Sustainable Development
Climate Friendly Farming
The Climate Friendly Farming Project is an integrated research and extension program that supports creation and implementation of agricultural systems and practices that mitigate global climate change.
- The Climate Friendly Farming Project supported creation of the first commercial anaerobic manure digester on a dairy farm in the state (1,100-cow dairy). As a direct outgrowth of this effort, a second larger digester was constructed on a 4,000-cow dairy in Sunnyside.
- A fiber by-product from digesters, generally of low value, was developed as a viable replacement for peat moss resulting in a ten-fold increase in value of this by-product, which could replace 80 million tons of peat moss annually. This would reduce demand for mined peat and allow more carbon to remain sequestered in global peat deposits.
- Project partners in Bellingham use biogas from manure digestion to fuel an experimental hybrid electric vehicle demonstrating added value beyond on-site electrical generation.
- A computer model called C-FARM was created to help growers evaluate the feasibility of selling carbon credits. C-FARM is now being evaluated as a carbon trading tool by the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association.
Forest Products
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Much of the harvestable timber in Washington State is in small tracts of privately-owned land. Landowners often lack the skills to manage this resource in a sustainable manner. The WSU Extension Natural Resources Program works with individual landowners to help them better understand how to manage their properties to achieve ecological and economic goals.
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