Information Resources
News Releases
Capital Press 3/22/02 WSU poised to Offer Organic Degree.
ERS Organic Farming and Marketing News Briefs. Includes current feature articles and past publications that focus on organic agriculture.
Tri-City Herald 3/27/02 Organic topic of proposal at WSU.
Organic Farming ‘A Realistic Choice’ May 2002, BBC News. More framers are abandoning the chemicals and moving towards organic. From the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agro-ecology and Agriculture comes a 21-year study on the ecological and productivity benefits of organic farming versus chemically dependent farming, and the enthusiasm towards organic farming.
The Blush Is On Organic. February 2002, Farm Journal Magazine. Recent developments such as USDA’s new organic standards and organic meat labels are resulting in more acres in organic production. Many conventional farmers are now looking at organic as a means of diversifying market opportunities.
CSANR Organic Agriculture Projects
Organic Cropping Research for the Northwest. Starting in 2002, CSANR has received a USDA special grant to investigate: organic seed protection and production technology; plant and soil management underneath fruit trees, vines, and berries; organic weed control methods for annual crops; and production trends for organic food crops. In addition, the project is developing education and outreach materials and events.
Facts and Figures on the Organic Industry in Washington State, 2003. Compiled by Alec McErlich, Small Planet Foods, Sedro-Woolley, WA and David Granatstein, WSU-CSANR, Wenatchee, WA.
Statistics on Organic Crops. David Granatstein, CSANR, has compiled an annual analysis of organic crops in Washington, including some price data. Organic tree fruit acreages have also been compiled.
CSANR Publications
Assessment of Organic Farming Research, Teaching and Extension at Washington State University, CSANR Report No. 3. In 2001, the CSANR conducted a survey of WSU College of Agriculture and Home Economics faculty and staff to assess past and present organic farming research, teaching and education efforts.
Selected WSU Organic Agriculture Information
General
A New Standard in Organics. WSU Agrichemical and Environmental News. Sept. 2002.
Cultivating Biological Connections. Proceedings Northwest Symposium on Organic and Biological Farming. WSU CSANR. 2002.
Organic Farming Continues to Expand. WSU Agrichemical and Environmental News. July 2002.
Organic Gardening. WSU Master Gardener web site.
Current Status of Organic Research and Education – Washington and Oregon. Powerpoint presentation by David Granatstein at the Tilth 30 Symposium, Nov. 12, 2004, Portland, OR.
Resources
USDA Resources
Foreign Agricultural Service – Organic Products
Natural Resources Conservation Service – Soil Quality
Organic Acreage Statistics. Economic Research Service.
Organic Farming and Marketing. Economic Research Service Briefing Room.
Organic Farming Issues Center. Economic Research Service.
Organic Wholesale Prices. Economic Research Service.
Information Sources – USA
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas. National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. The Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems is a research, education, and public service program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, dedicated to increasing ecological sustainability and social justice in the food and agriculture system.
Center for Environmental Farming Systems. A partnership between North Carolina State University, North Carolina A & T University, and North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
Michael Fields Agriculture Institute
New Agriculture Network. Those interested in transitioning to organic as well as those currently practicing low-input or organic agriculture will find useful, practical information in this on-line newsletter. Features include crop updates from organic growers and articles from university specialists about practices and new findings useful for organic growers.
Organic Agriculture at Cornell University.
Organic Farming Research and Information. University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
The Organic Monitor provides business intelligence on the international organic food industry.
SCOAR is a collaboration of producers and scientists committed to developing and conducting a national research agenda for organic agriculture.
Sustainable Agriculture Network. USDA funded communications and outreach arm of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program.
The New Farm. The Rodale Institute on-line magazine.
Washington State University Sources
Information Sources Outside the USA
Organic Center Wales. Proceedings of the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference with full reports.
Organic-Europe. Reports on organic farming in 25 European countries, organic addresses in Europe, documents of the EU, European Organic Farming Statistics and links to other organic farming related websites.
Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL). An initiative of farmers, politicians and scientists founded in 1973. This private foundation linked administration and practice, and its first task was to elaborate the concept of the DOK field trial which is the oldest long-term trial world-wide.
Printed Resources on Organic Farming
Organic Farming. 1990. Nicholas Lampkin. 701 pp. Available from Diamond Farm Books, P.O. Box 537, Bailey Settlement Road, Alexandria Bay, NY, 13607, 613-475-1771
Organic Agriculture: Innovations in Organic Marketing, Technology, and Research. Symposium Proceedings, USDA, October 6–7, 2005, Washington, DC.
Sustainable Agriculture in Temperate Zones. 1990. C. Francis et al. J. Wiley and Sons, New York. 487 pp.
The Real Dirt: Farmers Tell about Organic and Low-Input Practices in the Northeast. 1998 (2nd printing). Northeast Organic and Sustainable Farmers Network. Sustainable Agriculture Network.