~ Washington State University Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. ~

December 2003 Volume 2, No. 1

Food, Farm, & Natural Resource Systems

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In This IssueArticles

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest

Mobile Meat ProcessingPopular With Communities

Tom Schultz, WSU Extension San Juan County

The Island Grown Farmers Cooperative (IGFC)recently started operating the new USDA Mo-bile Processing Unit (MPU) owned and devel-oped by the Lopez Community Land Trust.The mobile unit has been extremely busy thispast year working at farms in Skagit, Island,Whatcom, and San Juan Counties. After fieldprocessing, most carcasses are taken to theIGFC cut and wrap facility in Bow (SkagitCounty, WA) which employs two full-timeand two part-time employees. According toproject manager Bruce Dunlop of Lopez IslandFarm, current demand will necessitate hiringan additional meat cutter.

In response to the many requests for infor-mation and demonstrations from communi-ties that share a similar need for additionaloptions in USDA livestock processing, theMPU traveled to Benton, Stevens, Okanogan,and Jefferson Counties during the past 18

MPU lamb processing demonstration atStevens County Fairgrounds.

Mobile Meat Processing ...1The Importance of Direct Markets for Washington Farmers...2Spring 2003 Sudden Oak Death Detection Survey in Washington

State...3Shepherd's Grain: A Farmer's Strategy for Survival in the Global

Marketplace...5Research Program on Nematodes & Their Economic Importance in

Washington State....7The Precision Irrigation Development and Demonstration Project...82003 Graziers Conference: Grazing According to Gerrish...8Washington State University Campus Sustainability Initiative...9HIGHLIGHTS 10USDA/CSREES Fellowship...10Grant to Aid Farmers in Reducing Greenhouse Gas...107th Annual National Food Security Conference...10University of Wisconsin Goes Organic...11Organic Farming Helps Sequester Global Warming Gases...11National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Supports

Organic Farming...11EVENTS 11Oregon Better Process Control School (BPCS); Organic AgriculturePrinciples and Practices & Ecological & Organic Weed ManagementWorkshopsEVENTS 12Small Farm Courses, Agriculture to Culture: The Social Transformationof Food; 4th Annual Harvesting Clean Energy Conference!; Water fora Sustainable and Secure FutureBOOKS & REPORTS......12New Book Promotes "Ecoagriculture" for People and Wildlife; TheEssential Agrarian Reader: The Future of Culture, Community, and theLand; The Agrarian Standard; Agrarians of the World, Unite!; TheNew Agrarian; Farmer/Educator Survey: Govt. Policy Major Barrier toAdopting Sustainable Ag TechniquesRESOURCES 13All Federal Grants On-Line; Beyond the Pale Green by MichelleNijhuis; Building a Sustainable Business; Center for Rural Affairs;Concentration Within the Food System; Fast Food World: Perils andPromises of the Global Food Chain; Bringing Local Food to LocalPeople: A Resource Guide; Report Examines Impacts of University-Industry Relationships ("UIRs") on Academic Research in AgriculturalBiotechnology; National Organic Program Question & Answer; TheNovember Issue of the Agricultural MarketingRESOURCES 14Resource Center; Alternatives Journal; Organic Trade Association;Oregon State University Sustainability Project ; Comparison of Antibi-otic Susceptibility Patterns in Organic and Conventional Dairy HerdsFORESTRY - Information Request - Non-Timber Forest Products; OSUPuts Log Buyer Database On-Line; Agroforestree (AFT) Database;SARE Agroforestry Projects; Trees Against the Wind; Balancing Ecosys-tem Values: Innovative Experiments for Sustainable Forestry

Sustaining the Pacific NorthwestFood, Farm, & Natural Resource Systems

This quarterly newsletter provides a discus-sion forum for people working towardscommunity-based sustainable food, farm,and natural resource systems using inter-disciplinary oriented research and practi-tioner knowledge.

This is a joint newsletter of the WSU Centerfor Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Re-sources, the WSU Small Farms Team, theWSU Small Farms Program and the WaterQuality Management Team.

Editorial Staff:

Douglas M. StienbargerChair / WSU ANR Extension faculty11104 NE 149th St., C-100Brush Prairie, WA 98606-9565stiendm@wsu.edu

Cindy Murray-ArmstongAssistant to Director, WSU CSANR7612 E Pioneer WayPuyallup, WA 98371-4998(253) 445-4626murrayc@wsu.edu

Carol Miles, Ph.D.Agricultural Systems, WSUVancouver Research & Extension Unit1919 NE 78thVancouver, WA 98665-9752(360) 576-6030milesc@wsu.edu

Marcy Ostrom, Ph.D.WSU Small Farms Program7612 E Pioneer WayPuyallup, WA 98371-4998(253) 445-4514mrostrom@wsu.edu

Bob SimmonsChair / WSU Water Resources Faculty11840 Hwy 101 N.Shelton, WA 98584-9709(360) 427-9670 x396simmons@wsu.edu

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 2

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months. Presentations on developingthe MPU have been given at four na-tional conferences and another will begiven in February at the North Ameri-can Direct Marketing Association Con-ference in Sacramento, CA.

Producers, non-profits, and educa-tional institutions from many stateshave shown interest in the idea ofmobile on-farm slaughter under USDAinspection. Since the unit is currentlyunable to travel to other communi-ties due to its busy processing sched-ule, interested groups from around thecountry now come to Washington toview it in action. As a result of thesevisits, other communities around thecountry are now developing their ownmobile USDA facilities. The WyomingBusiness Council recently received agrant for a USDA mobile processingfeasibility study, and a group inMonterrey CA is currently building asimilar unit for local beef producers.Bruce Dunlop also oversees construc-tion of the Monterrey MPU.

Another Mobile Poultry Processingunit in Colville, WA was recently ap-proved by the Washington State De-partment of Agriculture. This newpoultry unit could potentially processup to 20,000 birds a year on localfarms. Training on using the unit andrecord keeping will be required in or-der to use the unit. For further infor-mation on the mobile poultry proces-sor, contact Terry Swaggerty at WSUExtension Stevens County (509-684-2588). For more information on the

