Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers, scientists and stakeholders interested in organic dryland production systems and soil health. Changes/Problems:Continuing problems were encountered due to the ongoing 1000 year drought affecting the Intermountain and Pacific Northwest regions. Unusually dry conditions at planting resulted in delayed wheat emergence resulting in poor competition with weeds in the spring. All research sites in Utah, one in Wyoming and one in Montana had to be terminated prematurely to prevent weeds from going to seed. In Utah, record breaking snow fall resulted in heavy spring runoff and flooding at our Snowville field sites which had to be subsequently terminated. Conditions such as this have not been experienced since the first trials were initiated in Snowville in 1994 or our grower cooperator first became certified organic in the early 1980s. Note also that FTEs do not reflect the time committed by all individuals on this project. Five professors associated with the project did not submit their data even after multiple requests. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three PhD (Brad Davis at USU and Hannah Rodgers and Christina Helseth at UW) and two MS (Preston Christensen at USU and Iliak Harmsen) students continued their work on the project with Christina and Iliak both defending. In addition, two postdoctoral researchers (Idowu Atoloye and Tatiana Drugova, USU) four research technicians (Nate DuCasse, UT, Leanna Hayes UT, Maya Garby UT, McKenna Brown MT and Holly Lane WA), fifteen undergraduate research assistants (Anna Billings, Bridger Cary, Kayla Hancey, Annie Lawer, Abigail Lazier, Ayla Meek, Caleb Ostvig, Emily Samuels, Cassidy Sawden, and in UT, and Caz, Sophie, Dillon, Cortney, Sarah and Josue in UW) were hired and trained in field maintenance and laboratory protocols. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Two presentations were given to the University of Wyoming Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center Field Day on August 9th, 2023. One journal article was published and six journal articles were submitted. Four presentations were given at the Tri-Society annual meeting. One International conference presentation given to the RETASTE conference in Athens, Greece. One PhD defense presentation. One MS defense presentation The 12 Extension fact sheets published from this project and the prior project have 1,411 total downloads (USU digital commons only). The PhD dissertation and the MS thesis from the previous project have 758 total downloads. The journal articles so far published have been cited 86 times. A webpage for all publications, including Extension and outreach materials for this project with regards to marketing and producer adoption components can be found at: https://extension.usu.edu/apec/organicwheatmarketing. This website had 182 visitors in 2023. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective A:Soil will be sampled, and soil properties determined across all research sites in the wheat phase of the rotation in May 2024. Soil moisture and temperature will be monitored. Backlogs of soil samples incurred during the pandemic will be cleared and the effects of compost on lignin chemistry and soil chemical functional groups will be completed. MS student Preston Christensen will complete his degree on the effects of compost on soil health in dryland wheat. At least four manuscripts will be submitted for publication. Objective B:Given the drought induced problems affecting the wheat and intercrops at most sites,a no cost extension was requested on the project in the hope of obtaining a final year of quality yield data. Fall planted trials will be harvested in Snowville, UT, Wyoming, Montana and Washington. Two cultivar trials will be harvested in Blue Creek and Monticello, UT. Sweet yellow clover will be inter-seeded into existing stands of winter or spring wheat at research sites in MT. PhD student Brad Davis will complete his dissertation on the agronomic and cultivar trials in UT. Objective C: A journal article on policy implications for producer adoption of organic wheat will be completed. At least two fact sheets will also be completed. The economic analysis will be completed by Drs. Larsen and Kim. Journal Articles - Working Curtis, K., and T. Drugova. "Producer Adoption of Organic Wheat: Policy Implications." Working paper. Extension Publications - Working There are two, but titles have not yet been determined.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective A: Soil samples were collected during the wheat phase of the project from three experimental sites in Snowville and Blue Creek, Utah, one in WA, one in MT and one in WY. UT and MT soil samples from the 0-10 cm depth were analyzed for bulk density, gravimetric moisture content, aggregate stability, mineralizable carbon, basal respiration, microbial biomass and dehydrogenase enzyme activity. Ammonium, nitrate, Olsen P and dissolved and total organic carbon and nitrogen and DTAP extractable elements on samples collected to 90 cm soil depth in 30-cm increments are still in progress. Total lignin contents and FTIR spectra were collected on soils and composts all UT sites, the characterization of individual lignin species is in progress. In WA, soil samples were collected at 0-15, 15-30, 30-60 and 60-90cm and analyzed for a suite of nutrients and carbon. Soil samples collected in WY are still being analyzed for nutrients. Moisture sensors were installed in three replicates of the 0 Mg/ha and 50 Mg/ha wheat plots in UT, WY and MT at depths of 7.5, 15, and 22 inches. The sensors sent moisture readings to the cloud every 15 minutes. Water infiltration and penetrometer data were collected on two Snowville sites