A Fact Sheet Sharing Practical Results from USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Projects in the North Central Region

No. 11, Alternative Crops

Doing Something Different
Grass Seed in Nebraska
Medicinal Herbs in Missouri
A Crop of Possibilities

In 1991, the going price for dry edible beans bottomed out, and Nebraska farmer Dan Laursen could not produce enough to make it worth his while. At about the same time, a management group was in the area selling contracts for turf seed production. Under the reasoning that beans did well in ground that had been rested, Laursen decided to rest some ground in grass.

Laursen set up a contract and planted in the fall of 1991. The field yielded an unsuccessful seed crop in 1992. Laursen chalks the shortfall up to inexperience.

"I didn’t get a good stand. I planted in a field that had been wheat, which is still a ‘no-no,’" he said.

The next year, seed production recovered, and Laursen began to see that turf seed production could be a good idea. That first planting produced five years. When Laursen returned the ground to beans, it produced 47 bushels per acre.

 Doing Something Different 

As markets for traditional agricultural commodities become depressed due to oversupply, the popularity of ‘alternative’ crops has grown. What is an alternative crop in Ohio may not be an alternative in Kansas or Minnesota. But let’s assume that alternative crops are those other than corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa.

Alternative crops can offer benefits to a traditional one or two crop system. Since supplies of alternative crops are generally shorter and their markets more specialized, prices may be higher. However, a crop hailed as ‘the next big thing’ can quickly flood the market and destroy whatever premium may have initially existed.

Another benefit is diversification. Even in a traditional corn/soybean rotation, the addition of another crop or two can spread risk in the event of bad weather or low commodity prices.

Alternative crops, used in rotation with traditional crops, can help to build soil nutrients and organic matter, increase tilth, and suppress problem weeds. The rotation, more than the individual crops involved, can also disrupt insect and disease cycles, and create a healthier environment even for conventional commodity crops.

The following examples introduce two farmers who have received SARE producer grants to explore alternative crops.

 Grass Seed in Nebraska

Dan Laursen’s initial experience with grass seed eventually led him to apply for a SARE producer grant in 1997. Collaborating with local extension personnel, Laursen invested in a single tower pivot for research plots in which he seeded 17 varieties from seven different seed companies. University of Nebraska personnel gathered data on growth and yield.

Most of the popular turf seed varieties are proprietary: owned by the company that developed them and distributes them.

The project was designed to identify turf seed varieties well-suited for growing in the High Plains environment.

Results were wide ranging. Those varieties with the best sod forming characteristics generally yielded on the low side, yet price per pound for the seed was highest.

Laursen added, "But even at the high price the yield may result in unprofitable production."

Conversely, poor sod forming varieties yielded more seed, with each pound of seed worth considerably less.

Those in the middle range had acceptable sod forming characteristics and yield, and generally got a contract price of $1.20 to $1.50 per pound. With this middle range producing from 550 to 650 pounds per acre, income per acre can approach $1,000.

The SARE project "introduced other producers to the idea of an alternative crop…that is water conserving and will contribute to sustainable agriculture," Laursen said.

Growing interest led to the formation of the High Plains Grass Seed Association (HPGSA), a network of area producers, agribusiness, and University faculty. They have explored everything from finding varieties suited to the sometimes harsh western Nebraska climate to finding ways to effectively manage the stand after harvest to prolong its production life.

"As a result of the cooperation of SARE, the University of Nebraska, and myself, there [were] over 1,000 acres of grass seed fields planted for 1999 harvest with contracts from three companies," Laursen said.

Input costs for grass are comparable to most other common crops in the region. Since grass stands stay in the ground for three to five years, "after you get established, sometimes it isn’t the dollars, but it’s the time involved," Laursen said. "It might take a little more management, but it doesn’t take any field work. You pretty much take care of the weeds and fertilizer, then harvest it. It’s like alfalfa: it’s there."

Two related issues that affect the crop after harvest still need more investigation: processing and marketing. There is only one mill in the region that will clean the seed prior to shipment to the Northwest, where it is then blended, packaged and shipped. The HPGSA has been awarded a grant through the Nebraska Department of Agriculture that will allow them to assess the feasibility of a cleaning and blending plant in Nebraska’s Panhandle.

 Medicinal Herbs in Missouri

Lavinia McKinney bought what would become Elixir Farm in 1973. At that time it was a working cow/calf operation. She continued in cattle production, switching over to organic methods for her beef and the feed crops that support then. This continued for about 12 years.