Producer selling local meat productsinspected by the MPU at the Friday

Harbor Farmer’s Market

Mobile Meat Processing Unit contactBruce Dunlop (360-468-4620).

~~~~~~

The Importance of DirectMarkets for Washington Farmers

Marcia Ostrom, PhDWSU Small Farms Program Director

Beyond a Niche

A recent statewide survey ofWashington farmers confirms theincreasing importance of direct andlocal marketing strategies for farms ofa variety of sizes, types, and locations.Nearly a fifth of all farmers in the statereported using some type of directmarketing involving direct, personalcontact between farmers andconsumers, such as farmers' markets,roadside stands, u-pick sales, andcommunity supported agriculture(CSA). Internet, mail order, andrestaurant sales were also important.The survey demonstrates a high levelof interest in transitioning to directmarketing, with 25% of all farmersand nearly 46% of vegetable farmersstating that they plan to "do moredirect marketing to consumers" withinthe next three years.

Larger farms tended to mostcommonly use roadside stands, whilesmaller farms tended to utilize farmers'markets and CSAs. Livestock producersutilize internet and mail orderstrategies more than other farmers. Ingeneral, fruit and vegetable growersand those closest to the state'spopulation centers west of the Cascademountains are the most likely to directmarket using face-to-face methods. Inmost cases, direct marketing appearsto be a supplemental rather than aprimary marketing strategy: only5.3% of farmers sold all they producedthrough direct marketing. However,26% of the farms close to Seattle useddirect marketing as their primarymarketing method.

Local sales of farm products are alsoimportant statewide. Over half of allthe respondents said they sell at leastsome of their crops to end consumersin their counties, while 16% sell all ofwhat they produced to in-countyconsumers. However, these numbers

2 (1) Page 3 Sustaining the Pacific Northwest

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reflect a large percentage of hay farmers who sold to othernearby farmers and neighbors.

Farmer Views on Marketing and Policy Issues

Farmers appear to favor policies that encourage direct andlocal market development rather than those promoting freetrade. For example, while approximately 77% believe thata "grown in Washington" labeling program would benefitWashington farmers, only 23% believed free tradeagreements would help their farms' profitability. With theexception of grain producers, farmers said consumers intheir counties should have access to more locally grownfoods and that direct marketing strategies present a practicalmeans of improving the economic viability of farms in theirarea. Additionally, 62% of the farmers felt direct marketinghelps keep farms viable in their area.

An important constraint facing Washington farmers iswhat their farms are capable of producing and theirproximity to population centers. While some farmers mayhave the ability to adapt what they produce to changingmarket conditions and emerging opportunities, others havevery little flexibility. Furthermore, significant infrastructuralbarriers such as a lack of processing facilities and prohibitivecounty health codes continue to limit direct market salesof meat, poultry, dairy, and many other value addedproducts. While direct marketing appears to offer a usefulvehicle for increasing the numbers of Washington farmerswho wish to diversify their marketing mix, many common

Vegetable Growers

Fruit Growers

All Growers

Roadside Stands 46.3% 21.2% 12.2%Farmers’ Markets 35.2% 15.3% 8.2%U-Pick Sales 23.4% 12.9% 6.8%CSA 8.4% 2.1% 1.7%Restaurants 7.5% 3.8% 3.4%Use any direct marketing method

59.3% 29.8% 19.9%

Plan to increase direct marketing

45.8% 22.6% 25.3%

Table 1: Farmer use of Direct Marketing Methods

28%

7%4%

38%

24%

Strongly Disagree

Somewhat Disagree

Neither Agree norDisagree

Somewhat Agree

Strongly Agree

Chart 1: Farmers Agreeing Direct Marketing Keeps Farming Viable in Their County

types of Washington farms such as cow-calf operations,dairies, apple growers, and wheat growers have seen littlebenefit.

This research project was funded by the W.K. KelloggFoundation and the Washington Farming and the EnvironmentProject in 2002. More details can be found at http://www.crs.wsu.edu/agsurvey/index.html.

~~~~~~Spring 2003 Sudden Oak Death Detection

Survey in Washington State

Daniel Omdal & Melanie Kallas Ricklefs, Washing-ton Department of Natural Resources

Reprinted with permission from the Washington State De-partment of Natural Resources Forest Health Note newslet-ter, November 2003.

Summary

Phytopthora ramorum, the causal agent of “sudden oakdeath (SOD),” is responsible for widespread tree mortal-ity in central and northern California. Western Wash-ington is at high risk for SOD due to the presence ofknown SOD hosts in the natural environment, suitableclimatic conditions (extended periods of moist weatherand mild temperatures), and the presence of nurseriesreceiving known SOD host stock. Between June 1, 2003and July 10, 2003, Washington DNR surveyed 34 nurser-ies (125 transects) and 5 general forest sites (20 transects).One hundred and three symptomatic foliage samples werecollected from known (and potential) SOD hosts includ-ing rhododendron, bigleaf maple, Douglas-fir, evergreenhuckleberry and Pacific madrone. The samples weretested by the Washington State Department of Agricul-ture using DAS (Double Antibody Sandwich) ELISA kits.All of the samples tested negative for P. ramorum.

Introduction

Phytopthora ramorum, the cause of “sudden oak death(SOD),” is responsible for widespread tree mortality incentral and northern California. Since its discovery in1995 on tanoak in Marin County, California, SOD hasspread to 12 counties in California, a small area nearthe town of Brookings, Oregon, and a nursery in thePuget Sound lowlands of Washington most recently(spring of 2003).

The USDA Forest Service’s recently completed risk assess-ment found western Washington to be at high risk forthis disease based on the number of susceptible hosts,climatic conditions and locations of nurseries receivingSOD host stock. The objective for this survey was togather information on the distribution of SOD in thehigh-risk zone of Washington.

Sudden Oak Death received its name because of the dev-astation it has caused on tanoaks, coast live oaks, andother members of the black oak family (Erythrobalanus)in California. At this point in time, it is not known to

2 (1) Page 4 Sustaining the Pacific Northwest

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affect members of the white oak fam-ily (Lepidobalanus), such as Oregonwhite oak, the only native oak inWashington. The currently recog-nized list of susceptible host speciesnative to western Washington includesrhododendron, Douglas-fir, bigleafmaple, vine maple, Pacific madrone,and evergreen huckleberry, althoughnew host species are being identifiedas susceptibility trials continue.

Biology

Phytophthora ramorum is a fungus-likeorganism that can infect a wide rangeof host species. The organism pro-duces microscopic reproductive, dis-persal, and survival structures, makingdefinitive field identification of thedisease impossible. Sporangia, theorganism’s reproductive structure, playa significant role in spreading the dis-ease. Sporangia may germinate anddirectly infect plants, but more impor-tantly, they produce and releasezoospores. These motile spores (sporeswith two flagella) swim in free waterand infect plants through wounds orsucculent plant tissue. Sporangia areoften found on the foliage of hostsand generally spread by rain splash,or aerially, to new hosts. Chlamy-dospores are survival structures thatcan endure months of adverse condi-tions and germinate when suitableconditions are present. All three struc-tures require free water for germina-tion. Chlamydospores often exist inthe soil surrounding infected plantsand can be transported in stream wa-ter or with soil on shoes, tires, animalpaws/hooves, etc. This aids long-rangeorganism dispersal.

Symptoms

P. ramorum caused symptoms varyamong host species. Phytophthoraramorum primarily infects the leaves ofrhododendron, although it can alsoinfect branches and may kill entireplants. Infection causes brown-black(necrotic) lesions on portions of theleaf often where water accumulates.The lesions have a diffuse margin andcan mimic drought injury.Phytophthora ramorum can cause simi-lar symptoms on Pacific madrone andmay also cause leaf spots, necrosisalong the midvein of the leaf, leafdeath, and branch dieback. Bigleafmaple and vine maple are foliar hosts

of P. ramorum and symptoms tend tolook like scorch starting at the edgeof the leaf and with irregular marginsthat do not follow the contour of theleaf. Occasional leaf spots have beenidentified on evergreen huckleberry,but branch dieback is a more commonsymptom. Phytophthora ramorumcauses small lesions on twigs or stemsof evergreen huckleberry resulting indeath of the infected branch or stembeyond the lesion. Phytophthoraramorum also causes cankers on smallbranches of Douglas-fir resulting in tipdieback, which looks very similar tofrost damage. It is important to notethat abiotic stressors such as droughtand frost, as well as other biologicalagents, can produce symptoms simi-lar to those caused by P. ramorum inthe above hosts. Only laboratoryanalysis of symptomatic tissue canconfirm the presence of P. ramorum.

Methods

This survey utilized a sampling proto-col developed by the Forest HealthMonitoring group within the USDAForest Service. In forested areasaround nurseries that contained suit-able host types, four 100-m longtransects were distributed along thenursery perimeter so as to sample allavailable aspects (Fig. 1). The transectsencompassed the edge of the forestedarea along the nursery perimeter andextended 10 meters into the forestedarea (Fig. 1).

In high-risk forest environments, notadjacent to nurseries, a plot center waslocated at least 100-m from a road.Four 100-m transects, each 10-m wide,were installed on cardinal azimuthsfrom the plot center. A Global Posi-tioning System (GPS) was used to iden-

tify starting and ending coordinatesfor each transect.

