Making hay,
the right way

Oregon farmers organize to market
certified weed-free, premium hay

By Dan Schofer, Co-op Development Specialist, USDA Rural Development
e-mail: Dan.schofer@usda.gov

Dan Sherwin, Weed/Vegetation Manager, Deschutes County, Oregon

Penelope Diebel,Associate Professor, Oregon State University



rower cooperatives and quasi-cooperative producer associations have a long tradition of using group action to establish or improve quality standards and to promote product uniformity for their crops and livestock. These efforts have often been key to creating new domestic and international markets. Such endeavors often include working closely with state and federal government agencies.

A recent example of this can be seen in northeast Oregon, where hay growers formed the Wallowa County Hay Growers Association in 2003 to tap into an expanding market for weed-free and premium forage products. In addition to improving market opportunities for its members, the hay association may also yield environmental benefits by helping to reduce the spread of noxious weeds on public and private lands.

Steering committee assesses opportunity
The organizing process began in February 2002, when a steering committee of five local growers began assessing different organizational possibilities. The committee held occasional discussions during the spring calving season and summer cutting season. In October 2002, the pace was ratcheted up, as the committee began meeting weekly to explore options in greater depth. Growers wanted to maintain control of their own hay and to make their own sale decisions. Ultimately, it was decided to organize as a producers’ association. The primary purpose of the hay association is to promote the quality and availability of weed-free and premium forage products produced by local farmers. The association provides customers including brokers, exporters, ranchers, horse owners and back-country enthusiasts with a single point of contact.

“We work through the association to find buyers and bring them to the growers for both weed-free and premium hay,” says Jim Petty, a local grower and association board member. The association has developed a website: (http://www.certifiedwallowacountyhay.com) containing product descriptions and contact information. Those without Internet access may contact association President Mark Butterfield at (541) 432-3735.

Growers’ goals defined
At a recent growers’ meeting, Butterfield described the group’s three main goals for the coming year: “Customer service, in addition to quality, is important to keep a good reputation. The growers need to back up any sales with a quality product,” Petty says.

There are currently 18 participating growers in the association who produce a variety of products, including alfalfa, alfalfa mixes, timothy mixes and wheat straw. These will be available as premium-quality products, judged by nutrient content, stage of maturity at harvest, harvest conditions, lack of weather damage, proper storage and customer preference.

Growers have adopted the standards set by the North American Weed Management Association (NAWMA). NAWMA is composed of weed managers in local, state and federal land agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, National Biological Survey and Bureau of Land Management. To meet NAWMA standards, forage products have to be found to be free of 54 noxious and invasive weed species.

Wallowa County has taken certification one step further. For the 2003 season, the association had a “NAWMA Plus” line of hay which is free of the 54 weed species targeted by NAWMA, as well as of 18 other more common weeds. Wallowa County growers feel that this will ensure customer satisfaction. More information on NAWMA and its standards can be found at www.nawma.org.

Field inspections ensure quality
To maintain high-quality forage, field inspections and a stringent certification process are crucial. The Wallowa County government provides a third party inspection process through its vegetation manager (or a contractor). Cost for field inspections is $3 per acre, and requires 7–10 days’ notice.

The inspector walks through the fields before harvest and lists all weeds found. Weed sites are tracked using a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit. Special areas of interest are field perimeters, drainage swells and power-line rights of way. A report lists any weeds present and indicates whether the field passed or failed. Fields can be reinspected, if the grower chooses.

It is not unusual for sections of fields to be accepted as “weed-free,” excluding swaths around the perimeter. Weed-free forage is stored separately from other hay and straw.

The county, through its Wallowa County Weed-Free Forage Inspection Program, provides the farmer with a certificate of inspection and a separate transit certificate, if needed. This documentation is important to customers purchasing weed-free hay as well as local and state governments monitoring hay transportation.

John Williams, agriculture extension agent in Wallowa County, maintains the inspection records and serves as the storefront for the association. Growers apply for field certification at the local Oregon State Extension office.

“I have been amazed at the dedication, professionalism and the followthrough that the growers have displayed in the process of creating a weed-free forage program and the development of the association,” Williams says. “As an extension agent, I know that a successful outcome depends on having the right producers in the room. We have had that at every step.”

