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PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) – Even as enrollment in traditional agriculture degree programs waned, John Reganold kept getting questions about organic farming.

So the Washington State University soils professor put together a proposal to create the nation’s first organic farming degree, and the state approved the program last month.

“We have as much experience as any university in the country in organic agriculture,” said Reganold, a major figure in the rise of organic farming.

Once considered a niche market with questionable economic benefits, organic farming is the fastest-growing and most profitable field in agriculture, and demand for food produced without hormones, pesticides or other chemicals is exploding.

Growing Organic Food Sales

According to the Organic Trade Association, sales of organic food and beverages rose from less than $4 billion a year in 1997 to $13.8 billion in 2005. Organics were 2.5 percent of all food and drink sales nationwide, but have been growing 20 percent per year since 1990, the association said.

Retailers are expanding their organic food sections, driving up demand for people to work in the field. Wal-Mart, the largest buyer of organic foods, is also developing additional organic products.

Organic agriculture is attractive for several reasons. It does not use expensive fertilizers and other chemicals, it is perceived as healthier to eat, and it produces less stress on farmland, Reganold said.

A university in Canada and one in Wales are the only ones in the world offering organic degrees. Michigan State University and Colorado State are on the verge of offering organic degrees also.

But Washington State had a headstart on all of them. The university has three decades of pioneering research on organic farming and owns its own organic research farm.

In addition, Washington apple growers have been leaders in converting to organic farming, largely to cut down on pesticide use, which is expensive and hazardous to apply for a labor-intensive crop, Reganold said.

There was no opposition from big agriculture groups that have long depended on chemicals.

“There was no resistance to it,” said Ray Folwell, associate dean at the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resources. “It’s a hot topic.”

The organic farming industry, which has suffered from a lack of trained workers, is cheering the move.

“As an organization that hires people with organic agriculture experience, I see it certainly as significant,” said Jake Lewin of the California Certified Organic Farmers.

Made up of 1,300 different businesses, the group also sees the degree program as helping to legitimize organic farming, Lewin said. Until now, organic farming courses were piecemeal, he said.

An organic farming degree is also a natural for Washington, where many citizens are interested in protecting the environment. There are 597 organic farms in Washington, and lots of farmers markets and organic food stores.

Enrollment in traditional agriculture programs has been declining at Washington State in the past decade, in part because of a declining number of family farms and more farm kids seeking better-paying careers.

Reganold said interest in organic farming has been rising, even among students who were not raised on farms.

But it is unclear how large the organic farming program will become, in part because the chemistry and other science classes required may be too daunting for some students, he said.

Graduates in organic farming can also expect to be hired by grocery and restaurant chains.

“Large corporations increasingly interested in meeting the nation’s growing appetite for organic foods are seeking employees who understand organic agriculture systems, which are significantly different than conventional agriculture,” Perillo said.

On the Web:

Washington State University: http://www.wsu.edu/

06/21/06 04:43 © Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.