Along each transect rhododendron,evergreen huckleberry, bigleaf maple,Douglas-fir, Pacific madrone and otherknown hosts were examined for symp-toms of SOD. Samples of species notcurrently recognized as hosts were col-lected if they exhibited symptoms simi-lar to those exhibited by known hostsbecause of the likelihood that thereare unidentified hosts that will belisted as susceptible in the future.Symptomatic leaves were placed in la-beled plastic bags and delivered to thelaboratory, usually within the sameday. The samples were tested by theWashington State Department of Ag-riculture using DAS (Double AntibodySandwich) ELISA kits.

Results and Discussion

The forested perimeter of 34 nurseries,including 125 transects with suitablehosts, were surveyed for SOD (Fig. 2).The absence of a suitable forested pe-rimeter limited the number oftransects completed on some nurser-ies. Twenty transects in five forestedareas were surveyed for SOD (Fig 2.).

Phytopthora ramorum was not isolatedfrom any of the 103 samples collected(Table 1).

Rhododendrons were the most com-mon species sampled, followed bybigleaf maple and vine maple (Table1).

A late frost in the Puget Sound causedthe wilting of many succulent tips on

SampledNursery

Pine S

tand

(Uns

uitab

le)

Transect

Road

Figure 1: Nursery Perimeter SurveySampling Protocol

Figure 2.Nursery Perimeter & General ForestSOD Survey Sites Within USDA ForestService SOD risk polygons

General ForestNusery Perimeter

High SOD Risk

Low SOD Risk

2 (1) Page 5 Sustaining the Pacific Northwest

Douglas-fir, which mimicked thesymptoms of SOD.

While SOD has been found in onenursery in the Puget Sound lowlands,there is no evidence that the diseasehas spread beyond the confines of thatnursery. Infected plants within thenursery were destroyed to prevent fur-ther spread of the pathogen. The or-ganism was brought to the Washing-ton nursery on plants received froman infected nursery in Oregon. Thereis no evidence that the organism hasspread naturally in the environmentto Washington from either Californiaor Oregon.

Current research indicates that thereare two strains of P. ramorum. The“California strain” found in the for-ests of California and Brookings, Or-egon, has been found to spread natu-rally in the environment. The “Euro-pean strain” found in nurseries innorthern Oregon, Washington, Brit-ish Columbia, and Europe has spreadfrom nursery to nursery on infectedstock. There is no evidence of naturalspread of the “European strain” out-side of the nurseries in the UnitedStates. However, it is likely that someinfected nursery stock had been dis-tributed to the public prior to SOD de-tection in the nurseries. The distribu-

SpeciesNo.

SamplesP. ramorum

+/-Rhododendron 38 -Big Leaf Maple 19 -Vine Maple 14 -Douglas-fir 10 -Evergreen Huckleberry 10 -Pacific Madrone 6 -Northern Red Oak 4 -Tanoak 2 -Redwood 1 -Salal 1 -Magnolia 1 -Exotic Maple (spp. ?) 1 -Camellia 1 -

Table 1: Samples Collected &Phytophthora ramorum Analysis

tion of infected plant material to thepublic gives rise to the potential forthe pathogen to become establishedin the natural environment.

~~~~~~Shepherd's Grain: A Farmer'sStrategy for Survival in the

Global Marketplace

Karl Kupers, Sales Director, ColumbiaPlateau Producers (509- 721-0374)

The Columbia Plateau Producers is asmall group of progressive familyfarmers dedicated to sustainableagriculture. Fred Fleming and Ifounded the group in 2002 to marketour custom-milled, high gluten flourunder the name Shepherd's GrainTM.Using direct-seed cropping systems,we produce grains certified by theFood Alliance, one of the nation'sleading certification programs forenvironmentally friendly and sociallyresponsible agriculture practices.Shepherd's Grain products provide

food service providers, bakers, chefsand consumers the opportunity toimprove the quality of life in thePacific Northwest by makingenvironmentally sound farmingeconomically sustainable for farmers.The combination of third partyverification, traceable local productionand environmentally sound

production systems are imminentlymarketable. When combined withpersonal commitment tosustainability, the results are veryrewarding.

We began producing and marketingShepherd's Grain to meet a demandfor locally produced, healthy foodgrown in a sustainable fashion. Wewere convinced that there were bakers,chefs and consumers who wereconcerned about how their food wasproduced, where it was produced andwho produced it. We envisioned aviable market based on environmentalstewardship. Our group changed todirect seeding systems to produce cropsin an environmentally sound manner,and we met with bakers and chefs sothat we could custom mill our flourto meet their needs. As we changedour farming and marketing practices,we have literally changed fromproducers of a bulk commodity crop(wheat) into produces of a value-added product (flour). As a wheatfarmer who typically saw his crop gointo an anonymous bin, it is excitingnow to see a food product with originson my farm.

Direct seed farming systems. Allfarmers who are a part of theColumbia Plateau Producers use directseed farming systems. Direct seedingis for the most part another term forno-till planting. That is, we do not tillthe soil to plant or grow our crop. Formore information about directseeding, visit the web sitewww.directseed.org. We each stronglybelieve that the benefits of direct seedfarming systems outweigh itschallenges. Direct seeding hasnumerous benefits including:

Reduced plowing increases soilorganic matter, nutrient content,and moisture retention;

Reduced labor and input costs;Decreased fuel use and reducedemissions due to fewer passesthrough the field;

Increased crop residue reduceswind erosion, provides wildlifehabitat, and increases worm andmicroorganism populations inthe soil;

Continued on next page

Figure 1. Shepherd's GrainTM Label

The lable inludes the grower identity,highlights the production region, andensures the consistency, quality and

supply of the product.

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 6

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Reduced soil erosion andleaching of crop nutrients andpesticides into water systems;

Increased carbon sequestration aschanges in the soil's carbon-nitrogen cycle allow direct-seededfarmlands to act as carbon sinksthat can sequester 400-800 poundsof carbon per acre (up to 1.4 tonsof carbon dioxide/acre/year).Thus direct seeding can be partof the solution to prevent globalwarming.

Along with these benefits to direct seedfarming systems come risks associatedwith converting a conventionallyplowed farm to direct seeding. Whilebreaking with the psychologicalsecurity of convention is perhaps thegreatest risk of all for most farmers,other practical challenges threaten afarmer's agronomic and economicsuccess. These include:

Reevaluation of every aspect ofcrop production; scientificresearch often lags behind thepractical application of thefarmer pioneers.

New planting equipment must bepurchased.

Crop rotations, pest managementtechniques and the level of inputsmust be adjusted for the newsystem.

Climatic and geographicaldiversity in the Pacific Northwestmakes a "cookie cutter" approachineffective.

There is a need to rotate wheatwith other crops and new marketsmust be found for these othercrops that have not previouslybeen grown in the region.

It often takes years for the benefits ofdirect seeding to appear. It is for thisreason that successful direct seedgrowers, the research community andthe market must work together tosupport and increase thisenvironmentally beneficial practice.

Direct marketing. Successfullymarketing value-added products madefrom our grains allows us to beeconomically viable and will enable us

to convert more Pacific Northwest acresto direct seed cropping systems. RussZenner, a Columbia Plateau Producerbased in Idaho, explains: "The faceof agriculture, along with many otherthings in this world, is changingrapidly. Those who will succeed arethe individuals who adapt to thesocial, economic and regulatoryenvironment. The need for farmcropping systems that simultaneouslyenhance profitability, contribute to a

quality environment, and provide asafe, dependable, and economicalfood supply is my motivation foradopting direct seed farming systems."Assuring the environmental andeconomic sustainability of agriculturewill benefit everyone's quality of life.

The heart is in the grain. Whileestablishing Shepherd's Grain, Fredand I spent three years testing differentwheat varieties to see which wouldproduce the highest quality flour forbread. We are growing hard red springwheat for our flour and also growseveral rotation crops includinglentils, garbanzos and red beans. Ournext step is to develop markets forthese other crops, which we also growin a direct seed manner and certifythrough Food Alliance. We willcontinue to focus on flour as ourprimary product as wheat is the maincrop we grow.

In addition to supporting sustainableagriculture, our products are uniquein several other ways. On every bagof Shepherd's Grain we preserve theidentity of the farmer who grew thegrain, we highlight our productionregion, and we ensure the consistency

of quality and supply of our product.We are committed to keeping ourbrand small and local so that you canvisit the farmer who grew youringredients and discuss varieties mostsuitable to your needs. In short,growers work closely with bakers, chefsand consumers so that Shepherd'sGrain adds value to their products.

Columbia Plateau Producers. In 2003seven farmers from Washington andIdaho participated in the ColumbiaPlateau Producers. Our farms arelocated in Genesee, Idaho, and Colfax,Lacrosse and St. John, Washington.As with any agricultural productionand marketing system, you must planwell in advance to have inventory inplace to meet marketplace demands.We are planning now for an inventorythat will last through 2005. We intendto maintain our production andmarketing momentum throughcontrolled growth. To meet ourobjectives, we are seeking 8-10 newdirect seeding farmer partners in thePacific Northwest for the 2004production year. We are seekingfarmers who also put pride over profit,who want to maintain control of theircrop production and quality, and whowould like to get to know theircustomers and feel good about whatthey do. We want all our farmers andbuyers to be as proud of their endproduct as we are of ours. We wouldlike to include more growers fromIdaho and would like to add growersfrom Oregon. Geographic diversity iscritical to maintaining a soundproduction network that canwithstand devastating anduncontrollable environmentaloccurrences such as drought andflooding. Additionally, geographicdiversity enables us to guarantee theprotein quality of our flour whichimpacts baking quality.

There are new opportunities availableto us every day, and therefore each dayis the beginning of a new story. I amconfident that our farmer-based groupis here for the long run and hope wecan sustain our momentum. Ourvision for a viable market based onenvironmental stewardship hasbecome a reality, and now our

Figure 2. Karl & Fred’s First Bag ofShepherd's GrainTM Flour.

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 7

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challenge it to offer this opportunityto other farmers in our region.

