SUSTAINABILITY


The climate in the Willamette Valley is Mediterranean. There is minimal summer rain and precipitation is concentrated in the winter months, which creates erosion concerns. The defining characteristic of Willamette Valley agriculture is the temperate, dry summer.


approximately 2% of the United States’ agricultural land2


Oregon agriculture accounts for and is made up of


approximately 15% seed crops,3 primarily


grass seed. Seed crops are plants which are raised through their growth cycle and allowed to go to seed. The seeds are then harvested and distributed throughout the world. Grass seed is produced on 450,000 acres of the Willamette Valley4


and Oregon


accounts for over 50% of global demand (1.3 billion lbs) for this commodity. Due to the nature of grass seed production, at least 150 other rotational crops are grown including turnip, cabbage, radish, flax, lentil, sugar beet, and kale. Oregon’s agriculture may only rank 26th in output, but its crop diversity ranks 5th in the nation.5


Crop rotation is a process where farmers select certain sequences of crops to break harmful insect, disease, and weed cycles while also improving soil tilth and quality. By adopting a crop sequence suited to each field a farmer is able to minimise the biological and economic costs of single species production (monoculture) while producing valuable crops. Meadowfoam serves this purpose in the Willamette Valley in grass seed and wheat rotations since it does not act as a host for the pests that affect these grassy species.


Focus areas Economic improvement A cooperative is a member-owned organisation of people dedicated to the mutual benefit of its members. In the US alone, there are nearly 3,000 farming cooperatives6


which span a variety of


products including vegetables, dairy, and livestock. Cooperatives are organised by members to disperse risk, strengthen bargaining power, increase access to markets, and ensure fair returns to the member-farms for their crops. OMG exists to gain sustainable market access for its grower members. By investing in manufacturing, distribution and research, OMG farmers add approximately 30% to the value of their crop. NPP ensures it pays a stable price to growers which counters the 20%-40% fluctuation that can occur in markets for grass seed and wheat.


OMG’s rotation crops also add value by reducing the cost of production for its members. Tillage is a long-accepted means of weed and pest control, as well as a


12 PERSONAL CARE March 2013


on the field. Meadowfoam is one of a few crops that allows planting into full straw residue. No-till planting combined with maximum residue management in perennial grasses reduces erosion to just 3%9


of the annual soil erosion amount associated with conventional tillage. OMG’s growers have learned to value


standard method of field preparation, in which a set of discs is pulled behind a tractor and the soil is turned and broken up. Contrarily, no-till establishment is when a crop is planted straight through the stubble of the previous year’s crop without tilling the field. Meadowfoam facilitates no- till farming in both annual and perennial grasses (OMG growers’ predominant crops) saving 60%-84%7


of establishment costs


primarily through reduced fuel consumption that results from the elimination of tillage operations. Eighty per cent of OMG’s meadowfoam acreage is no-till, decreasing fuel consumption by 40% compared to traditional establishment methods.


Environmental improvement Agriculture is the largest source of surface water contamination in the United States.8 This stems primarily from surface runoff, and the consequent transfer of nutrients into drainages, rivers, and, in some cases, oceans. Meadowfoam is broadly regarded as a low-input crop meaning that nutrient and agrochemical requirements of meadowfoam are lower than those of other rotation crops. Applications of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, boron, and sulphur are 50%-60% less than those made to wheat and clover, and agrochemical applications are reduced by more than 20% (applied basis).


Another major factor in the grass seed production system is post–harvest straw management. Between 85% and 95% of the biomass from a crop is left on the field as straw. This residue was traditionally burned, but that practice has been greatly restricted. Farms have the option of bailing the straw, partially removing it, or leaving it


the role of meadowfoam in their long-term planning. As a winter annual that is tolerant of grass seed herbicides, meadowfoam can be employed in such a fashion as to eliminate the need for a fallow year, field burning (where available), or use of a poorly performing rotation crop on the lowest quality soils. Fallowing fields in a climate that receives greater than 50 inches of rain in winter would lead to devastating soil erosion and consequent degradation of water quality. This is especially valuable to growers with the most poorly drained soils in the valley’s southern reaches. In general, these growers are restricted to annual ryegrass seed production, with wheat as a risky rotation crop.10


Social justice


One facet of the debate regarding social justice in agriculture centers on fair trade, or the notion that producers in the developing world should be paid a reasonable return for their produce and should not work in intolerable conditions. Fair trade certifications have become common on such commodities as coffee and the topic is familiar to many in the personal care industry. As a US-based company, OMG is able to sidestep the fair trade debate. US production ensures workers benefit from the highest level of


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