using the Cornell Sprinkle Infiltrometer and FieldScout penetrometer in early spring. Aggregate stability was measured on two Snowville and one Blue Creek site. A journal article on the continued presence of significant soil health benefits nearly three decades after application was submitted. In depth measurements on soil carbon in Utah show compost induced biochemical changes in soil organic matter at Snowville but not Blue Creek suggesting that compost degradation is affected by site characteristics. Moreover, residue and or compost type affected soil organic carbon and total lignin contents. Two presentations on this work were given at the SSSA annual meeting in November and one at the RETASTE conference in Athens, Greece. In Wyoming, PhD student Christina Helseth defended her dissertation on the project. Results showed no synergy between compost and cover crops but these two practices affected soils and crop yield in different ways. The 45 Mg ha-1 of compost elevated soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (N), and available phosphorus (AP). Elevated soil labile N and no increases in nitrous oxide emissions point to efficient soil labile N conservation. Cover crops reduced soil water content during growth but did not affect the following wheat crop. However, cover crops reduced weed biomass and diversity as well as increased methane assimilation. A second PhD student Hannah Rogers presented a poster at the SAREC field day and submitted a paper to Soil Biology and Biochemistry on compost effects on soil microbiological properties. In Washington, soil nutrients were highest in 50 Mg ha-1 DW compost treatment. Soil moisture was also increased in treatments with compost, especially the highest compost rate treatment in winter wheat/fallow/winter pea/fallow rotation. No such effects in soil moisture were observed in winter wheat/fallow rotation for this year. There were no significant differences in soil organic matter in Washington, likely due to the deeper sampling depth, however, the highest compost treatment showed numerically highest soil organic matter levels in both the crop rotations. The data was used to assess the efficacy of common greenhouse gas accounting tools and published in the Journal of Cleaner Production and a presentation given at the SSSA annual meeting. Objective B: Wheat was planted at all sites in the fall of 2022. The Snowville and Blue Creek sites in UT, the Deakin site in MT and SAREC site in WY were all terminated prematurely due to drought and or flood induced crop failure. At CARC MT, yellow-flowered sweetclover was planted into targeted wheat plots on 16 May 16, 2023. In MT, an Accupar LP80 PAR meter was used to determine Leaf Area Index in all plots. Fallowed plots were cultivated as needed to suppress weeds. Crop and weed biomass samples were collected on 05 July to determine DM production in each plot. What grain was harvested from selected plots on 10 August. Greater amounts of above-ground wheat dry matter (8195 kg/ha) were produced in plots that had received an application of 50 Mg/ha of composted manure compared with plots receiving an application of 12.5 Mg/ha (2412 kg/ha) or only urea fertilizer (2184 kg/ha; P < 0.05). Similar trends were detected for wheat grain with greatest amounts produced in plots where 50 Mg/ha composted manure was applied in 2020 (3266 kg/ha) compared with 12.5 Mg/ha of composted manure or urea fertilizer (2043 kg/ha). Wheat yield was lower in plots following sweetclover the previous year (1176 kg/ha) compared with summer fallow (3629 kg/ha), probably because weed pressure was lower in summer fallowed plots. Wheat yield was also highest in the 50 Mg /Ha compost rate in WA, showing that compost application improves dryland productivity over conventional fertilizers in most years even in the highly productive soils of the Palouse region. Previous cultivar trials (20 cultivars with and without compost in 2021 and 2022) in WY were analyzed and a MS student presented a poster at the SAREC field day and defended his thesis on this work. Unlike results from UT and MT where Pronghorn and Wolf were the top performers, the top performing cultivars in WY were Bobcat, Breck, Curlew and WB 4462. Objective C: A survey of wheat growers in the US west was administered in 2022. We are currently analyzing results and expect at least one journal article and two Extension fact sheets will be submitted for review in 2024. A survey of US consumers on preferences and WTP for organic bakery products was conducted in the fall of 2021. Based upon the results four journal articles have been drafted, three are under review, and one was published in a conference proceedings paper in March 2023. Three Extension fact sheets were published in 2023. The 12 Extension fact sheets published from this project and the prior project have 1,411 total downloads (USU digital commons only). The PhD dissertation and the MS thesis from the previous project have 758 total downloads. The journal articles so far published have been cited 52 times. A webpage for all publications, including Extension and outreach materials for this project with regards to marketing and producer adoption components can be found at: https://extension.usu.edu/apec/organicwheatmarketing. This website had 182 visitors in 2023.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Other: At, I., Creech, J. E., Reeve, J., & Jacobson, A. (2023). Molecular-Level Composition of Soil Organic Matter in Response to Compost Application in Dryland Winter Wheat Systems. Soil Science Society of America

Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers, industry, government agencies, scientists and extension scientists in the fields of organic wheat and dryland soils. Changes/Problems:The problems encountered this year were a result of the ongoing 1000 year drought affecting the Intermountain and Pacific Northwest regions. At some locations wheat emergence has been poor resulting in poor competition with weeds. Grower cooperators had to terminate their crops prematurely to prevent weeds from going to seed in large numbers and the decision was made at two of the research farm locations to save the trials by spraying herbicide and restarting the transition to organic. These decisions were not taken lightly and were made in an effort to save long-term research trials in the face of unprecedented climate stressors. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three PhD (Brad Davis and Preston Christensen at USU and Hannah Rodgers at UW) and two MS (Tina and Iliak) students continued their work on the project. A fourth PhD student defended their PhD on the project. In addition, a postdoctoral researcher (Tatiana Drugova, USU) four research technicians (Greg VanDas UT, Leanna Hayes UT, McKenna Brown MT and Holly Lane WA), eight undergraduate research assistants (Mark Kindred, Daniel Rigby, Brady Christensen and KaSandra Nordgren UT, and three unnamed) have been hired and trained in field maintenance and lab work protocols. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In February 2022, the long-term project in Utah was discussed at an extension outreach meeting for San Juan County crop school in Blanding, UT. Approximately 60-70 people were present. Two presentations were given to the University of Wyoming Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center Field Day on August 21st, 2022. A presentation was also given at the organic crops field day in Moccasin, MT. An article on the effects of compost and cover crops on soil health in organic wheat was also published in the University of Wyoming Field Day Bulletin. The nine Extension fact sheets published from this project and the prior project have 979 total downloads. The PhD dissertation and the MS thesis from the previous project have 643 total downloads. The four journal articles so far published have been cited approx. 31 times. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective A:Soil will be sampled, and soil properties determined across all research sites in the wheat phase of the rotation in May 2023. Soil moisture and temperature will be monitored. A soil incubation study will be completed to evaluate effects of compost type on nutrient cycling and trace gas emissions. Compost samples will be analyzed for lignin chemistry and the effects of compost on soil chemical functional groups determined using FTIR. At least two manuscripts will be submitted for publication. Objective B:fall planted wheat was not planted at Deakin or CARC MT due to the need to take a year out to manage weeds. Sweet yellow clover will be inter-seeded into existing stands of winter or spring wheat at research sites in UT, WY and MT. WA will assess the effect of pea intercrops. Weed, intercrop and wheat species and biomass will be collected. Yield of winter wheat will be determined at harvest. Side trials designed to assess a variety of different intercropping strategies will be initiated. Wheat variety trials will be established in UT, WY and MT. Objective C: Research and analysis for the marketing component of this project has been completed. Two fully drafted journal articles will be submitted for review in early 2023. Another journal article is currently being drafted and will be submitted for review in 2023. Two Extension fact sheets will be submitted for review in 2023 and two additional fact sheets drafted. The economic analysis to be completed by Drs. Larsen and Kim will begin in the spring of 2023

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective A: Determine the legacy effects of compost on wheat yield and soil health up to twenty-eight years after initial application to dryland soils and further our understanding of the soil and site characteristics responsible for sustained compost response. Soil samples were collected during the wheat phase of the project from three experimental sites in Snowville, Utah, one in WA, two in MT and one in WY. UT, MT and WY soil samples from the 0-10 cm depth were analyzed for bulk density, gravimetric moisture content, aggregate stability, mineralizable carbon, basal respiration, microbial biomass and dehydrogenase enzyme activity. Ammonium, nitrate (in progress), Olsen P and dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen were analyzed to 90 cm soil depth in 30-cm increments. DTAP extractable elements, total organic carbon and nitrogen are still in progress. WA cleared a backlog of soil analyses that had accrued in 2020 and 2021 over the pandemic. Water infiltration and penetrometer data were collected on two Snowville sites using the Cornell Sprinkle Infiltrometer and FieldScout penetrometer in early spring. Aggregate stability was measured on three Snowville sites. Surface TDR soil moisture and temperature were measured in the wheat phase at all sites (0 and 50 Mg ha-1 DW). Trace gasses, soil C, N and water content were measured every two weeks in compost amended plots in WY. Labile C and N was measured in deep soil profiles four times over the growing season. Compost sourced from different states was mixed with the WY soil and is under a 10-week incubation. Preliminary results from UT show increased aggregate stability in plots that received compost in 2015 but not in 2019. Samples collected in 2022 support this trend and suggest aggregate stability is initially reduced by compost but then increases with time. In addition, compost reduced soil resistance and increased water infiltration. A journal article was published showing that compost has a