~~~~~~Research Program on

Nematodes & Their EconomicImportance in Washington State

Ekaterini Riga , NematologistWSU Department of Plant Pathology

The Nematode Research Program atWSU helps both conventional andorganic growers fight plant parasiticnematodes and enhance beneficialfree-living nematodes. This researchprogram focuses on plant parasiticnematodes, entomopathogenic nema-todes (pests of insects), and beneficialfree-living nematodes. The researchprogram consists of three mainprojects:

1) Controlling plant parasiticnematodes and enhancing free-livingbeneficial nematodes utilizes organicamendments, cover crops, greenmanures, and organic nematicides.These organic approaches are also usedin combination with low rates ofsynthetic nematicides to increasecontrol efficacy on conventionalfarms. Currently, the main crops inthis study are apples, grapes andpotatoes.

2) Developing molecular markers todetect and identify plant parasiticnematodes (Paratrichodorus allius, astubby root nematode) accurately andrapidly will save resources comparedto existing tests which are slow andinaccurate. Potato is the main cropaffected by this nematode in Wash-ington.

3) The third project studies the effec-tiveness of entomopathogenic nema-todes as biological control agentsagainst plant-attacking insects such ascarrot rust fly and the Colorado po-tato beetle. Entomopathogenic nema-todes are natural predators of insects.

Nematode Biology

The name “nematode” originates fromthe Greek words: nema, meaning“thread,” and toid, meaning “form.”While usually worm-like, some plantparasitic nematodes are swollen.Nematodes exist almost everywhere,

including in soil, fresh water, salt wa-ter, plants, animals, and humans.Grouped according to what they eat,we find fungal feeders, bacterial feed-ers, predators, animal parasites, algalfeeders, omnivores, and plant para-sites. Plant parasitic nematodes rangein size from 0.08mm to 5mm and canaffect many major crop species. Plantparasitic nematodes have been stud-ied extensively due to their impact onagricultural crops, however very littlework has been done on the free-livingnematodes considered beneficial forsoil and plant health. The presenceof free-living nematodes indicate ahealthy soil.

Plant parasitic nematodes pierceplant cell walls with a syringe-like feed-ing apparatus called a stylet. Each spe-cies of plant parasitic nematodes feedson a particular part of the plant. Themajority of plant parasitic nematodesfeed on plant roots. While somenematode species feed only on theouter tissue of the root, other speciespenetrate more deeply, even com-pletely entering the plant root. Allnematode activities result in energybeing removed from plants to supportthe nematodes. Some plant-parasiticnematodes cause severe damage thatdecreases yields, produces unmarket-able crops, and sometimes causes to-tal crop failure.

Entomopathogenic nematodes formsymbiotic associations with bacteriaand parasitize insects in soil. The

nematodes and their bacteria live mostof their lives inside the insect hostsexcept when the nematode leaves theinsect and travels through the soil insearch of a new host. The nematodeand its symbiotic bacteria enter theinsect, and once inside the insectbody, the nematode releases thebacteria. This usually kills the insecthost within 48 hours. The nematodethen feeds on the bacteria, developinto an adult, and reproduces. Thelife cycle is complete within a few daysand several thousands of newnematodes emerge from the deadinsect in search of new insect hosts.Entomopathogenic nematodes areinsect specific and not harmful tohumans or plants. Under properconditions, they have the potential tobe excellent biological control agentsof insects.

Free-living beneficial nematodes livein the soil and several thousand maybe present in only 250 cc of soil. Mosttypes of soil nematodes do not para-sitize plants and are beneficial in thedecomposition of organic matter.Called free-living beneficial nema-todes, they live either in the thin filmof moisture around soil particles or inthe rhizosphere around plant roots.Their presence also indicates a healthysoil. Currently, little data exist aboutthe biology and specific functions offree-living beneficial nematodes.

Economic Importance of Nematodes

Although several plant parasitic nema-todes are found in Washington State,the following species cause significanteconomic damage to major crops:

1) Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogynespp.) enter roots, select a site to feedand then swell as they become adultsfull of eggs. Each root-knot femaleproduces 250-400 eggs which will bereleased into the soil to start the cycleagain. One species common in Wash-ington can have up to 4 life-cycles inone growing season. Roots infestedwith root-knot nematodes often havevisible galls, sometimes exhibit exces-sive branching, and may appear weakand stunted. Deformed root systemsdamage underground organs such aspotato tubers and make them unmar-

Figure 1. Infected Potatoes

Each bump represents a female root-knotnematode and contains approximately300 eggs. Bumps are more visible wheninfected with the Meloidogyne chitwoodi(left) than Meloidogy hapla.

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 8

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ketable (Figure 1). The Washingtonpotato industry could lose close to $40million annually if these nematodeswere left uncontrolled. The root-knotnematodes infect a wide range of crops(Figure 2).

2) The stubby-root nematode(Paratrichodorusallius), an exter-nal feeding para-site, feeds onroots, but canalso vector vi-ruses such as theTobacco RattleVirus, whichcauses corkyringspot diseasein potato tubers

(Figure 3). Another virus-vectoringnematode in Washington is the dag-ger nematode (Xiphinema spp.) whichvectorsTomato Ringspot Virus, a dis-ease of many fruit crops.

