Soil Management

Common NRCS Practices Related to Pest Management on Organic Farms

This document demonstrates how certain NRCS practices that have primary resource protection benefits can also have significant Integrated Pest Management benefits to organic producers.

Resources for Conservation Planning on Organic and Transitioning-to-Organic Operations

This document discusses existing tools and resources that support successful conservation planning on organic and transitioning to organic operations.

Tea Time in the Tropics

This book critically evaluates the phenomenon of compost tea and provides a thorough discussion of the composition and process of making compost.

Sustainable Ranch Management Assessment Guidebook

The purpose of the guidebook is to assist the rancher and/or land manager use business planning and ecological monitoring to ensure the ranch or land is managed in a sustainable manner.

Pasture and Grazing Management in the Pacific Northwest

A book that provides knowledge of ecological processes involved in pasture growth and utilization and an understanding of how management influence those processes for good or bad.

Biological Soil Crusts

Cheryl McIntyre investigates the influence of biocrusts on the establishment of native perennial grasses and cheatgrass and the conditions under which biocrusts might make rangelands more resistant to exotic grass invasion, and thereby serve as a potential restoration tool for producers.

Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation to Control Soil Borne Pathogens Webinar

In the webinar the presenters briefly review the development and use of anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) techniques for control of soil borne pathogens in various crops and regions around the world, and then focus on the current state of knowledge and use of ASD in California primarily for strawberry production. We discuss the latest research […]

Fresh Growth Podcast

Fresh Growth: Approaches to a More Sustainable Future from Western Ag Practitioners introduces you to farmers and ranchers from around the western United States who are finding innovative sustainable practices that enrich the natural resources we all care about. These successful multi-generational operations experiment with new ideas and are making it pay. Listen in as […]

Focus on Getting Research Results Adopted

Over the years, SARE has provided millions of dollars for research into sustainable agriculture practices through competitive awards to university researchers, non-profit organizations, extension agents, and directly to farmers and ranchers.  The grant recipients conduct their research, develops education and outreach activities, and write up their results. SARE publicizes those results, through reports and newsletters […]

Farmer and Rancher Research in the West

Making changes on the farm or ranch involves taking risks. One or two years spent experimenting can lead to a financial hit too difficult to recover from. That’s where Western SARE’s Farmer/Rancher and Professional + Producer grants help out. Grantees, like the ones highlighted in this report, come up with the possible solution to a problem they face on their farm or ranch, propose a way to research the idea, and then Western SARE provides the critical support needed to experiment.The projects explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education. It is expected that the results are shared with other producers. The highlights you’ll read here are just a fraction of the creative projects attempting to solve real-world problems the grants programs have funded. 

Winter 2019 Simply Sustainable

In this Issue: Regenerative Ag Pollinators and Canola Cover Crop Resources Pioneer Award and more

Cover Crops in Dryland Cropping Systems

Southeastern Utah Farmer Interview: Steve Barry

BioEarth Webinar Series

A series of four free webinars with Washington State University researchers affiliated with the BioEarth research initiative sharing findings related to climate change impacts on Northwest U.S. water resources, nutrient cycling, and managed and natural ecosystems.

Anaerobic Digestion Webinar Series

A series of five free webinars with Washington State University researchers and their collaborators sharing findings as they strive to quantify the climate, air, water, nutrient and economic impacts of integrating emerging, next-generation technologies within anaerobic digestion systems on U.S. dairies.

Selecting and Managing Vineyard Cover Crops to Reduce Consumption of Net Basin Water

These fact sheets by the Vineyard Team describes their experiments evaluating the impact of five cover crop species on soil moisture depletion and the impact of five timings and termination methods of terminating a grass cover crop on soil moisture depletion.

California Strawberry and Research on Compost for Strawberry Health

California strawberry production is at a pivotal point, struggling with new plant diseases due to the phase-out of the fumigant methyl bromide. This video explores the current issues facing strawberry growers in California and explains the use of compost to suppress disease and promote strawberry plant health.

Livestock Mortality Composting Manual

Mortality management threatens the sustainability of livestock production in many ways. Composting mortalities is an alternative that holds promise for the achievement of environmental protection, economic sustainability and job creation. Incluye los recursos en español.

Living on the Land

One of the most comprehensive and adaptable curricula in the country for training natural resource professionals to, in turn, teach small-acreage landowners how to care for their soil, air and water while maximizing the land’s value.