This is the fifth and final conversation in our Growing Cover series, where we talk about putting perennial cover to work in orchards and vineyards. This time we sat down with Justin Fruechte of Millborn Seeds, a full-line seed house whose catalog of natives, cover crops, and perennial grasses runs deep enough to build almost any mix imaginable.

This is the fourth conversation in our Growing Cover series, where we talk about putting perennial cover to work in orchards and vineyards. This time we sat down with Cody Gyllenberg, Operations Manager at Columbia River Seed, the producer of the Radix hybrid bluegrass we call Oakville bluegrass.

This is the second conversation in our Growing Cover series, where we talk about putting perennial cover to work in orchards and vineyards. This time we sat down with Keith Burns of Green Cover Seed.

Keith and his brother started Green Cover in 2009 on their family farm in south central Nebraska. In the first year they produced enough seed to cover about 1000 acres. Today the company runs two locations, employs around 60 people, and ships 30 million pounds of seed to all 50 states and beyond. Because they use cover crops themselves, they have a stake in making sure what they sell works.

Here are five key ideas from our conversation that matter most for West Coast growers thinking about perennial cover.

Various forms of erosion look different in vineyards and orchards. But they all cost you in terms of time, productivity and land value. Whether it's water cutting and carrying fertile soil away during winter storms, hot winds blowing soil during summer, or repeated tillage shifting it with every pass, they share the same weakness. Your most valuable asset with nothing rooted in it and nothing covering it, is ready to move.

The good news? There's an affordable and practical solution

Planting the alleys with a perennial cover keeps living roots in the ground, which improve soil aggregation and water infiltration. Perennial cover crops build soil organic matter, and increase microbial activity in the soil thereby supporting nutrient availability for the cash crop.

To gain momentum with “the best” climate and soil friendly practices in agriculture, we need first movers. We need early adopters, pioneers and visionaries. We need them to prove the thesis, to lead and to help de-risk the practice, while establishing the social and cultural norm of success through reduced tillage and continuous living cover. We need trailblazers. 

Roots vs. Shoots; Biomass vs. Biological. When it comes to covering the “floor” of your vineyard or orchard, an entirely new conversation is taking place.

If you want a quick, honest read on what's happening below the surface of your orchard or vineyard floor, take out a shovel.

First step in the AMP grant process? Getting an FSA number. What does that mean exactly?

Ariana Gehrig, new Program Manager at OBC, shares about her passion for excellent programs, sustainable agriculture and soil health, and what she does to unwind.

Feels like hard times, for a lot of California growers. Vineyard operators are watching grape prices collapse under the weight of oversupply, and some are making the painful decision to pull out vines that were established generations ago. Agricultural history literally erased by economic pressure. Orchard operators are caught in a squeeze between increasing input costs, demands for reduced water use, and almond prices that aren’t delivering an ROI. Right now, any program that offers a new revenue stream while making your land healthier and more productive deserves a serious look.

Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative is currently enrolling our founding member cohort, and the campaign closes on March 31. If you've been watching from the sidelines, this is the moment we've been building toward — and timing is more consequential than it might appear.

We’re thrilled to welcome Michael Costello as Regional Director of the Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative. Michael has a passion for soil health, agriculture, and community.