3) Root-lesion nematodes(Pratylenchus spp.) make holes in thesides of roots and move inside wherethey leave brown necrotic regions andeggs. Lesions begin on one side of theroot, but may spread, resulting in aweak, shallow root system with deadareas. Lesion nematodes also help fungiinvade roots. For example, potatoearly dying syndrome is caused jointlyby the lesion nematode and Verticil-lium dahliae. The lesion nematode in-fects a wide range of plants.

~~~~~~

Each bump on the parsnip root containsat least 350 eggs.

Figure 2. Parsnip infected withMeloidogyne hapla

Figure 3

The Precision IrrigationDevelopment and

Demonstration Project

Dr. Fran Pierce, Director, WSUCenter for Precision Agricultural

Systems & Brian Lieb

Dr.’s Francis Pierce and Art Linton,project managers at the Prosser Irri-gated Agriculture Research and Exten-sion Center (IAREC) are collaboratingwith Dr.’s Robert Stevens, Brian Leib,and Clyde Fraisseon the precision ir-rigation demonstration project. Theproject is testing a telemetry soil wa-ter monitoring system that involvesa radio network including the major-ity of irrigated area in Eastern Wash-ington. Growers of irrigated crops cannow install telemetry soil water moni-toring systems that move datathrough a central computer. Grow-ers can then view and download theirsoil water monitoring data or graphi-cal plots of soil water content overtime at www.agweathernet.com. Soilwater monitoring equipment has beeninstalled in grapes, cherries (Figure 1),and potatoes. Real-time monitoringon soil water for irrigated crops canbe found at www.cpas.prosser.wsu.edu

Over two million acres in the YakimaValley and Columbia Basin produce$3.5 billion in farm gate value annu-ally. Producers face challenges of wa-ter quantity and quality in terms offarm pollutants discharged to surfaceand ground waters. Yakima watershedWRIA #37 has TMDL’s for total sus-

pended solids, temperature, pesticides,in-stream flow, and pH. This regionhas also been designated as criticalhabitat to threatened and endangeredaquatic species under the EndangeredSpecies Act.

Most irrigated producers face similarchallenges and have converted signifi-cant acreage to drip or sprinkler tech-nologies. Technologies that provideproducers real-time soil moisture lev-els will enhance confidence in water-conserving systems and allow for im-mediate adjustments of water quan-tity. This potentially prevents farmpollutants from leaving fields due toover application of irrigation. Formore details on this program, visit theproject web site.

~~~~~~2003 Graziers Conference:

Grazing According to Gerrish

Andy McGuire, Lauzier Ag SystemsEducator, 509-754-2011 x413

Over 115 people gathered in Ellensburgon October 30, 2003 for the statewideGraziers Conference sponsored byWSU Extension and Solar Dollars, alocal group of graziers committed tohelping landowners be good stewards.The conference featured Dr. JimGerrish, recently retired beef-foragesystems researcher for the Universityof Missouri and now a grazing landsconsultant. Dr. Gerrish spoke on man-agement-intensive grazing, low-stressweaning, and stockpiling of forage.Dr. Gerrish presented the results ofmany years of research, but concludedthat “grazing management is an art,based in science.” Dr. Gerrish empha-sized five main points:

Intensified management. In grazingsystems, the management intensifies,not grazing, as cattle “graze intensivelyby nature.” Graziers must first man-age stocking rates which affect forageproduction, quality, and composition,animal performance, and profitabil-ity. Balancing gain per acre and indi-vidual performance maximizes profit.

Sward height. Pasture sward shouldbe maintained between 6 and 10inches high at grazing with most grass

Figure 1

Solar panels positioned above the canopyof the WSU WSU-IAREC cheery orchardpowers Decagon Echo sensor probes areinstalled at various depths in the soil.

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 9

species. Proper sward height main-tains high intake. To increase intake,leave taller residual and reach targetresidual in less time. Managementintensifies since the grazier must putthe right number of cattle on the pas-ture for the right amount of time.Graziers who allow cattle to graze thepasture very low lose gain because in-take decreases as utilization increases.Gerrish’s data supports the “take half,leave half” maxim.

Grazing management and pasturequality. Interseeding with more de-sirable species, legumes in temperateor irrigated pastures, and improvedspecies in rangeland, can improve pro-ductivity. Combined with grazingmanaged to avoid over and under-grazing, pasture quality can be bettermaintained. Graziers can achieve thisthrough dividing pastures into pad-docks. Additional paddocks providegraziers more flexibility in keeping thequality of the pasture high in boththe crucial spring and fall seasons.Graziers should use the general rule of“twice over the farm in the first 30days” of spring for Irrigated and West-side pastures.

Pasture weaning. Gerrish’s researchshows that pasture weaning can lowerthe physical, environmental, nutri-tional, and emotional stress of cattle.Using this method in Missouri, Gerrishweaned 3800 calves in 15 years andonly had two sick calves and two mor-talities.

Stockpiling of forage. Althoughstockpiling forage for winter grazingworks best with a base of tall fescue, itis just one option for winter grazing.Other options might include grazingcrop residues and winter annuals.

Research shows feeding hay costs themost so using alternatives will savegraziers money on winter feedingcosts. In areas of Canada with harshwinters, some farmers use innovativegrazing systems to avoid feeding hay.In almost every case researched, “everyday spent grazing, [and not feedinghay], is money saved. High winterfeed costs are primarily a habit” andnot a necessity, even when relativelyexpensive annual forage crops havebeen used.

