Students at Washington State University will soon be able to choose a major that's not available anywhere else in the country: organic farming. The university just received funding from the state legislature to start a major in Biologically Intensive and Organic Agriculture, or BIOAg for short, which will teach students organic farming practices for crops and livestock.

According to Oregon's Capital Press, the new major earned the support of a variety of agricultural groups, including the state's Cattlemen's Association and Wine Grape Growers Association. Washington's organics industry brought in $300 million in 2003.

WSU's BIOAg program is run out of the school's Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, a 15-year-old center offering programs in organic agriculture, renewable energy, and sustainable resource use. It's also the home of the university's Climate-Friendly Farming program, which helps farmers store more carbon in their soils - a strategy to help reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Image credit: CSANR

[via New West]