Sustainable Practices

A Framework to Evaluate Irrigation Efficiency Impacts Under a Changing Climate

By Karie Boone, Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources, Washington State University For decades, federal agencies, practitioners and academics across the Northwest have promoted transitioning farmers to more efficient irrigation systems with the intent of reducing agricultural water withdrawals and making more water available for other uses such as municipal, industrial and flows for […]

Drip irrigation system on grave vines

Data Driven Decision Making: Empowering Farmers in a Changing Climate

By Lulu Chen, Intern at the AgAID Institute, Washington State University Can data be a game changer for farmers in the face of climate change? Farmers are at the forefront of risk and uncertainty in the face of a rapidly changing environment. Irregular weather patterns, severe temperatures, and shifting precipitation levels create significant challenges to […]

Image of ones and zeros forming a tunnel wall

Check It Out: Ensuring that Hazelnuts in Oregon and Washington Stay Resilient

Morgan Lawrence, USDA Northwest Climate Hub You may know hazelnuts (also called filberts) for their starring role in everyone’s favorite hazelnut-chocolate spread. Or perhaps you’ve enjoyed a delicious hazelnut latte while eating a hazelnut-filled truffle. But did you know that Oregon produces 99% of U.S. hazelnuts, and Washington produces the other 1%? Under the right […]

Mowed vegetation between rows of hazelnut trees

Profitability Tool for Growers Considering Alternative Rotations in Dryland Systems

By Karie Boone, Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University, and Clark Seavert, Oregon State University For the inland Pacific Northwest, climate change predictions including wetter springs and drier, hotter summers leads to production system uncertainties and risks for dryland, small grain farmers. Annual precipitation is projected to increase by about 5-15% […]

Wheat field ready for harvest

Producers are the Best Ambassadors for Adoption of Climate-Smart Practices

By Tyler Harris, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Oregon State University With climate change, growers in the Pacific Northwest are facing a myriad of new challenges. These include a longer fire season and more frequent fires, warmer and drier summers, and increased drought potential in summer. A question that is becoming more pertinent every day […]

Check It Out: Virtual Fencing Can Exclude Cattle from Burned Areas in Large, Sagebrush Steppe Rangelands

By Morgan Lawrence, USDA Northwest Climate Hub Extensive sagebrush steppe rangelands play a crucial role in the success of Northwest ranching operations, allowing livestock to graze throughout the spring and summer months on fresh forage. However, as wildfire frequency and size increase in sagebrush steppe due to climate change, burned areas of varying sizes within […]

A cow grazes the sagebrush steppe

Exploring the Nexus of Solar Energy and Agriculture: How Do We Invest in Climate-Friendly Energy While Ensuring the Future of our Food Supply?

By Addie Candib and Chantel Welch, American Farmland Trust Given ambitious state and federal goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the pace of solar energy development is accelerating rapidly in the Pacific Northwest, placing significant pressure on the region’s agricultural land and its stewards. According to a US Department of Energy study, by 2050, 90% […]

Series of solar panels over bare ground

Deficit Irrigation Can Improve Fruit Quality for Hard Cider Producers

By Sarah Davis, Intern at Washington State University’s Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center and the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources Growing up, I remember my grandfather bringing my family fresh Honeycrisp apples from his orchard in the Chelan area, describing the qualities that made them special. As an orchardist, my grandfather always […]

Boxes of red apples

Deficit Irrigation Conserves Water in Agriculture to Aid in Combating Water Stress

By Sarah Davis, Intern at Washington State University’s Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center and the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources Washington State has nearly 15 million acres of farmland with around 39,000 operating farms, each producing necessary agricultural commodities. A few of the most well-known crops that are produced and distributed from […]