Oppose growing canola in the Willamette Valley

My name is John Haapala, and I am an organic and small scale seed grower in Junction City Oregon.  I have grown seeds for local seed companies, such as Nichols Garden Nursery, Territorial Seeds, Seeds of Change, and a number of other seed companies over the years.  In addition, I worked for Oregon Tilth as a policy advocate, and helped formulate regulations requiring the use of organic seeds in the National Organic Program.  In addition, I worked to put into place the Conservation Stewardship Program through the USDA/NRCS, which offers the potential for payments based upon sustainable practices.   Seeds grown on my farm have included every variety of asian mustard, as well as kale, collards, broccoli, turnip, rutabaga, and other members of the Brassica family.  

As a market farmer I was reliant upon the diversity of heirloom introductions and public plant breeders through the Land Grant System.  There was a constant treadmill of innovation, where a new variety would sustain smaller growers with novelty only until a larger California/Sinoloa based operation would offer it in Cello bags, and drive the price down.  Through innovation, we have the tools for increased yield, novelty, and crop protection all within the genome of the crop.  As a research director with Oregon Tilth, I worked with Cornell and the USDA seed banks (the NPGS) to tap that innovation, and release it to local growers.

In sum, for twenty years I worked to create opportunities for local and smaller growers in high value crops and federal crop payment programs.  Those seeds are now bearing fruit, and offer the double benefit of higher returns per acre and federal credit for sustainable practices.

Rules and regulations for the introduction of novel species containing genetically engineered organism must be stringent enough to protect our well established seed growing sector in the Willamette Valley.  One farmer's practices cannot jeopardize another farmer's enterprise, especially when it ignores the high value crops with smaller planting sizes.

Within the USDA seed banks there are over 450,000 varieties available for exploration through traditional breeding.  However, once cross-contamination with GE crops occur, those crops can no longer qualify as a resource for organic production.  The introduction of pollen drift from GE crops threatens to undermine the growth in the organic industry, at a time when our canneries are closing and seed growing remains one of the most viable high value enterprises for growers on high value soils in the Willamette Valley.  

Canola is a low value commodity crop that does best in Saskatchewan and Montana.  While it offers viable rotations for grass seed, there is no reason that GE canola will fit that bill better than traditional canola.  GE crops carry licensing restrictions that severely restrict the market opportunities of a grower.  

Please protect our successful diverse seed growing industry.  The Brassica family to which canola belongs, thrive in the Willamette Valley, and the pollen travels for miles.  By opening the door to a single enterprise, you will shut the door on so many more.  

Sincerely,

/s/ John Haapala

John E. Haapala

Heron' Nest Farm

30848 Maple Dr.

Junction City Ore 97448

541-521-7433

Growing and Seed Saving on the Coast

I recently attended a GROW meeting that was a kind of last minute thing for me, so the word didn't get out to you.  I took notes, though, and I think you may be interested in some of the discussion.

Jeri Christensen, a biologist living in the Florence area, was our speaker.  She was instrumental in alerting the world to the dangers of Terminator seeds and GMO's in general, and has been an adviser to Prince Charles and the King of Saudi Arabia. Now her focus is on raised bed gardening and seed saving in the Pacific North West….with an emphasis on seed saving to offset the food shortages and reliance on genetically modified food that threatens to dominate our food system.  The slides of her raised beds and the size of her vegetables was impressive.

For the most part she was preaching to the choir, because some of us have been at this for awhile, as well.  But her enthusiasm and commitment to growing and seed saving was a real boost for all of us.

Some of the plants that she recommended for our area are:

Siberian kale…20 plants will give you two quarts of seed.

Superschmetlz kohlrabi…a great substitute for cabbage, and I think fewer pests. Great for slaw and salads.

Lake Flat Dutch Cabbage  

Japanese and Millionaire eggplants

Indigo potatoes

Red lettuce  

Blueberries

Any dark blue foods are loaded with anthocyanins which are cancer fighters and just good for your health generally.     

Longkeeper tomatoes.open pollinated

Bush Early Girl Tomatoes are the best

French green house tomatoes (you can get them from Johnny's Seeds)  

Big Beef

Siletz Heirloom especially for seed saving

And of course, carrots, beans, mesclun.  My notes say Continuity lettuce, and I don't remember if that is a kind of lettuce or my note for their growth span.  At any rate, you can seed lettuce in September or put in starts in October to mature in March. Most lettuces, I think, can be grown in succession all year long here.

Beets..I grow them very successfully here.  I have not yet tried to save their seeds, but that may be important now that GMO sugar beets are being grown in the valley.

Eliot Coleman's Four Season Harvest is a recommended resource for growing in our area.

And Jeri Christensen's website is  arkinstitute.com.  You will find a lll kinds of help on her site.

Silver Mulch

We had a bad year for pests this last season, and one of her recommendations was to buy silver mulch.  It is a row cover that you put right on the soil, and cut little exes in it for your starts, or I presume for your seed if it is big enough.  She had good success with keeping pests and slugs out of her beds, using this mulch.  It is expensive but can be used, if taken care of, for several years.

Greenhouse Film

Another suggestion was to use greenhouse film or agro-plastic with ventilation holes for your covers .  They create more heat and airflow, which is what you want for keeping out mildew, and gives protection against flying pests. Territorial Seeds and Peaceful Valley sell perforated plastic crop covers. You can get it in 50' by 6' lengths.

Grow Bags

These plastic grow bags come in small to bushel sized and are great for growing things above ground to keep out the voles and moles, if that is one of your problems. Apparently you can find them at Aqua Serene on W. 11th in Eugene.  My notes are not that clear, so please call first to make sure. I think they are also available through Territorial Seeds, and maybe Down To Earth in Eugene.

Seed Saving

Keep a few of your plants in the ground until they go to mature  seed. Hang them upside down in a dark place, or in a paper bag, until they are dry enough to pull off the plant. Buy flower drying desiccant from Michael's Craft store.  Use one to two inches of gel in the bottom of the jar with a tissue over it, or use desiccant packets that are the same weight as the seed.  Put your seeds in the jar in packets (DO NOT VACUUM PACK) and close with a new clean lid. Let them sit on your counter for about a week…could be five or six days. You want to take out a certain percentage of moisture so that the seeds will not expand in the freezer, explode and become non-viable. Then put your jars in the freezer.  They will last up to 45 years. 20 kale plants will make two quarts of seed.

If you can't buy or find desiccant, you can use instant dry milk powder…one third of a jar…in its place.  A good resource for seed saving is Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth.

I hope this has been helpful.  You can visit her website for more information.

Good gardening!  Joann

Garden Deadlines Coming Soon

Gardeners,

Please scroll down to Archives and open the very first post on this blog.  This will give you the garden guidelines and the re-assignment schedules...for old a new box holders.  These schedules are different.  But re-assignments are finalized very soon, and those who don't meet the deadline will lose their box unless they contact me at 541 997-2997.

Thanks. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you back this spring.

Also, we have new blood in the gardening community.  Her name is Katya Reyna.  She is working with the City in Urban Planning, through a program called RARE. Now we have someone who is eager to help set up more gardens.  Possibly the next one will finally be at the old Senior Center location.  That has been on the back burner this past fall and winter, and hopefully she will be able to get that one up and running with the City's help.

Anyone interested in having a box or two north of town should contact me.  We are forming a waiting list which will help us get this project off the ground.

Thanks,

Joann Henderson