office Phone: 509-663-8181 x222
Office Hours: by appointment
Sponsored by the WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center, Wenatchee, WA