Around 1981, McKinney assisted her friend Stephen Foster, author and medicinal plant expert, in the non-profit "Ozark Beneficial Plants Project." The goal was to catalogue the beneficial plants of the bioregion and assess the possibilities of conserving and cultivating these plants.

The populations of these plants have been depleted due to wild crafting, or harvesting the entire plant from the wild.

"By cultivating Echinacea, you could stop the wild crafting," McKinney said.

"In 1989, we were just on a shoestring, but something we wanted to do was to explore the Chinese medicinal plants and their genetically similar plants that grow here in the native population," said McKinney. "This led us into cultivation of native and Chinese medicinals and trying to learn enough to see what grew well here and build in our non-profit work a database of cultivation information."

The Ozark Botanical Garden is an outgrowth of the original project. Located on Elixir Farms, the gardens showcase some 500 regional and analogue herbs, and research is conducted in finding specific practices for producing seed for these plants, breaking the dormancy of the seeds and cultivating them.

They also maintain a seedbank for all the specimens, which can provide seed to other botanical gardens and research facilities.

This non_profit work also led into some related for-profit projects. In 1985, McKinney started working with medicinal plants on her farm and began selling seed in 1989. By 1995, she formed a Limited Liability Company, but dissolved it five years later because it was not profitable.

"We expanded out as far as we could thinking we would ‘break through,’ and it just didn’t happen," said McKinney. "The [herb] industry is maturing in this country. It’s sort of slowing down."

They do continue to sell seed at what McKinney calls a "firm" level.

"Our bulk seed sales to growers is our biggest income," said McKinney, "and then our second biggest income is custom growing ...organic seed for seed companies."

She feels that breaking even is indicative of success, especially on a small farm.

"This is a life’s work, it’s not about profitability," she said.

Non-profit support and generosity have kept the research and conservation efforts alive, while the small seed business covers production and maintenance costs.

McKinney was awarded a SARE producer grant in 1998. With this grant Elixir Farm explored the production and marketing of Astragalus membranaceus, or haung-qi, a Chinese medicinal. It is a perennial crop, as are about 90 percent of their crops, and must be left in the ground for three or four years to develop strong roots, the salable part of the plant.

On 1/6 of an acre, they produced 100 pounds of root, which sold on contract for $17.50 per pound.

"Although this does not seem like much for the effort of hand gardening, it could be adequate for a crop that was done with mechanical means," added McKinney.

They used hay equipment to cut tops and rake away top growth. The next year they purchased a modified potato digger, which proved to be very efficient at removing the roots.

The project also spawned two three-day workshops, attracting a total of 25 farmers and gardeners. The workshops were "very well received," added McKinney.

One of Elixir’s main goals is to continue to try to build fertility in what McKinney describes as "worn-out soils."

They are also producing organic seed for some vegetables and herbs including squash, peppers, cilantro, basil, and dill.

"I do feel successful, and I feel Elixir Farm is very successful at what we’ve done," said McKinney.

There seems to be the thought that "if the bottom line is not making any money then what are you doing? But the work is really important," she added.

 A Crop of Possibilities

Of course, these are but two of the almost endless alternative crop possibilities available to producers across the North Central region. And as mentioned before, what is a common crop in one region may not be so in another.

For instance, grass seed has been grown for years in the Pacific Northwest. But with growing demand, and insect, disease and weed problems in the Northwest, production outside of the original production area is warranted. In a similar way, crops such as amaranth and quinoa, both alternative pseudo-cereals, have moved up out of South and Central America and have become more popular across the plains.

But as Lavinia McKinney found, plants need not be exotic to qualify as alternative crops. Wild plants literally growing in her back yard ended up being the basis of an ongoing project. These native plants were useful, but wild crafting was depleting them, so turning them into crops not only provides new colors in the planter’s palette, but also aids conservation of native communities and habitat.

So what advice do McKinney and Laursen have to offer for those interested in exploring an alternative crop on their farm?

"You need to find your market before you go out on a limb and set your system up," McKinney said. "People who are in the business of medicinal plant materials are contracting a year or so ahead with growers, so negotiating and getting a contract before you grow is pretty essential."

Laursen’s advice is similar: "Do a little research about the variety you’re going to raise before you stick it in the ground. The learning curve is pretty steep…talk to your university and talk to some other growers who have already made the mistakes."

-by Rob Heyduck, August 2001

News and Announcements from the USDA SARE Program in the North Central Region
Summer/Fall 2001

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