When it comes to controlling pests or improving soil, we at Threemile Canyon Farms use the most sustainable, effective techniques, based on our experience and research. That means nature-based farming solutions often play as important a role in our operations as the latest advances in high-tech equipment.

Mustard to protect potatoes

Mustard provides a natural alternative to Vapam for potato fields.

Here's just one example: Standard industry practice is to apply Vapam, a chemical agent, to control verticillium wilt, the main disease that attacks potatoes.

On our organic fields, we turned to a natural alternative: the mustard plant. Mustard plants contain glucosinolates which, when released in the soil, produce an effect similar to Vapam. Potato fields are planted with mustard, timed to bloom in September, so the plants can be chopped and tilled into the soil in fall for optimum protection.

This natural method not only inhibits verticillium, but it also gives tilth and texture to the soil, a benefit that doesn't occur with chemical fumigants. The mustard has proven to be more economical than chemical Vapam - it costs less to grow, chop and till the mustard than to apply Vapam. As a result, we're using mustard on our conventional potato fields, too.

We also grow tritecale, an alfalfa-like plant that prevents soil erosion. By growing it immediately before planting corn, we are able to reduce the pesticide and herbicide use on our cornfields. Other good pairings include planting oat hay with alfalfa. The oat hay grows quickly, and helps protect the slowergrowing alfalfa from wind erosion. We cut the oats to feed our dairy herd. After harvest, the oat hay eventually freezes, but the alfalfa comes back strong for three years.

We didn't invent these ideas, but we practice them on a larger scale than other farms, helping to create new understanding of their value.

Potato blooms

Crop rotation

Usually farmers grow potatoes in a field on a one-in-three-years cycle, rotating potatoes with other crops that help replenish the soil. We've extended that rotation schedule to one in four years, bringing better crop quality and fewer problems with disease.

Organic fertilizer

Our dairy provides an abundant supply of liquid manure, which we separate and dilute, then inject into our precision irrigation system for application to our growing crops. Use of this natural fertilizer has allowed us to dramatically reduce our use of synthetic chemical fertilizers on all crops, and helped us increase our certified organic acreage to 1,500 acres in 2004. (The average organic acres of Oregon Tilth-certified farms in Oregon was 112 acres in 2003). Our farm is an acknowledged leader in "black-water" application.

Manure-based compost

Our dairy supports a 140-acre compost operation that produces 640,000 yards of finished compost each year for use on the farm and for commercial sale. We incorporate compost into our fields to build the soil structure, which helps it retain water better so we can reduce our irrigation needs. We partner with the Oregon Garden to sell our compost for home use, which raises money to support Oregon Garden operations.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

We follow an Integrated Pest Management strategy to manage pests and weeds, often using living organisms to control plant pests or disease. When we use chemicals, we document all applications and provide those records to state regulators. All applications are carried out in a manner that reduces the potential adverse impacts to humans, wildlife and the environment.

Conservation areas and buffers

We put more than one-fourth of our farm into a wildlife conservation area. That area - and the 250-foot buffers that surround it - protects sensitive species, beneficial predator animals and insects and reduces the spread of crop-specific weeds and pests.

Seed farms

Because healthy plants begin with healthy seeds, we raise all our own seed potatoes on our 650-acre Grand Ronde Seed Farm in La Grande, Ore. Healthy plants are less susceptible to plant diseases and pests.

Key partnerships

We often join with other companies that follow natural and organic practices. Beef Northwest, tenants on our farm since 1996, are well known for their natural beef, which is featured prominently by Burgerville and Whole Foods. The beef cattle graze our tall fescue grass-seed fields after the seed has been harvested, providing Beef Northwest with an essential source of rich, natural forage.

We joined with Cleaver Farming, based in Hermiston, Ore., to raise organic onions. And our production of organically grown corn and potatoes provides a reliable source of supply for Oregon-based Kettle Foods and its organic tortilla and potato chips.

Threemile Road Boardman, OR 97818 • 541-481-9274 • mail@threemilecanyonfarms.com