AURORA, Ore. — Cora Bobo-Shisler knelt in a field of verdant green cereal rye and common vetch at Oregon State University’s North Willamette Research and Extension Center, collecting samples from a few small square plots.

About 50 farmers watched as Bobo-Shisler, a research technician at the station, set aside heaps of grass to be weighed. Nick Andrews, an organic vegetable extension specialist for OSU, then explained how — with a few calculations — the samples can be used to estimate how much nitrogen the plants are fixing in the soil.

The exercise was part of a workshop on April 5 demonstrating how local vegetable farmers can incorporate cover crops like rye and vetch into their operations.

Cover crops provide a range of benefits for agricultural producers. In organic systems that prohibit the use of chemical fertilizer, they can be a source of nitrogen and other plant nutrients, while helping to suppress weeds and prevent wind and water erosion.

The workshop was organized by OSU Extension Service and the Western Cover Crops Council, a group dedicated to promoting cover crops through research and education.

Formed in 2019, the council is divided into four regional committees.  

Doug Collins, a soil scientist and extension specialist for Washington State University, is the Pacific Northwest region chairman.

He was on hand at the workshop hosted by OSU, detailing farming practices and equipment to manage cover crops and reduce tillage.

“We hope that we can help farmers use cover crops to the best of their ability,” Collins told the Capital Press. “There’s no silver bullets in agriculture, so it won’t solve all your problems. But they can be really valuable.” 

According to the most recent 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture, about 15.4 million acres of farmland was planted to cover crops. 

That was a 50% increase over the previous 2012 census, but still equates to just 3.9% of all farmland nationwide. 

States bordering the Atlantic Ocean had the highest proportion of land planted to cover crops, while the West had the lowest proportion. This is due to the region’s drier climates, Collins said, which raises some additional questions and challenges.

Particularly among dryland farmers in eastern Oregon and Washington who depend entirely on rainfall, Collins said there is “almost universal understanding or acceptance of the idea that cover crops are kind of stealing water from the next (cash) crop.” 

“There certainly are farmers, even in those regions, who are using cover crops,” he said. “Not very many, but some are.” 

Elsewhere in the Columbia Basin, where irrigation is more prevalent, Collins said larger potato and vegetable farms are increasingly becoming interested in cover crops. Mustard is one popular choice, because it has a natural chemical that can suppress soil-borne diseases.

Collins said the council is working to develop an online cover crop selection tool, similar to one already used by the Northeast Cover Crops Council. It factors in information about local climate and crop traits to help farmers choose the best species for their operations.

Events like the OSU workshop are another way the council can share information and give growers new ideas for their farms and ranches. 

“Really, I feel we’re just at the beginning of figuring out how and where we can use cover crops to improve sustainability of our agricultural ecosystems,” Collins said.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Western Cover Crops Council is divided into four regional committees:

• Pacific Northwest region — Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.

• Mountain Range region — Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

• Southwest region: California, Arizona and Nevada.

• Pacific Islands region includes Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia and Northern Mariana Islands. 

For more information, visit www.westerncovercrops.org.