Government aids market research
Preliminary market research was conducted by Wallowa County government, Eastern Oregon University (EOU) and USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. A questionnaire was designed to identify the type and numbers of animals customers owned and their preferences when buying hay.

Wallowa County mailed questionnaires to a wide range of hay buyers, including 4-H clubs, local FFA chapters, ranchers, guides, rodeo participants and backcountry horse riders. EOU students handed out questionnaires at local feed stores. The students tabulated and analyzed the information, which was then presented to the growers.

Discussions have been held with hay brokers in Ellensburg, Wash., who market hay to many regions of the country and to foreign markets. One broker alone moves as much as 400,000 tons of hay per year. The brokers have expressed interest in shipping the association’s hay to the Pacific Rim. Hay shipped from Ellensburg is compressed, shrinkwrapped and loaded into 40-foot shipping containers.

Wallowa Resources, a grassroots, nonprofit corporation in Enterprise, Ore., has also been working with the growers. It provided funds for the design and startup of the association’s website.

“Hopefully, local growers will get a better price for their weed-free hay,” says Mark Porter, rangeland stewardship coordinator for Wallowa Resources and chairman of the County Weed Board. “That is important, because economics are pretty tight these days.”

Hay is often culprit
in spreading weeds
“Weed-free hay also reduces the spread of weeds across the county and the region,” Porter says, adding that weedy hay is often responsible for weed infestations of Oregon forests and rangelands.

Association customers “will not be bringing weeds onto their farms and properties. That will save them money and a few headaches in the long run.”

Although this effort has become a collaborative one, it is important to remember that hay growers of Wallowa County are responsible for the initial concept, the direction and the implementation of the project. The responsibility and credit primarily go to these growers, working to better their own farm businesses and quality of life in a rural western community.

“Starting this association has been an effort to help our neighbors and all people in the county,” says association member Jay McFetridge. “That’s just what you do when you live in a community at the end of the road.”


























Growers’ hay project may go statewide

The applicability of the Wallowa County Hay Growers Association project goes well beyond Wallowa County. Tim Butler, supervisor of the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Noxious Weed Program, has been supportive of the association and sees statewide implications for it.

“ODA is taking a look at establishing a statewide, weed-free hay program and hopes to build on the successes and learning experiences of Wallowa County, especially in the areas of establishing quality standards, developing inspection procedures and creating additional income opportunities for Oregon family farmers. By expanding the pilot project in Wallowa County, Oregon hopes to create a win-win situation in the future for farmers and from a noxious weed-control perspective.”

Wallowa County is famous for its natural beauty and wildlife. Visitors and residents depend on and enjoy the outdoor resource values of this area. About 65-70 percent of the land within the county is owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management. So the support of the staff of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has been important for the project’s success.

“We want to help our visitors to enjoy themselves and do the right thing,” says Kendall Clark, area ranger for the Eagle Cap District in Wallowa County and the nearby Hells Canyon Recreational Area. “Having local growers be able to provide weed-free hay to our users makes our job a lot easier. A website providing contacts for local certified weed-free hay will be a tremendous tool to help visitors.”

The Forest Service is both a potential customer for certified, weed-free straw and a regulator of weed-free hay used by recreational and hunting enthusiasts on public lands. Certified weed-free straw is used to control erosion in wildfire rehabilitation and construction projects, thereby reducing the damage to soils, watersheds and burned-over landscapes. Priorities for stabilization activities include protecting human life and property, stabilizing municipal watersheds, stabilizing steep slopes and unstable terrain, protecting archeological resources, replacing culverts and protecting public health and safety. The large number of acres affected by recent fires (and the likelihood of future forest and range fires) represents a potentially large and expanding market for certified weed-free straw.

In 1988, the Eagle Cap Ranger District of the Wallowa- Whitman National Forest adopted a regulation that prohibits possessing, storing or transporting any supplemental livestock feed that is not free of all noxious weed seeds. A similar plan is now being developed for the entire Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, the Hells Canyon Recreation Area and, eventually, will be in effect for all National Forest public lands in the Oregon and Washington region.




March/April Table of Contents