Farmers pack Colfax meeting on oilseed crops

“It’s always been successful but it makes me pull my hair out.”

That was the way Dayton farmer Bob Hutchers summed up his years of growing canola on his farm, as he gestured to his bald head. Hutchers grows 115 acres of canola, the most common oilseed crop in these parts, on his farm, in rotation with other crops.

And while his remark drew laughter from many of the more than 100 persons who packed the meeting room at Hill Ray in Colfax, the remark reflected the mood and mindset of the gathering; some optimism, but a lot of caution.

Sponsored by state and federal authorities and Washington State University, the Oilseed Crop Production Workshop’s three-day road show ended in Colfax.

It provided up-to-the minute information on the pros and cons of investing in oilseed production, including canola, camelina, mustard, safflower and other high oil plants.

Oil from these crops is used as a biodiesel and jet fuel supplement. The meal is used as animal feed. They are also regarded as “healthy” crops in rotation with wheat, helping to restore nitrogen and other soil nutrients.

Those who tout oilseeds say the rotation adds to soil sustainability, uses different moisture profiles, reduces erosion and increases soil microbial activity.

As laptop computers and calculators whirred away in the meeting room, more than a dozen speakers discussed the pros and the cons of risking investment in a relatively new crop, at least for the Pacific Northwest. An estimated 15,000 acres are now planted statewide.

And while some crop insurance is available in many counties, that failed to stem all of the pessimism over giving oilseed “a try,” as one speaker summed it up.

Bill Pan, professor in the department of crop and soil science at WSU, said the major players in oilseed were now close to alignment on a more cohesive development strategy. That includes farmers, government, communities, research facilities and food processors.

Paraphrasing a Dave Letterman routine, Pan said that if there is something substantial there and it floats instead of sinks, “Now that it is what we are talking about.”

Oilseed market development is increasing rapidly in the world, including parts of Canada, both as a source of diesel and airplane fuel and as a supplement for animal feed, Pan said. It also has the future potential as a human food additive and is under research for other applied uses as well.

The oilseed family is also a great rotation crop according to Pan and other speakers during the daylong presentation. It helps restore nitrogen to wheat and other crops and does not require new or extensive sowing systems.

“The technology is there,” said Pan.

Other speakers urged farmers considering a trial planting of an oilseed to network as much as possible to learn about conditions closest to home. Soil response is vital because oilseed has difficulty weathering very cold weather and very dry soil conditions.

It also is susceptible to certain types of herbicides and could require a change in the products used to control weeds year-around.

Some of the advice dispensed during the meeting was to check and double check rotation schedules, start out small and don’t treat the crop as a second hand product. Pan and other speakers urged members of the audience to also establish relationships with farmers who have had experience with oilseeds, maintain diligent pest control, especially control of the flea beetle, and continuing soil and weather condition assessments, especially before planting.

Farmers were urged to expect that the going might not be easy and to expect some lean crops in early years, until growers can gain more experience in planting, growing and harvesting.

Despite the optimistic tone of many of the presentations, some farmers expressed concern about up front investment or tail end profits once they took the time and effort to virtually experiment with a new crop.

“What we got (now) works just fine,” said one farmer to another at the back of the room, mirroring the skepticism that underscored some of the questions. Big in the debate was whether state and federal authorities would continue as supportive partners.

Kimberly Morse, district coordinator of the Whitman Conservation District, told the group that the district has been involved in oilseed research since 2002 when the district board took notice of the crops’ benefits when used in rotation, both to the soil and the crop that followed in the nitrogen enriched environment.

The marketing effort has included farmer surveys regarding the possible addition of oilseeds to their harvest. A demonstration project was funded in 2005 to increase awareness of the benefit of oilseed in crop rotation and value added opportunities in oilseed crops.

The second phase included the purchase of an oil expeller or crusher and marketing the oilseed byproducts.

In 2010, the district began a partnership with farmer Steve Camp, implementing the still-developing system on his farm.

“The project will show the sustainability and cost effectiveness of growing and processing locally grown oilseed crops (that) could be used for small on-the-farm production of biodiesel fuel,” she said

Morse said that district also offers cost-share as an incentive to constituents who are interested in trying an oilseed planting in their crop rotation.