Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: medics/alfalfa, wheat
- Animal Products: fiber, fur, leather
Practices
- Crop Production: cropping systems, fertilizers, nutrient cycling, nutrient management, organic fertilizers
- Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research
- Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, new enterprise development
- Production Systems: agroecosystems
- Soil Management: nutrient mineralization, soil analysis, soil quality/health
Proposal summary:
Nitrogen makes up half to one-third of the fertilizer program cost to grow winter wheat in the dryland of the Pacific Northwest. For this reason, farming philosophies are shifting towards products sourced from more local, regenerative systems. Organic amendments like wool and alfalfa, readily available in the region, offer a promising alternative, and yet no on-farm research has evaluated these materials at the scale needed for farmers in the dryland. Our goal with this study is to strengthen farm resilience in the dryland Pacific Northwest by using local organic amendments to reduce reliance on synthetic inputs and support more regenerative, self-renewing agricultural systems. We will accomplish this by setting up two blocks of strip trials on the Appel Prairie Farm for three years to address the following questions 1) quantify the effects of wool pellet rate-response during chem-fallow on soil moisture dynamics and pre-plant soil nitrogen, 2) evaluate how two alfalfa-pellet rates and one alfalfa-pellet-wool-pellet mix applied at seeding influence soil nitrogen availability, and winter wheat productivity, and 3 ) compare the return on investment of organic pellet amendments by comparing total costs and winter wheat yield outcomes with the standard synthetic fertilizer programs.
If successful, there is potential to transition to more regenerative farming systems while creating a productive outlet for waste wool and expanding nutrient management options across the region. This could provide business and employment opportunities in our rural communities and potentially reduce nitrate leaching and slow the rate of soil acidification, a major issue in the region.
The results of this project will be shared with producers, ag professionals, researchers, and the public through field tours, stakeholder meetings, presentations at local and regional workshops, a social media presence, fact sheets, and a video featuring the project that highlights successes, failures and recommendations for new adopters.
Project objectives from proposal:
The overall goal of this study is to strengthen farm resilience in the dryland Pacific Northwest by using local organic amendments to rebuild soil health, reduce reliance on synthetic inputs, and support more regenerative, self-renewing agricultural systems.
The specific objectives proposed to accomplish this goal are the following:
Objective 1: Quantify the effects of wool rate-response trial during chem-fallow on soil moisture dynamics and pre-plant soil nitrogen by comparing three wool rates to a control and measuring soil moisture and soil nutrients.
Objective 2: Evaluate how two alfalfa-pellet rates and one pellet-wool mix applied at seeding influence soil nitrogen availability and winter wheat productivity by comparing these treatments to a nitrogen control and measuring soil nutrients, crop above-ground biomass, and grain quality.
Objective 3: Compare the return on investment of organic pellet amendments by comparing total costs and winter wheat yield outcomes with the standard synthetic fertilizer program.
Objective 4: Develop and disseminate management recommendations for producers based on these results through field tours, stakeholder meetings, presentations at local and regional workshops, a social media presence, fact sheets, and a video featuring the project that highlights successes, failures, and recommendations for new adopters.