Lynne Carpenter-Boggs
BIOAg (Biologically- Intensive Agriculture and Organic Farming) for Sustainability
Sustainable agriculture must meet economic, environmental, and social goals. Most farming systems in use today could be more sustainable, and various pressures are forcing this change. Many of the same pressures are fueling a dramatic rise in organic agriculture, which disallows most industrial chemicals and fertilizers and is generally more sustainable. While organic products were a $12.8 billion market in 2005 and there are now approximately 10,000 certified organic farms in the U.S., many of the methods used are archaic. The current science and industry does not meet all of the needs for organic or sustainable fertility and pest control. Alternative methods and materials, and research to support their use, are needed to replace problematic chemicals and fertilizers.
Most of the advancements made in agriculture over the past 60 years have been chemical. The biological realm has been severely underutilized in this green revolution, and offers tremendous opportunity for development in our understanding and use. Biologically-intensive agriculture could be used and further developed to supply a far greater proportion of the nutrients and energy needed for productive agriculture, and to couple rather than compartmentalize agricultural inputs and outputs, improving both environmental and economic sustainability. Dr. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs is investigating and developing more sustainable biologically-intensive methods and materials to replace current hazardous and/or unsustainable chemicals and methods used for disease control and fertilization. Areas of emphasis are composting and compost teas, biological nitrogen fixation, and crop-livestock integration.
These issues and opportunities are large-scale and require team efforts to address them. Biological intensification of Washington agriculture will advance through research developed and supported by the BIOAg program at Washington State University. Dr. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs is the BIOAg (Biologically-Intensive Agriculture and Organic Farming) coordinator for research, extension, and education at WSU. The BIOAg program must draw on experts from many disciplines, working as ‘issue’ teams. Dr. Carpenter-Boggs is responsible to form and manage the function of these teams and coordinate the BIOAg program.
Related Pages:
Contact Information
Dr. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, Ph.D.
BIOAg Coordinator
Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources
Washington State University
PO Box 646420
227 Johnson Hall
Pullman WA 99164-6420
Telephone: 509-335-1553
Fax: 509-335-8674
E-mail: lcboggs@wsu.edu
Dr. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs grew up on farms and in the rural communities of Oregon and Idaho. She received a B.S. (1991) in Biophysical Environmental Studies at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. She received her M.S. (1994) in Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry from Iowa State University, and her Ph.D. (1997) in Soil Science from Washington State University. She joined the WSU faculty in 2006 and is BIOAg (Biologically-Intensive Agriculture and Organic Farming) Coordinator for research, extension, and education at WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. Her research interests are in soil and compost microbiology, while her personal goal is to foster the growth of a sustainable and vibrant agriculture using knowledge of biological cycles. She sees many opportunities to combine traditional knowledge with new innovations and researcher knowledge with producer know-how, to create paths toward increased sustainability. She enjoys the natural beauty and abundance of the West and wants it to last.
Heading using the h3tag
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.