Increasing bee forage in turf systems through different establishment techniques.

Commodities

• Fruits: grapes
• Additional Plants: native plants
• Animals: bees

Practices

• Crop Production: beekeeping, pollinator habitat, pollinator health
• Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, workshop
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, habitat enhancement, hedges - grass, soil stabilization
• Production Systems: agroecosystems

The expansion of vineyards in the Pacific Northwest has the potential to negatively impact semi-natural areas rich in biodiversity that are key to pollinators and other organisms. This impact, however, may be offset by vineyards willing to invest in providing on-farm habitat vital for bees. Through a previous SARE Professional + Producer grant, we were able to generate an Oregon Bee Friendly Wine initiative that enabled producers to assess their current pollinator habitat. In this second phase, we address a key finding of the original work, namely, the intense interest in creating habitat by improving turf-dominated headlands. We will capitalize on the nature of unirrigated turf headlands in the arid west, specifically that they go dormant in the summer when bee species most need pollen and nectar. Using a controlled factorial field plot design, we will test the effect of different lengths of chemical fallow, herbicides, and methods of establishing seed beds in combination with fall seeding of high-value nectar and pollen plants for bees that are known to persist during the turf growing period. Using our findings, we will establish two plots in producer fields consisting of the most effective and most affordable systems for improving headland turf with pollinator plants. Finally, we will use a mix of field tours, videos, podcasts, and a new Western SARE guide to increase the adoption of these practices among vineyards, but also other horticultural crops.

Objective 1: Evaluation of different bee-attractive plants and establishment methods in headland turf.

Objective 2: On-farm trial of best systems for plant establishment in vineyard headlands.

Objective 3: Encourage the adoption of headland turf improvement techniques through on-farm grower tours, webinars, Extension publications, and how-to videos.