Grown for over 10,000 years, wheat is one of the world’s most important crops. Today, US farmers grow over 37 million acres of wheat a year. Wheat is grown much differently than it was when my father was growing up. When he was growing up, he remembers that some of the practices they used on their farm were a lot more damaging to the soil then previously thought. Practices like putting lots of chemicals and fertilizers on the soil and over-tilling caused the soil to erode and lose important nutrients that the wheat crops needed to grow. The farming industry and how crops are grown is still evolving as farmers continue to learn about new farming methods and technologies that are better for their crops and the environment.

Chemicals, if used wrong, can hurt the environment. These chemicals can come in many different forms. Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc. And sometimes putting these on your soil can be necessary. Putting chemicals in the soil can enhance the productivity of various foods and grassseed crops. It can also prevent insects and weed growth. But as we all know, putting these chemicals on your soil has many downsides as well as excess chemicals can be washed away by rain or irrigation and enter groundwater harming the ecosystems and people who rely on these waterways to survive.

There are some methods that farmers in the wheat industry can use to get rid of pests and weeds that aren’t harsh chemicals. One method is crop rotation. Crop rotation means planting a different crop in the field, instead of leaving the crop the same year after year. Crop rotation can be used to control weeds and pests as well as prevent diseases. Fields that have well-planned crop rotations have fewer pests and diseases than mono-crop systems. This is because pests and diseases will adapt to the singular crop process. When you add diversity in the type of crops you plant in a field, this disrupts the pests and weeds and helps give the soil specific nutrients.

Another method farmers can use to cut down on the amount of chemicals they put on their fields is precision application. Instead of just the typical blanket application, wheat farmers in the Willamette Valley now have enough technology to use precision applications to know exactly what spots of the field need fertilizers the most and what spots don’t need any at all. This helps because there isn’t nearly as much waste and fewer chemicals are being used and put into the soil.

Another Impactful practice is using Direct seeding or No-till practices. Tillage can be helpful every once in a while but when you till the soil year after year it compacts the soil and ruins soil structure as well as makes the soil denser and less porous, making water unable to flow through the soil as it normally would. Over-tilling destroys organisms and fungi that the soil depends on to stay healthy. Direct seeding takes the place of tilling the soil. I have seen first hand how Direct seeding keeps the soil and soil structure healthier as well as keeps the natural air pockets in the soil so water can flow through and the field won’t get flooded as easily. Using this method, wheat farmers can plant wheat on sloped ground without having to worry about the soil eroding as much. Direct Seeding also doesn’t destroy natural organisms and you only make one pass in the field conserving fuel and not putting as many pollutants in the air.

The way farmers in the wheat industry produce wheat and many other crops has evolved drastically in only a few decades. From practices like using lots of chemicals and overworking the soil, to crop rotation, precision application, and direct seeding, the wheat industry has shifted toward practices that are better for the soil and the environment.

Our 2024 Oregon Wheat Scholarship awardees each submit an essay with their scholarship application. Learn more about the scholarship program at https://oregonwheatfoundation.org/scholarship-program/