OSU partnership provides durability for Central Oregon hay growers

A tractor bales grass hay in a field. Mountains are i nthe background.

Hay and forage producers in Central Oregon, Oregon’s top hay-producing region, face significant challenges, including limited irrigation water supply, increasing fertilizer and input costs and changing insect pest dynamics. Overcoming these obstacles is critical for the region’s economy. Hay is one of Oregon's top agricultural commodities, ranking third in the state in 2022 with a total value of about $785.5 million.

The Oregon State University Extension Service serves as a crucial information source for Central Oregon hay growers, providing unbiased, science-based expertise to complement traditional local practices and the knowledge from agricultural consultants and input suppliers.

With partnerships like the one between COHGA and OSU Extension, the future of forage agriculture in Central Oregon is bright.

Since the early 1990s, OSU Extension has worked closely with the Central Oregon Hay Growers Association (COHGA). Over its three decades, COHGA has provided monetary support for wide-ranging research on forage topics from fertilizer management to cool-season grass variety trials. The association has also sponsored and co-organized the Central Oregon Forage Seminar since 1992, connecting hundreds of farmers with science-based recommendations and research findings.

One key achievement of COHGA has been the introduction of Low Elevation Spray Application (LESA) to Central Oregon through research, the forage seminar, on-farm demonstrations, field days and adoption by association members. LESA technology lowers the sprinklers on central pivot or linear irrigation systems closer to the crop canopy, reducing losses to wind and evaporation. Studies have shown a 15-20% water savings when converting from standard pivot and linear systems to LESA.

In addition to the practical benefits to today’s farmers, COHGA has been investing in the future of agriculture in the region. Since its founding, the association has provided more than $35,000 in scholarships to seniors graduating from Central Oregon high schools and pursuing areas of study related to agriculture.

Additionally, members have donated thousands of dollars to the Oregon Forage/Livestock Endowment held by the Agricultural Research Foundation. Their donations provide funds in perpetuity for OSU faculty to study and devise solutions to the practical problems facing forage-livestock agriculture across the state.

In 2023, the umbrella organization under which the association maintained its nonprofit status began to close its doors. COHGA needed to form its own independent nonprofit or cease operations. In 2024, Gordon Jones, Extension agronomist in Central Oregon, worked together with the COHGA board of directors to lead the administrative effort to revise the association's bylaws and have COHGA registered as an Oregon nonprofit corporation and be granted 501(c)(3) status by the IRS.

In February 2024, OSU Extension partnered with COHGA and over 10 local industry sponsors to host the Central Oregon Forage Seminar. This event, revived after being on hold since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, featured speakers from OSU, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the National Weather Service, The Fertilizer Institute and other organizations. The daylong seminar, which drew 45 attendees, covered topics such as snowpack, efficient irrigation technology, pesticide safety, and evolving insecticide resistance in alfalfa weevils.

These efforts combined to provide a solid platform for continued meaningful impact on the Central Oregon agricultural community. With partnerships like the one between COHGA and OSU Extension, the future of forage agriculture in Central Oregon is bright.