For more information. Downloadconference handouts or contact Dr.Gerrish at 660-258-3399.

~~~~~~Washington State University

Campus Sustainability Initiative

John Glass, Chair, WSU CampusSustainability Initiative

Governor Locke's September 2002 Ex-ecutive Order provided the impetus tolaunch the Campus Sustainable Ini-tiative that same year. This order es-tablished seven long-term sustainabil-ity goals regarding resource consump-tion, vehicle use, purchase of goodsand services, and facility construction,operation and maintenance.

WSU’s Sustainability Advisory Groupidentified sustainable practices atWSU with the objective of establish-ing a comprehensive, system-wide ap-proach within a common sustainabil-ity vision of promoting the institu-tionalization of good sustainable prac-tices, increasing employee issue aware-ness, and producing financial gains.These goals have been implementedin various ways:

1) WSU needs to change from a piece-meal approach to one oriented to-wards the whole system. For example,WSU's Waste Wise Recycling Programput recycling containers at each deskand central collection stations result-ing in 52% of the university's wastebeing diverted from landfills. Card-board collection sites during studentmove-in collected 15 tons of card-board which was sold to commoditybuyers. The Environmental Protec-tion Agency's National EnvironmentPerformance Track program also ac-

Intensive Cattle Grazing

cepted WSU as the first university toparticipate.

2) It is also critical to raise people'sawareness and understanding of theissues. As part of this strategy, studentsand staff were encouraged to developlong-term strategies to use only renew-able or natural resources. Addition-ally, WSU initiated special events, suchas the Zero-Waste Picnic which onlygenerated 53 pounds of waste for 4700people served. The Nike Reuse-A-ShoeCollection diverted 5,500 pairs of usedathletic shoes from landfills to "NikeGrind", a material used to make trackand field surfaces.

Educational initiatives, such as theWSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture& Natural Resources and theEnvironmental Studies ColloquiumGroup, also help to raise awareness ofdifferent of sustainability conceptsfrom several perspectives (application,humanistic, and social sciences).

3) As part of a strategy to minimizeenergy and water usage to decreaseoperating costs, WSU:

Installed lighting controls inparking garages to reduce lightinglevels at certain times;

Began lighting system upgradesfor 5 million square feet of build-ing space to both reduce energyuse and remove and cleanup PCBballasts;

Conducts life cycle cost analyseson buildings to determine thebest sustainable systems of heat-ing, ventilation, air conditioning,etc.;

Installed semi-automated timerson irrigation systems;

Partnered with the City of Pull-man on a proposal to reclaimwastewater to irrigate green space.

4) WSU has started using cleaner en-ergy for facilities and vehicles. The newcampus energy power plant will usenatural gas, will generate half as muchwastewater as the current plant, andwill save the university 30 million gal-lons of water each year.

5) WSU is increasing the use of re-cycled and remanufactured materialsin purchasing and construction

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 10

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HIGHLIGHTS

USDA/CSREES Fellowship

Dr. David P. Muehleisen, Extension Co-ordinator with the WSU Small FarmsProgram, spent the summer on a fel-lowship at USDA/CSREES workingunder the mentorship of Dr. Jill Au-burn and Dr. Fen Hunt of Economicand Community Services (ECS) andDr. Mary Ann Rozum of Plant andAnimal services (PAS). He exploredpossible outreach strategies to getsmall scale, minority, and limited re-source farmers greater access to thefederal conservation programs inWashington State and the PacificNorthwest, such as the ConservationSecurity Program (CSP), Environmen-tal Quality Innovation Program

(EQIP), and other relevant NaturalResource Conservation Service (NRCS)and Farm Service Agency (FSA) pro-grams. David developed critical con-tacts with the NRCS staff and Com-munity Based Organizations (CBO)for the CSP program based in Wash-ington, DC. David also studied therelationship between NRCS practicesand the conservation practices of cer-tified organic farms. Presently, NRCSviews certified organic as a marketingstrategy and not a set of sustainableconservation practices. David believesthat “the commonalities and differ-ences between these two views must bedefined.”

Grant to Aid Farmers in Reducing Greenhouse GasCoug News, November 14, 2003

"Helping farmers ease global climatechange by reducing farm-producedgreenhouse gas emissions is the goalof a $3.75-million research grant fromthe Paul G. Allen Charitable Founda-tion to Washington State University'sCenter for Sustaining Agriculture andNatural Resources. The AllenFoundation's support will fund a five-year project in which WSU and U.S.Department of Agriculture researcherswill assess three farming systems. Dairy,irrigated crop, and dryland grain farm-ing systems will be evaluated to betterunderstand how each contributes toglobal warming. The interdisciplinaryteam will study alternative farmingapproaches for their ability to reduceemissions and increase carbon storage,while also monitoring economic andenvironmental impacts." For moredetail, see http://cahenews.wsu.edu/RELEASES/2003/03052.htm

7th Annual National Food SecurityConference

Sylvia Kantor, WSU Extension KingCounty & Andy Fisher, ExecutiveDirector, Community food Security

Coalition (310) 822-5410

Over 550 participants at the nationalCommunity Food Security Conference(CFSC) in Boston, MA, discussed issuesrelated to strengthening local and re-gional economies by connecting farm-ers to regional markets. Topics includednational food and farm policy, nutri-

tion and obesity, saving farms andfarmland, the lack of supermarkets inurban and rural regions, city food pro-duction, and connecting chefs to lo-cal farms.

“Interest in community food securityis soaring, as a solution to rising obe-sity levels in our country, the increasein hunger and food insecurity and thecontinued challenges facing America’sfamily farms,” said Community FoodSecurity Coalition Executive Director,Andy Fisher.

Participating organizations includedfood banks, farmers’ markets, commu-nity farms, sustainable agriculturegroups, food co-ops, anti-hunger ad-vocates, social justice and publichealth organizations. Keynotespeaker Wilbur Bullock represented theyouth delegation from Building LocalAgricultural Systems Today (BLAST)and The Food Project in Massachu-setts, and emphasized the importantrole of, and growing interest amongthe nation’s young people in the fu-ture of food and agriculture. Some 50youth from all over the nation at-tended the conference this year. Theyouth presence at the conference wasnotable and really added a vital ele-ment and voice to concerns aboutfood security as well as infectious en-thusiasm for taking action.

Organizing support for healthy schoolmeals was also part of the four-dayannual CFSC conference. “When kidsconnect the source of their food withthe person who grew it, like a vine rip-ened tomato and ‘Phil the farmer,’they are much more likely to eat freshfruits and vegetables,” said MarionKalb, national Farm to School Pro-gram Director. The CCFSC calledupon Congress to act decisively tocounteract obesity and improve nutri-tion in schools by authorizing fund-ing for grants to school districts tobuy local food from regional farms.Such grants could connect students toagriculture through visits to farms andfarmers’ markets, farmers in the class-room and other hands-on farm toschool activities. This legislationwould provide children access to farm-fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables,and help farmers increase their in-

through design standards that requirerecycled materials, using recycledcopier paper, purchasing contamina-tion free hay and straw, and using low-toxicity pesticides (such as growthregulators and pheromones).

6) WSU also helps expand the mar-ket for environmentally preferableproducts and services. For example,WSU offers remanufactured toner car-tridges to encourage usage while usedtoner cartridges are collected and soldto vendors that produceremanufactured toner cartridges.

7) WSU also reduces waste, such asdistilling laboratory solvents,composting nitrate, sulfate and car-bonate salts, and reclaiming oil andhydraulic fluids.

WSU has made significant progresstowards a sustainable future, but itwould be simplistic to expect resultstoo quickly. WSU must continue todevelop the necessary infrastructure,expertise, processes and procedures toachieve measurable results. Finally andperhaps most importantly, the state-wide WSU community must be in-cluded in decisions on policy and pro-cesses in order to assure their buy-inand ownership of the changes neces-sary to achieve a sustainable future.

For a more detailed look at what WSUis doing, view their web site.

~~~~~~

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 11

comes and become more involved intheir communities.

Newly elected President of CFSC,Sharon Thornberry, Director of theOregon Food Bank, stated: “It is im-portant that we stop talking aboutending hunger and we start talkingabout building food security for thedisenfranchised. Everyone from se-niors to children, and inner city torural residents need access to an ad-equate and nutritious food supply.This includes the average person wholives on fast food. The role of the CFSCis to empower people at the grassrootsto reclaim their food systems.”

University of Wisconsin GoesOrganic

Kirsten Saylor notes that the Univer-sity of Wisconsin at Madison “becamethe first major public university in theU.S. to commit to putting organicfoods and foods grown on local farmson the regular menu at their dormdining centers. This fall, organic ham-burgers replaced all conventionalburgers in all University student caf-eterias, which serve 15,000 meals a day.This action was taken in response tothe University Housing Food Service’sdesire to offer fresh, quality food andto student demands for more organicfood in the cafeterias.” View completearticle at the Badger Herald web site.

Organic Farming HelpsSequester Global Warming Gases

The Rodale Institute announced find-ings based on the world's longest run-ning study of organic farming whichdocuments that organic soils captureatmospheric carbon dioxide and con-vert it into soil material. This is thefirst study to differentiate organicfarming techniques from conventionalagricultural practices for their abilityto serve as carbon "sinks."

National Association of StateDepartments of AgricultureSupports Organic Farming

Olympia, WA. “Leaders of the statedepartments of agriculture adopted apolicy statement expressing broad sup-port for organic farming at the annualmeeting of the National Associationof State Departments of Agriculture

(NASDA). The policy statement sup-ports:

Full and consistent implementationand enforcement of the NationalOrganic Program and its organicproduction and handling stan-dards;

Cooperation between the NationalOrganic Program and experiencedpublic and private certifying agen-cies;

Efforts to increase the economicgrowth of the organic industry withmarketing assistance;

Increasing activity in organic re-search and education; and,

Collecting statistics on organic pro-duction and market growth in or-der to provide reliable informationabout the industry to farmers, mar-keters, and elected officials.”

The full text of NASDA’s policy state-ment is on their web site.

EventsOregon Better Process Control

School (BPCS)

The OSU Department of Food Science& Technology Extension Service an-nounces the Better Process Control School(BPCS), a four-day course addressingoperations of retorts, processing sys-tems, aseptic processing and packagingsystems and container closure inspec-tion. Each processor of low-acid oracidified foods must have a certified su-pervisor on hand at all times duringprocessing. Intended for supervisors ofthermal food processing operations,acidified food processing operations,and food container closure operations,this school provides the necessary cer-tification for supervisors of such pro-cessors.

