WSU's Agricultural Research Center at Lind

        The WSU Dryland Research Station at Lind receives less precipitation than any other state or federal dryland agricultural research facility in the United States.  The average precipitation for the years 1921 to 2015 is 9.53 inches annually.  The traditional agronomic cropping system in this region is winter wheat/fallow using conventional tillage. 
       I attended the annual Field Day to catch up on research centered around practices for the low rainfall regions of Washington.  Rainfall this year is a couple of inches above average and the crops in the region reflect that.  They look pretty good.  The tour this year was basically a variety trial for triticale, spring wheat, winter wheat, and winter peas.  There was a presentation on chemical control of russian thistles.
       I am looking for cultivars that will grow in low moisture to use for diversifying  cash crops as well as cultivars to add to cover crop mixes.  Two crops stood out.  One was triticale and the other was winter peas.  Both were developing a lot of biomass.  For the Lind area I think triticale will be the better for the near term.  It offers more fibrous roots and top biomass with a high carbon ratio.  
        From what I'm observing, this research station needs to either expand, or change it's emphasis.  That will be hard with all the decision makers and money driving the station to maintain the course of minimum tillage using bigger, heavier split packer drills.   Developing cultural practices that reduce tillage operations is not enough.  This soil has very low OM content and getting worse.  Ability to store moisture is poor, and moisture wicks out fast.  The practice of setting a deep moisture barrier with sweeps or under cutters and following up with seeders designed to place seed deeper seems archaic for the 21st century, and self destructive in the face of a warming planet.  With all the climate models pointing towards a warmer earth our soils will have an increasing need of an insulating cover.  Soil surface temperatures reaching 150-160+ degrees is not going to cut it for moisture retention or crop development.  I'm shocked to find that my HOBO's are already registering short periods of max temperatures (4" above the surface on bare soil) of 154 degrees.  That's scorched earth.
        This station need ssome new young blood that don't carry all the baggage of the past, --that don't know that residue can't be increased, --that don't know that crops can't be successfully emerged with no-till.  They need to be handed the keys and told, --GET IT DONE.