Diversifying Cropping Systems |Alternative grains and oilseeds -
like buckwheat - add diversity to cropping systems and open
profitable niche markets while contributing to environmentally
sound operations. | - Photo by Rob Myers Karl Kupers, an eastern
Washington grain grower, was a typical dryland wheat farmer who
idled his land in fallow to conserve moisture. After years of
watching his soil blow away and his market price slip, he made
drastic changes to his 5,600-acre operation. In place of fallow,
he planted more profitable hard red and hard white wheats along
with seed crops like condiment mustard, sunflower, grass and
safflower. All of those were drilled using a no-till system
Kupers calls direct-seeding. “I look at this more diverse system
as a tremendous opportunity to decrease chemical use and make
more net profit per acre,” said Kupers, who received a grant
from USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) program to offset the risk. Now, he puts his exuberant
personality to work as