The BPCS is FDA approved and followsthe prescribed course of instruction forcertification. Examinations are givenfor each section and are standardizedby the Food Processors Institute withthe approval of the FDA. Participantswho pass receive a certificate issued byOregon State University.

Registration Fees: $550/person beforeJanuary 5, 2004, $600/person after Janu-ary 5. The conference will be held Janu-

ary 26-29, 2004 at the SalbasgeonSuites, 1730 NW 9th Street, Corvallis,OR.

Organic Agriculture Principlesand Practices & Ecological &Organic Weed Management

Workshops

February 24-25, 2004, Namaste Con-ference Center, Wilsonville, Oregon

These workshops are designed for ex-tension and NRCS workers, agricul-tural consultants, and growers. Con-tinuing Education Units (CEUs) forCertified Crop Advisors (CCA) havebeen applied for.

The Organic Agriculture workshop onFebruary 24 will include: organic farm-ing under the new standards, the cur-rent status of PNW organic farming,National Organic Standards, materi-als for organic production, organiccertification, information resources,and case studies. Participants will re-ceive a copy of the Organic FarmingResource Notebook.

The Ecological & Organic Weed work-shop on February 25 will feature: or-ganic weed control challenges, weedecology, crop competition, systems ap-proach, grower panel and video, cur-rent research and future trends, aposter session, and an equipmentshow.

Registration cost for each workshopis $35 including lunch. For more in-formation, visit our website or con-tact David Granatstein at (509) 663-8181 x 222, or Alex Stone, OSU, at(541)-737-5461.

Call For Posters. Researchers, exten-sion agents, industry and agency rep-resentatives, grower groups and farm-ers are encouraged to present a poster.Deadline for submission of poster sum-maries is February 5. See web for de-tails.

Funding for WSU Faculty to attendWorkshops. The WSU Center for Sus-taining Agriculture and Natural Re-sources (CSANR),will fund the travelexpenses for three Extension person-nel to attend the Organic Ag Work-shops scheduled for Wilsonville OR,Feb 24-25, 2004. To apply, email AndyMcGuire with the following informa-

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 12

tion by Jan. 23: name; position, geo-graphic area and responsibilities; yearyou were hired by WSU; why you thinkthis training would be valuable to youand your clientele; and how you planto use the information gained.

SMALL FARM COURSES

Identify and profit from trends in themarketplace. Develop a business planfor a new farm or to take an existingoperation in a new direction. The NXLeveL Tilling the Soil of Opportunity:Agricultural Entrepreneurship will beoffered in the spring at Moscow,IDand Port Hadlock, Port Orchard, andPuyallup (WA) through CultivatingSuccess (WSU and UI). See website fordetails.

Agriculture to Culture: TheSocial Transformation of Food

Announcing the Joint 2004 AnnualMeetings of the Association for theStudy of Food & Society (ASFS) andthe Agriculture, Food, and HumanValues Society (AFHVS) on June 10 -13, 2004 at the Culinary Institute ofAmerica in Hyde Park, NY. Their jointannual meeting will bring together twomultidisciplinary professional andscholarly societies for the purpose ofdiscussing contemporary issues relatingto food, cooking, eating, and nutri-tional behaviors; agricultural practices;and public policies toward food andagriculture. Papers and panels aresought on any topic related to agri-culture, food, and society. See detailsand the Call for Papers at http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/rhaynes/afhvs/NextMeeting.htm.

4th Annual Harvesting CleanEnergy Conference!

The Harvesting Clean Energy Confer-ence will explore opportunities andbuilding partnerships to advance cleanenergy production in the rural North-west. Sessions will provide insight intothe nuts-and-bolts of how agriculturalproducers can profitably diversify intoclean energy production and other bio-product markets, including windpower, biofuels, energy efficiency, on-farm renewable energy, and biogas di-gesters. There will also be a session onefficiency opportunities for food pro-ducer-processors.

January 20-21, Oregon ConventionCenter, Portland, OR. Register on lineor call 1-800-942-4978.

Water for a Sustainable andSecure Future

The National Council for Science andthe Environment (NCSE) invites youto participate in a unique conferenceto develop science-based strategies forachieving water sustainability. NCSE's4th National Conference on Science,Policy and the Environment: Water fora Sustainable and Secure Future willbe held on January 29-30, 2004 at theRonald Reagan Building and Interna-tional Trade Center in Washington,DC.

Books & Reports

New Book Promotes"Ecoagriculture" forPeople and Wildlife

Miles Merwin, President, Associationfor Temperate Agroforestry

The vision of Ecoagriculture, a newbook authored by Jeffrey McNeely andSara Scheer, is the "management oflandscapes for both the production offood and the conservation of ecosys-tem services, in particular wild biodi-versity." It is mainly a book about ag-ricultural development in the tropical,developing world. However,agroforestry features prominently asone way to achieve this balance andthe principles in this book can readilybe applied to temperate as well as tropi-cal climates.

Industrial agriculture, the authorsnote, is of critical importance to alle-

v i a t i n gp o v e r t yand feed-ing thew o r l d ' sg r o w i n gp o p u l a -tion. Theyr e v i e wsome ofthe impactsof large-scale agri-culture onbiodiver -sity, e.g.

land conversion, habitat loss and frag-mentation, etc. They then describewhat populations of wild species needin order to thrive. Combining thesetwo often-antagonistic goals, they of-fer some practical suggestions on how"increasing agricultural diversity canenhance wild biodiversity."

The second half of the book focuseson six strategies to promote biodiver-sity in agricultural landscapes: createbiodiversity reserves that benefit localcommunities; develop habitat net-works in non-farmed areas; reduce con-version of wild lands to agriculture byincreasing farm productivity; minimizeagricultural pollution; modify themanagement of soil, water and vegeta-tion resources; and modify farming sys-tems to mimic natural ecosystems.

Illustrated by 36 case studies, the au-thors suggest specific ways to imple-ment these six strategies. Agroforestrypractices are cited as examples of howto balance production with conserva-tion, e.g. riparian buffers and wind-breaks that create habitat, buffers thatreduce pollution by trapping sedimentsand chemicals, alley cropping andsilvopasture that diversify production,and forest farming (and other prac-tices) that mimic natural ecosystems.

However, if wild animal populationsare increased in areas near agriculture,conflicts with production goals canresult. The authors acknowledge this,and offer some ideas on how farmersand wildlife may coexist. The last fewchapters of the book consider how toadvance the adoption ofecoagriculture. Chapters on publicpolicy, market incentives and supportinstitutions cite examples of how soci-eties can encourage, or discourage, theconservation aspects of agriculture.

Although indirectly about agroforestry,this book helps to show how it can beused to enhance wildlife diversity whileimproving the economic livelihood oflandowners. It will be of interest toanyone concerned about balanced ap-proaches to reducing the loss of biodi-versity while sustaining human popu-lations.

Ecoagriculture: Strategies to Feed the Worldand Save Wild Biodiversity. Jeffrey A.

Continued on next page

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 13

McNeely & Sara J. Scheer, Island Press,2003. US $27.50 plus $5.00 for post-age and handling within the US, or$7.00 for shipment to Canada payableto AFTA. AFTA Books, PO Box2307,Portland, OR 97208, USA

The Essential Agrarian Reader:The Future of Culture,

Community, and the Land

The Agrarian Standard By Wendell Berry

Agrarians of the World, Unite!

The New Agrarian

Farmer/Educator Survey: Govt.Policy Major Barrier to Adopting

Sustainable Ag Techniques

A two-state team led by Land Steward-ship Project "conducted the surveys of1,600 sustainable farmers, farm lend-ers and agricultural educators in 2002.The surveys focused on credit-relatedpractices as well as the perceptionseach group holds about banks, sus-tainable farming and each other. Therewere 567 respondents, some of whomparticipated in follow-up round-tablediscussions this past spring to reviewand react to the findings." visit http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/edsurvey.pdf for the results.

