Organic Farming Systems Research
Funded by:
Integrated Organic Program, USDA CSREES
WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources
Western Region SARE
In 2002 we began an integrated research program focused on sustainable and organic production systems for small-scale, direct-market vegetable crop production. Our goal is to work with farmers to develop management systems that utilize local inputs to produce high-quality, high-value crops efficiently and profitably in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Our research is focused in four areas: |
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Other:
- Certified organic research land at WSU Puyallup. WSU Puyallup has 6 acres of certified organic research land. Experiments underway on the research land in 2008 include the organic farming systems experiment, cover crop trials, a pilot study on organic canola production, and pastured poultry trials.
- Progress Report: Farmer Focus Groups: Soil Fertility and Water Quality (pdf)
- Photo Gallery from certified organic research land
- Pastured Poultry
- Closing the Recycling Loop Through Organic Amendments in Agriculture and Gardens. (Webinar, original broadcast date 5 Jan 11, please wait past "check our troubleshooting..." page)
Slideshows:
- Soils and Fertilizers: (pdf, 6meg, 72 slides). Soil physical properties, fertilizers, soil amendments, cover crops.
- Introduction to Summer Cover Crops: (pdf, 1.5meg, 16 slides).
Links:
- WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, information, publications, links, events, programs.
- Cultivating Success, sustainable small farm information for Washington and Idaho.
- Small Farm Connection, information, calendar, resources, programs.
- Oregon State University Cover Crops Bulletins, A series of bulletins that describes the uses and management cover crops grown in the Pacific Northwest
- Managing Cover Crops Profitably, 3rd ed., Published by USDA Sustainable Agriculture Network. This publication summarizes research data and farmer evaluations of cover crops grown across the United States.
- University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program Cover Crop Resource Page, This page has slide shows and cover crop use, and a cover crops database. The slide shows have some good general information, but the database is probably not as useful to producers as the publications from Oregon State or the USDA.
- Building soil organic matter with organic amendments (pdf), Cooperband, L. 2002. University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- Environmental Stewardship for Small-Scale Animal Producers. This is a series of fact sheets on topics including manure management, pastures, runoff, protecting water quality, animal mortalities, and environmental stewardship for horse owners.
- Nutrient Management Guide: Sweet Corn. For both conventional and organic growers.
- Nutrient Management Guide: Silage Corn
Publications:
Fertilizing with manure (online pdf). Bary, A., C. Cogger, and D.M. Sullivan. 2000. PNW0533. Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Oregon State University Cooperative Extension System, US Department of Agriculture.
Soil management for small farms (online pdf). Cogger, C.G. 2000. EB 1895. Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Oregon State University Extension Service, University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System, US Department of Agriculture.
Environmental ethics: A challenge for western culture (order hardcopy $2). Cogger, C.G. 1995. EB 1787. Washington State University Cooperative Extension.
Estimating plant-available nitrogen release from manures, composts, and specialty products (request pdf e-copy). Gale, E.S., D.M. Sullivan, C.G. Cogger, A.I. Bary, D.D. Hemphill, and E.A. Myhre. 2006. J. Environ. Qual. 35:2321-2332.
Farm-scale variation of soil quality indices and association with edaphic properties (request pdf e-copy). Collins, D.P., C.G. Cogger, A.C. Kennedy, T. Forge, H.P. Collins, A.I. Bary, and R. Rossi. 2011. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 75:580-590.
Management effects on soil quality in organic vegetable systems in western Washington (request pdf e-copy). Pritchett, K., A.C. Kennedy, and C.G. Cogger. 2011. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 75:605-615.
Researchers and Cooperators:
| Craig Cogger | Marcy Ostrom | Andy Bary | |
| Ann Kennedy | Ann-Marie Fortuna | Richard Alldredge | |
| Kate Painter | Tim Miller | Doug Collins | |
| Art Antonelli | Jessica Goldberger | Todd Murray | |
| Bee Cha | Malaquias Flores | Tom Forge (Agric. & Agri-Food Canada) | |
| Don McMoran (WSU) | Terry's Berries | Dan Sullivan (Oregon St. U.) | |
| Mother Earth Farms | Full Circle Farm | Kirsop Farm |
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Current Project Support: USDA Integrated Organic Program Past Project Support: USDA IFAFS Grant No. 2001-52101-11349 |
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