Organic Production Archive
As consumer and market demands for organic grains and forage continue to increase, opportunities exist for crop producers in dryland regions. University researchers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho have been collaborating with Pacific Northwest farmers to address common challenges and embrace opportunities for dryland organic crop production.
Before being certified organic, a portion of land must undergo a three-year transition process. For 36 months, crops must be grown without the use of any “prohibited substances” listed by the National Organic Program but cannot be marketed as organic. This can be challenging as the reduction in yield is not compensated by the premium received for a certified organic product. What can be done to make the transition period a successful start to your organic operation?
Timely Topics
Organic Transition
Organic Production Case Studies
Growers who are producing certified organic small grains share their experience. Read their stories to learn more about successful strategies for organic crop production, fertility management, weed control, transition rotations, marketing approaches and more.
Organic Small Grain Production Case Studies
Organic farming can be a challenge anywhere, but the obstacles encountered by Inland Pacific Northwest organic small grain farmers are unique. Their options for managing weeds and soil nutrients are few, and the limitations of the regional climate don’t make things much easier. Nonetheless, organic small grain farmers are out there, and a few are sharing their experience. This publication investigates the farming philosophies and practices of 12 organic small grain producers across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
“Feeding the Soil, Not the Plant” The Bob Quinn Family Farm
Bob Quinn has grown certified organic wheat, barley, alfalfa, and other crops for more than twenty years, using cover crops as a keystone for fertility and weed management. Diana Roberts (Former Regional Extension Specialist, WSU) to learn more about cover cropping with sweet clover and Austrian winter pea, weed management with crop competition, alternative marketing strategies, on-farm fuel production and more.
Crop and Weed Management
Weed management is a primary challenge for organic grain growers, especially in dryland regions where minimal tillage practices are necessary to reduce soil erosion. Growers depend on integrated approaches to control weeds and often use multiple methods. Consistent management is necessary to control weed biomass and seeds, both in-season and for the duration of organic production. Because organic grain systems attempt to mimic natural ecological systems, weed management is rarely independent from soil-building and crop production methods.
Federal organic regulations for crop, pest, weed, and disease management can be found at: 205.206 Crop pest, weed, and disease management practice standard.
Weed Management Strategies
Extension Publications (Archived)
Cultural Weed Management Practices
- Competitive crop/cultivar selection
- Increasing crop planting densities
- Crop Rotations
- Mulching
- Time of planting
Mechanical Weed Management Practices
- Hand weeding
- Tilling
- Mowing
- Burning
- Grazing
Soil Management
Maintaining soil quality and health in organic cropping systems is paramount. In fact, federal regulations state that organic growers must maintain and improve the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of soil, while minimizing the risk of erosion and avoiding contamination of soil, crops, and water (USDA-NOP, 2013). Organic growers have the option of using cover crops and rotations, as well as plant and animal residues to manage soil fertility. Sustainable soil management can also help reduce air and water pollution by improving the soil ecology and nutrient cycling.
Federal organic regulations for soil health can be found at: 205.203 Soil Fertility and Crop Nutrient management practice standard
Soil Fertility
Soil Erosion
Farm Economics
Diverse climate and soil types throughout the Pacific Northwest allow this region to be one of the most viable regions for grain production in the nation, but reliance on inputs to control soil fertility and pests make organic grain farming difficult and often, economically unsustainable. Organic production of small grain and cereal crops occurs on very few acres in the Inland Pacific Northwest, mainly due to the challenges of controlling weeds and maintaining plant nutrients. Yet, demand for organic grains and forage crops is increasing and many opportunities exist for growers interested in producing high quality organic grain, cereal and forage.
Grain Quality
Because of the niche character of organic production, grain quality plays a very important role in price determination. The price premium attached to a certified organic crop is often linked with a demand for a high-quality end product. But organic production is our region faces many challenges: low moisture, limited sources of fertility that can all dramatically impact grain quality.
Does Organic Production Result in Lower Protein Content?
Environmental conditions impact grain quality parameters. For example, soil available nitrogen can affect protein content. Do organic management practices result in lower protein content? If that’s the case, is the end product quality at risk? Researchers from Washington State University and Montana State University compared quality of organic versus conventional wheat. Their findings on protein content are presented in this post.
The Bread Lab
The Washington State University Bread Lab Plant Breeding Program conducts research on thousands of lines of wheat, barley, buckwheat, and other small grains to identify those that perform well for farmers, and that are most suitable for craft baking, cooking, malting, brewing, and distilling. Selecting for flavor, nutrition, and distinctive characteristics, samples of the most promising varieties are brought into the Bread Lab for analysis to determine the product that best utilizes and manifests their unique characteristics.
The Bread Lab began in 2011 in a small laboratory in the Washington State University Mount Vernon Research Center. Today it occupies 12,000 square feet at the Port of Skagit and includes the Bread Lab research and baking kitchen, a cytology lab, and the King Arthur Flour Baking School at the Bread Lab.