Project Description
Sustainable & Organic Agriculture
Featured stories about sustainable and organic agriculture appear in this issue.
MSU adds organic trials
Michigan State's Clarksville Horticultural Experiment Station plans to go more organic, converting much of its open space to organic and transitional tree fruit research. The
Organic on the rise
The marketing outlook for organic tree fruit is healthy, but organic marketer Matt Miles cautions conventional growers against making the switch to organic just for
Sustainable marketing
Fruit growers in Switzerland say they have solved the problem of how to get retailers to handle unknown apple varieties. It began as an effort
Are organic apples better quality
Organic apples may be firmer and have better storability than apples grown conventionally, a Washington State University study suggests. In the study, organically grown apples
Market is ready for more organics
In the next three years, Washington's organic tree fruit industry is set to grow as much as it has in the past 20 years. Harold
Ste. Michelle grows more organic grapes
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Washington's largest wine producer, first experimented with growing wine grapes organically more than a dozen years ago, taking on the trial
Organic wine sales are growing
Producing organic wines requires more than just using organically grown wine grapes. To be labeled "organic," no sulfites can be added to the wine, and
Demand grows for organic fruit
Consumer demand for organic foods continues to expand at 15 to 20 percent per year in the United States. Recent research indicates that 23 percent
Making the switch
Culls from Jim Koan's organic apples are used in the making of organic, fermented hard cider sold under the J.K. Scrumpy's label. Scrumpy's, now sold
China’s apple production shifts
A demonstration and research orchard in China's Shaanxi Province. China's apple production is increasing in its western provinces. Apple production is shifting to new areas
Organic apple production up
Production of organic apples has increased dramatically in the United States over the last decade, according to the U.S. Apple Association. While total apple acreage
Organic has arrived
How times have changed…. Ten years ago, many, if not the vast majority of the tree fruit growers I know, thought of organic tree fruit
Protecting growers from hail
When board members of the Batlow Fruit Cooperative in New South Wales, Australia, held a strategic planning process to figure out how to sustain their
Boosting on-farm income
Jane Eckert, who pursued a career in corporate marketing before returning to her large family farm operation, now helps growers market agriculture through agritourism. The
Stemilt is set to grow
Stemilt Growers, Inc., Wenatchee—already one of the largest tree fruit growing, packing, and marketing operations in Washington State—is projecting phenomenal growth within the next few
Mulch considerations
David Granatstein, Washington State University, recommends growers consider the following before using a mulch. • What is the volume needed? Using a 3-foot strip under
Flavonoid-rich foods favored
Apples, pears, and red wine may help reduce coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women because of their high flavonoid content, according to
Mulling over mulches
David Granatstein, who has studied mulches in tree fruit and organic systems, believes that some of the benefits seen in tree fruit—water conservation, weed control,