Farmers, particularly small farmers, are on the frontlines of climate change. In Oregon's Southern Willamette Valley, a needs assessment was conducted of small farmers in 2017, where questions related to climate change risks, attitudes toward adaptation and climate beliefs were assessed. Out of all the respondents (n = 123), the majority (70%) believe that climate change is occurring, and is caused mostly by human activities. The majority (58%) also strongly agree with the statement that they will have to change practices to cope with increasing climate variability in order to ensure the long-term success of their operation. Another 52% of these respondents indicated that they have already taken action to respond to climate change on their farms. However, only 32% of respondents agreed with the statement that they have the knowledge and skills to deal with weather-related threats to their operation. While this work is preliminary and not comprehensive, our findings suggest that these small farmers are concerned about climate change, readily accept the science as compared to other farmer groups in the USA, and are looking for additional tools and resource to increase their confidence in responding to the challenges they will face as a consequence of climate change.

NREL prints on paper that contains recycled content.

Nitrogen (N) is a difficult nutrient to manage in organic farming systems, and yield reductions related to N deficiency have been reported in organic systems. Legume-based cover crops offer opportunities for biologically fixed N; however, improved quantification of N contribution is needed for cost-effective N management. A 2-yr experiment was conducted near Corvallis, OR, USA, in 2007 and 2008 to (1) evaluate biomass production and N accumulation from selected cover crop treatments, (2) compare the effects of fall-planted cover crops on broccoli [(Brassica oleraceae L. (Italica group)] yield, (3) estimate the quantity of feather meal-N replaced by cover crops. Cover crop treatments included common vetch (Vicia sativa L.), phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth), oats (Avena sativa L.) and the mixtures phacelia plus vetch, oats plus vetch and a no-cover crop (fallow) treatment as the control. Using feather meal as an N source, four rates of N fertilizer (0, 100, 200 and 300 kg N ha−1) were randomized within each cover crop treatment in a randomized, split-plot design. Cover crop biomass and N accumulation differed between the 2 yr of the study. In 2007, total biomass accumulation ranged from 5000 to 10,000 kg ha−1, whereas in 2008, cover crop accumulation was 1500 to 5000 kg ha−1. Biomass of both phacelia and vetch (in mixtures or as sole crops) was reduced by 80% from 2007 to 2008, whereas oat biomass and weed biomass in the fallow plots was reduced by only 40% between the 2 yr. The accumulation of N was also reduced in 2008, with vetch (either as a sole crop or in mixtures) contributing less than a third of total N produced in 2007. In 2007, vetch and vetch-based cover crop mixtures increased broccoli yield compared with the fallow, providing 100–135 kg fertilizer equivalent N ha−1. But due to decreased cover crop biomass and N accumulation in 2008, vetch and vetch-based mixtures failed to increase broccoli yield, providing <20 kg N ha−1 fertilizer equivalence. In 2007, oats grown as a sole cover crop reduced broccoli yield when no supplemental N was applied. In 2008, both phacelia and oats reduced broccoli yield at all N levels, with estimated N fertilizer equivalence values of −80 to −95 kg N ha−1. Although legume and legume mixtures increased broccoli yield in only 1 yr of the experiment, addition of vetch to the mixtures reduced yield loss in both years compared with oats and phacelia grown as sole crops.

In western Oregon’s Willamette Valley, small fruit and vegetable growers have traditionally relied on irrigation to produce their crops. However, they are increasingly experiencing issues with water availability and access due to precipitation pattern changes associated with climate change. In 2016, the Dry Farming Collaborative (DFC) was developed as a participatory model for facilitating research, social networks, and resource-sharing among agricultural stakeholders to test the efficacy of dry farming as an adaptation strategy. Dry farming differs from irrigated cropping systems in that growers do not irrigate their fields and instead utilize a suite of practices to conserve soil moisture from winter rains for summer crop growth. To better understand how to meaningfully engage stakeholders in participatory climate adaptation research, this study explored how the participatory process facilitated the adoption of dry farming as a climate adaptation strategy among participants. Drawing on interviews with 20 DFC participants, including farmers, gardeners, and researchers, results indicate that the integration and use of different knowledge systems within the participatory research process made it easier for participants to integrate dry farming into their operational contexts. Processes designed to encourage interactions and information-sharing between participants and nonhierarchical researcher-grower relationships facilitated the exchange of these knowledge systems among participants, thus providing them with the trusted and salient information they needed to adopt new practices. Results indicate that these features could be useful for enacting future participatory climate research projects that lead to the adoption of effective adaptation strategies.