Resources

All Federal Grants On-Line

The Office of Federal Financial Man-agement recently issued a policy direc-tive requiring that Federal grant op-portunities be posted online. The website can be found at http://www.grants.gov.

Beyond the Pale Green byMichelle Nijhuis

An article in Grist Magazine exploreshow small-scale farmers are going "be-yond organic" to extol local foods. Asorganic becomes mainstream, con-cerns about sustainability arise similarto issues surrounding other more con-ventional corporate farming. This ar-ticle looks at a loose network of farm-ers, consumers, and other groups push-ing agriculture towards an emphasis on

local production and marketing.

Building a Sustainable Business

"Building a Sustainable Business: AGuide to Developing a Business Planfor Farms and Rural Businesses" talksabout business planning process toassist alternative and sustainable agri-culture entrepreneurs transform farm-grown inspiration into profitable en-terprises. This includes sampleworksheets on goal-setting, determin-ing potential markets and financingoptions, and help developing businessplans.

Center for Rural Affairs

Strategies to Revitalize Rural America

Concentration Within the FoodSystem

This report by Bill Vorley (of IIED) de-tails the impact of buyer power on thefood chain, notably detailing its im-pact on farmers and farm workers. Thereport rigorously explores how theterms of trade for primary producershave declined and the gap betweenproducer prices and retail prices hasgrown, accompanied by problems ofaccess to markets for many of theworld’s farmers.

The report examines the impact of thegrowing concentration of those com-panies who trade, process, manufac-ture and sell agricultural goods and theimpact on the following commoditychains - cereals and oil seeds, sugar,coffee and cocoa, bananas, dairy, poul-try, pork, fruit and vegetables andclearly illustrates where the buyingpower bottlenecks are.

The report also points to policies thatcan ensure more equitable trading re-lationships and provides options forre-balancing the markets - to produc-ers, national governments, businesses,ethical investment and civil societyorganizations and donor agencieswhich can restore equity and justiceto agricultural markets.

Fast Food World: Perils andPromises of the Global Food

Chain

Listen to this 2-hour webcast recordedNovember 24th with Wendell Berry,

Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser,Vandana Shiva, and Carlo Petrini (re-quires RealPlayer).

The Knight Program in Science andEnvironmental Journalism at UCBerkeley's Graduate School of Journal-ism presented this panel discussion.

Bringing Local Food to LocalPeople: A Resource Guide

Intended for Farm-to-School andFarm-to-Institution Programs, this newpublication provides farmers, schooladministrators, and institutional food-service planners with contact informa-tion and descriptions of existing pro-grams that have made these connec-tions between local farmers and localschool lunchrooms, college dininghalls, or cafeterias in other institutions.To help communities initiate similarprograms, this publication includes:resource lists of publications on howto initiate and manage local food pro-grams, funding and technical assis-tance sources, and provisions of the2002 Farm Bill that support farm- to-school and other community foodprograms.

Report Examines Impacts ofUniversity-Industry Relationships("UIRs") on Academic Researchin Agricultural Biotechnology

The Pew Initiative on Food and Bio-technology and Portland State Univer-sity issued the University-Industry Rela-tionships: Framing the Issues for AcademicResearch in Agricultural Biotechnology re-port that looks at the advantages anddisadvantages to universities and aca-demic scientists who engage in rela-tionships with industry. It specificallyoutlines the need for information re-garding influences on academic scien-tists' research agendas, the intellectualproperty rights and technology inno-vations involved in the relationships,as well as the unique role universitieshave in developing valuable technolo-gies with little commercial promise.This report is co-authored by profes-sor David Ervin of Portland State Uni-versity.

National Organic ProgramQuestion & Answer

Sustaining the Pacific Northwest2 (1) Page 14

Submitting articles: Submit articleselectronically to Doug Stienbargerin MS Word or RTF formats. Pho-tos and graphics are encouraged.

Views: The views expressed in thisnewsletter reflect those of theauthor(s) and not necessarily thoseof the sponsoring institutions.

Original articles may be reprinted pro-vided source credit is given.

No endorsement is intended of anybusinesses listed in thispublication, nor is criticism ofunnamed businesses implied.

The November Issue of theAgricultural Marketing

Resource Center

AgMRC is a national, USDA-fundedcenter dedicated to assisting produc-ers involved in value-added agriculture.

Alternatives Journal

Debra Lippoldt says, "Alternatives isCanada's foremost journal of the en-vironment. Four times a year, we serveup provocative features, current newsupdates, analytical commentary andtopical book reviews. Look to Alterna-tives for cutting-edge analysis of abroad range of environmental issuesfrom across Canada and around theworld."

Organic Trade Association

Check out the OTA web site and news-letter.

Oregon State UniversitySustainability Project

Comparison of Antibiotic Sus-ceptibility Patterns in Organicand Conventional Dairy Herds

See the article in the Organic FarmingResearch Foundation's winter newslet-ter.

FORESTRYInformation Request - Non-

Timber Forest Products

Kate Giese, Benton County OSU Ex-tension Service, is working on theWoodland Assistance Guide to providea directory of forestry assistance, mar-kets, etc. for small woodland ownersin several Oregon counties. She cur-rently has a short list of buyers, in-cluding companies/individuals thatbuy holiday greens, salal, cones, etc.,but would like to expand this list toinclude mushrooms, and other Non-Timber Forest Products. If you haveinformation, contact Kate at (541)766-6750.

OSU Puts Log Buyer DatabaseOn-Line

The database may be viewed at http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/extended/

extserv/log.php

Agroforestry Resource Center

Cornell Cooperative Extension inGreene County opened a new andunique educational facility in Septem-ber. The Agroforestry Resource Centerwill focus on education targeting ru-ral landowners, farmers with forestedland, small business owners and deci-sion makers to enhance and protectforest resources through the introduc-tion of sustainable practices that alsoenhance economic benefits for forestowners and managers. The Centerprovides incentives to retain forestedland to provide benefits to the sur-rounding human population as wellas to provide economic developmentopportunities to the landowner. Eco-nomic opportunities include selectivetimber harvests and growing and sell-ing native herbs, ginseng, mushroomsand shade tolerant crops. The Centerwill provide education and research inagroforestry and will help to createmarkets for these products with thegoal of maintaining and enhancingthe forested land of the rural North-ern Catskills region while also creat-ing opportunities for financiallystressed landowners to remain on theland.

Agroforestree (AFT) Database

The World Agroforestry Centre an-nounces this species reference and se-lection guide for agroforestry trees. Inthe context of the database,agroforestry trees are those that aredeliberately grown or kept in inte-grated land-use systems and are oftenmanaged for more than one output.They are expected to make a signifi-cant economic or ecological impact, orboth.

The main objective of the database isto provide detailed information on anumber of species to field workers andresearchers who are engaged in activi-ties involving trees suitable for

agroforestry systems and technologies.It is designed to help them make ra-tional decisions regarding the choiceof candidate species for defined pur-poses. Information for each speciescovers species identity, ecology anddistribution, propagation and man-agement, functional uses, pests anddiseases and a bibliography.

SARE Agroforestry Projects

See the Inside Agroforestry newsletter.

Trees Against the Wind

Pacific NW Extension publicationabout the planning, establishmentand maintenance of windbreaks,shelterbelts, and living snow fences.

Balancing Ecosystem Values:Innovative Experiments for

Sustainable Forestry

Scheduled for August 15 - 20, 2004 inPortland Oregon, this workshoprepresents a significant step inidentifying themes for the IUFROCongress of 2005. It will also bevaluable for scientists and landmanagers. For details and importantupcoming dates, please visit http://outreach.cof.orst.edu/ecosystem/