2012 Dryland Field Day Abstracts - Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences ...

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2012 Field Day Abstracts: Highlights of Research Progress
advanced biofuels. In Washington, camelina incentives equaled $102/ac in Spokane County, $99.50/ac in Whitman County, $91/ac
in Garfield County, $64/ac in Adams County, and $56/ac in Franklin County. Despite the sizeable incentives, not a single
Washington farmer signed a BCAP contract to grow camelina.
Table 1 reports the breakeven (BE*) camelina prices, yields and variable costs to permit this new oilseed to compete successfully
with traditional grain and legume crops in different precipitation zones of eastern Washington. Breakeven prices (PBE*) for camelina
always substantially exceeded the base offer price for the oilseed during summer 2011. Breakeven yields for camelina (YBE*) also
exceeded experiment-based yields for the crop by precipitation zone. Similarly breakeven variable costs (VCBE*) were far lower than
actual (base) variable costs for camelina. The final column in Table 1 shows that using the BCAP subsidy to reduce variable costs
(Base VC – BCAP) still leaves these costs above breakeven levels (VCBE*).
Table 1. Breakeven (BE*) camelina prices, yields and variable costs by E. WA ppt zone
Price ($/cwt) Yield (cwt/ac) Variable Cost ($/ac)
Zone (av. in.
Base VC
ppt/yr) Base PBE* Base YBE* Base VCBE* - BCAP
HIGH (>17") 12.10 20.23 16.35 27.36 142 8.82 44.50
MEDIUM (15"-
17") 12.10 22.08 13.53 24.53 149 15.89 51.50
LOW (12"-15") 12.10 24.89 8.96 18.45 149 34.20 89.00
ARID (7"-12") 12.10 39.32 4.40 12.96 134 30.43 74.00
Note: BCAP subsidy averaged $97.50/ac for HIGH and MEDIUM zones and $60/ac for the two
drier zones.
This analysis demonstrated that Washington dryland farmers were economically rational to decline participation in the BCAP
camelina program. They could make more money by remaining with their traditional rotations of soft white winter wheat, edible
pulses, and summer fallow. The BCAP subsidies were insufficient to reverse that conclusion. Further barriers to BCAP participation
were added by the short notice, length and complexity of the contracts offered to farmers.
Marketing Opportunities for Dryland Organic Crops
Julia Piaskowski and Lynne Carpenter-Boggs; Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences, WSU
One of the many challenges to organic dryland farming is finding buyers for the crops produced, typically dry grains, feed and
forages. Unlike the conventional export market, there is neither a well-established organic market, nor infrastructure for the
transport and storage of organic grains and feed. One alternative, direct marketing to consumers, is challenging and timeconsuming.
Some growers have formed cooperatives to use their collective political and selling power to win contracts and build
an alternative market for their products. However, there is not always an appropriate cooperative to meet the needs of particular
growers, and building a cooperative is a tremendous task.
Despite these challenges, there is currently a demand for Pacific Northwest-grown organic grains and feed. Several companies are
actively seeking producers of organic grains and feed in the Pacific Northwest. A list of 10 businesses, their crop needs and contact
information can be found at http://csanr.wsu.edu/pages/Grain_Buyers_&_Sellers. These buyers are interested in purchasing
wheat, barley, feed grains, hay, legumes, and other grains such as oats and triticale. At this time, the demand for local organic grain
products is outstripping supply, resulting in the purchase of grain from other regions of the U.S., North America and overseas.
Additional work is needed to develop regional organic grain and feed markets to ease the costs and knowledge gap of transitioning
to certified organic. In 2011, approximately 10,991 acreages in Washington were certified organic for grain, oilseeds and beans,
and another 26,823 were certified organic for forage production, representing 42% of the total organic acreage in Washington.
There is much that can be done to meet the needs of this growing grower pool, especially given how few resources are available to
organic producers looking for alternatives to the export commodity markets.