Our Goal:
To advance soil health management for Washington agricultural systems through research & extension programs.
Our Current Research Programs:
- Soil health assessment for Inland Pacific Northwest agricultural production systems
- Advancing wheat nutrient recommendations using big data collected using precision agricultural technology
- Studying strategies to address soil acidification issues in Inland Pacific Northwest cropping systems
- Sustainable residue management for soil conservation, energy production, the feedstock for mushroom and pulse industries.
- Sustainable land application of dairy manure for crop production, environmental conservation, and food safety
- Best fertility management strategies for wheat and canola.
Extension:
The extension program will engage with all interested stakeholders to identify and solve issues through research and evidence-based education. Results enable stakeholders to make informed decisions and resulting in measurable impacts. The ultimate results will enhance the well-being of communities, increase profit, and promote sustainability of natural resources.
The strategy of developing effective extension program will include:
- Identifying existing problems
- Farmers’ needs and research priorities
- Identifying research priorities and finding funding
- Conducting effective demonstrations
- Program implementation and evaluation.
We are currently working with a group of farmers and consultants from McGregor on a large-scale precision experiment to help farmers reach both yield and protein goal while minimizing N loss. We are working with the University of IL on trial design and data management, and with Montana State University on trial implementation, technical training, and data transferring. We are actively seeking funding to support this long-term multi-state research.
Research:
The main goals of research are to improve nutrient management for soil and water conservation, yield and quality improvement, and economic returns for WA farmers. The research programs will serve farmers need for research, and will be the extension programs based upon.
My strategy for applied research is to build a farmer research network in which our program will lead farmers to identify the area of interests for research and extension. We will employ adaptive nutrient management methodology to make continuous improvement in nutrient management.
Current research programs include:
- Fertility management for wheat and canola using on-farm small and large-scale precision experimentation
- Evaluation of lignin-lime products on lime solubility. The success of this project will provide a feasible solution for stratified soil acidification in no-till fields using locally available products
- Post-harvest evaluation of N management. Evaluation of protein monitor as part of a post-harvest tool for site-specific nitrogen management.