 WSU, whose roots in organic research reach back to the 1980s, has
become a leader in organic research and education. Photo by Bruce Andre.
Although organic yields do tend to be lower, primarily because
they have less nitrogen available to them than is provided by
synthetic fertilizer, more sophisticated practices have greatly
narrowed the gap. Reganold participated in another dramatic study
in the late 1990s with WSU horticulturist Preston Andrews, graduate
student Jerry Glover ’01, who is now a scientist with the Land
Institute in Kansas, and ag economist Herb Hinman.
The researchers compared organic, conventional, and integrated
plots of apples in the Yakima Valley. Integrated practices combine
the best of organic and conventional. The six-year study found that
all three systems produced similar yields. “The organic and
integrated systems had higher soil quality and potentially lower
negative environmental impact than the conventional system . . .
our data indicate that the organic system ranked first in
environmental and economic sustainability, the integrated system
second and the conventional system last.”
But there’s one more, very intriguing difference that came out
in their study. The organic apples were also the sweetest. Andrews
and Reganold have been pursuing the observation that many organic
proponents make, but is difficult to verify scientifically, that
organically grown food tastes better. This is further complicated
by other factors, most notably freshness. Will an organically grown
apple imported from New Zealand taste better than a conventionally
grown apple picked from a tree in Yakima? Most likely not.
But Andrews and Reganold have been able to get a more accurate
evaluation by comparing fruit grown both organically and
conventionally, but under otherwise identical conditions. Neil
Davies, in the College of Pharmacy, with whom Andrews and Reganold
have collaborated, has found significantly higher levels of
antioxidants and other phytochemicals in organically grown fruit
(see sidebar, right). Andrews speculates that the difference is
likely related to differences in taste.
Comparative studies with both apples and strawberries offer some
striking differences. Fruit size of organically grown crops was
smaller, no surprise. Again, they have less nitrogen readily
available. However, the organic apples were firmer and stored
better, organic strawberries were sweeter, organic apples had
higher antioxidant activity, organic strawberries had higher
polyphenol content, and the organic fruit in general was preferred
by the consumer taste panel.
Studies by Andrews, Reganold, and many others at WSU and
elsewhere offer tantalizing scientific glimpses of a movement that
is being driven partly by science and partly by consumer
perception.
Although the science is backing up earlier claims about organic
methods, much is still unclear. Even the federal standards that
determine what is “organic” are largely based on tradition and
negotiation rather than science, says David Granatstein, extension
educator with the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural
Resources. For example, there is really no scientific reason for a
three-year certification period. And the requirement that raw
manure not be applied within certain periods ignores the fact that
there are no such restrictions in conventional production.
Clarifying the science behind the standards, exploring the
nutritional and sensory differences, and prescribing agronomic
practices all offer a wealth of research potential for the
University. However, a white paper released last spring by the
Cooperative States Research, Education, and Extension Service
concedes the widespread criticism by farmers and organic advocates
that land-grant universities, Extension, and the USDA have been
reluctant, if not downright obstructionist, in providing the
research and support that it readily gives conventional
agriculture.
One of the first USDA overtures to organic agriculture was the
1980 Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming,
coordinated by study team leader Robert Papendick at WSU. Having
examined 69 organic farms in 23 states, the report concluded that
organic farming was viable and warranted increased institutional
support. Its recommendations were basically ignored.
A large part of the problem of acceptance by both the government
and the land-grant universities was the implied criticism of
conventional agriculture. If organic agriculture was so great, then
conventional agriculture must be inferior.
Larry James walked a fine line as interim dean of the College of
Agriculture during the mid-1990s, a period when skepticism about
organic ag from conventional ag in the state, as well as from the
old guard in the college, was at its strongest. James left Pullman
to become chancellor at WSU Tri-Cities, then returned in 2005 as
associate executive vice president.
“I was surprised, when I came back, at John’s stature,” says
James, referring not only to Reganold’s standing within the
college, but also to his being selected for the Distinguished
Faculty Address. James agrees that such a choice would simply not
have been possible only five years ago, when the college and
University gave organic research only a reluctant and tepid
endorsement.
Indeed, Reganold’s selection indicates something of a sea change
in attitude.
Dave Granatstein, who was an organic farmer himself before he
joined the University, concurs.
“There’s a different dynamic going on,” he says. “Crops and
soils is the center of gravity of sustainable ag, particularly in
the graduate students. But not just the grad students.”
A cynic might suggest that the warmer embrace of organic
agriculture by the University is simply a response to corporate
ag’s needs. If General Mills and Wal-Mart are getting into organic
food, then the University better get in line for the research
bucks.
 Photo by Robert Hubner
Regardless of institutional motivation, the fact of the matter
is that organic agriculture has evolved, rapidly, from a
counterculture ideology to a mass-market phenomenon, and the
University is rising to the occasion. One must not forget that WSU
is not just jumping on the bandwagon now; research in organic
agriculture has been going on at WSU for almost 30 years. At least
50 people at WSU are conducting research related to organic
production.
The amount of such research, however, also indicates another
trend. Increasingly, organic vs. conventional is not necessarily an
either/or proposition. In response to consumer concerns and
scientific evidence, many agricultural pesticides are much “softer”
than they used to be. In Washington orchards, “integrated pest
management,” an environmentally friendly approach to controlling
pests, which was adapted for apples by WSU scientists, has become
the norm. Mating disruption, an organic tool, is widely used by
apple growers to control codling moth, Washington’s most serious
apple pest.
Chelan orchardists Fuller and Brownfield are in decidedly high
spirits over consumer demand for a practice that they believed in
before it was widely accepted. The next few years look very good
for the organic fruit grower, says Fuller. In fact, he and
Brownfield believe that the whole Washington fruit industry should
take advantage of that demand.
“I think the whole state should raise their apples organically,”
says Fuller. “It would be a marketing coup. We’ve got such a leg up
on every place else in the world. The climate is perfect for
it.”
Indeed, central Washington’s hot, arid summers create a perfect
climate for organic fruit growing. Compared to other areas, disease
and insect pressure are minimal, a major reason Washington is
already the leading organic apple producer, by far, in the world.
The learning curve involved in the transition to organic is no
longer near as steep as it once was, says Fuller.
Whether or not the rest of the industry will recognize the
economic virtue of producing organic Washington fruit remains to be
seen. Meanwhile, organic producers throughout the state are
smiling.
Page
1
2
3
Washington State Magazine Home
|