positive effect on soil carbon fractions up to 90cm depth in dryland soils in UT. Similar deep soil carbon accrual was observed at the WA site. These changes are attributed to an increase in root growth. Three papers were submitted on soil health assessment, soil mineral and organic matter associated phosphorus and greenhouse gasses after one-time compost applications and cover crops in dryland soils. Four presentations were given at the Tri-Society annual meeting. One PhD defense presentation. Objective B: Measure yield, weed dynamics and grain quality of organic dryland wheatusing variety selection, compost and legume intercropping strategies. Wheat was planted and harvested at all sites except Deakin MT. The Deakin site was terminated prematurely due to crop failure. The measurements included chlorophyll concentration (µmol m-2) at heading and kernel grain fill, tiller count; m2, spike length; cm plant height; cm weed type and population; m2, harvest index, yield kg ha-1. In addition to the measurements taken throughout the growing season, grain quality analysis was also determined. These measurements include protein, moisture, and test weight. Yields were relatively low overall due to the ongoing drought and intense weed pressure although a strong compost response was still seen at most sites with the exception of CARC where stands were highly variable due to weeds and pests. In UT, the highest compost rate (50 Mg ha-1) for 2015 and 2019 application dates provided the highest yield response over all other application rates confirming the presence of significant legacy effects to compost. The sweet clover intercrop decreased wheat yield and biomass by 50% at CARC likely due to increased competition due to poor wheat stands. Intercrops failed to establish in UT due to a really cold spell after emergence. Cultivar trials (20 cultivars with and without compost) were harvested in two locations in UT Monticello and USU Blue Creek in the Pocatello valley area, and one location in MT and WY. In MT, one site had to be terminated prematurely due to weed and pest pressure, at the second site wheat grown with compost performed worse than without compost, likely caused by a combination of reduced stands and increased weed pressure. Data collected at each location included spike length, height, tiller count, harvest index, yield, and grain quality analysis. Data collected at the Blue Creek farm due to the proximity of the trial included heading date and chlorophyll concentration at heading and kernel grain fill. The SY wolf variety had the highest yield at the Blue Creek location, and the Pronghorn variety was the best performer at Monticello. SY Wolf was also the top performer in MT. There was no significant interaction between compost application (none; 25 Mg ha-1) and variety at the UT or MT sites. The data from WY is still being analyzed. A journal article was published describing the results from the early phase of the work in WY. An invited symposium presentation and poster on wheat yield response to compost in UT was presented at the ASA CSSA & SSSA annual meetings. Objective C: Increase adoption and sustainability of organic wheat production through education and outreach programs including tools to aid decision making by growers on the economic viability of applying compost to organic dryland wheat systems. A wheat quality needs assessment was conducted with organic wheat buyers (millers and bakeries) using two separate online surveys. One journal article was published based upon these results. A survey of wheat growers (both organic and non-organic) was developed and administered in 2021/2022. We are currently analyzing results and expect at least one journal article and two Extension fact sheets will be submitted for review in 2023. A survey of US consumers on preferences and WTP for organic bakery products was conducted in the fall of 2021. Based upon the results three journal articles have been drafted, one is under review, and the two others will be submitted in January 2023. Two Extension fact sheets were written and will be submitted for review in 2023. One paper was presented at an academic conference in October 2022 and a corresponding conference proceedings paper will be published in March 2023. A webpage for all publications, including Extension and outreach materials for this project with regards to marketing and producer adoption components can be found at: https://extension.usu.edu/apec/organicwheatmarketing. This website had approx. 55 visitors in 2022. The economic analysis will begin in late 2022 due to delays in data collection. Dr. Larsen has started to develop the enterprise budgets that will be used to assist Dr. Kim in the economic analysis of varying intercropping strategies. Drs Larsen and Kim will finish the economic analysis by spring 2023.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Atoloye, I. I., Jacobson, A., Creech, J. E., & Reeve, J. (2022, July). Soil organic carbon pools and soil quality indicators 3 and 24 years after a tone-time compost application in organic dryland wheat systems. Soil and Tillage Research, 224.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Christensen, P., Jacobson, A., Creech, J. E., & Reeve, J. (2022). Amendment type influences aspects of soil physical health in dryland organic wheat systems. American Society of Agronomy.

Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers and industry representatives in the organic wheat industry. Researchers in the fields of soil science, agronomy, economics and marketing. Changes/Problems:Follow on impacts of the Covid19 pandemic resulted in a number of delays to our plan of work for 2021. A backlog of samples is still being worked through due to delays incurred by the covid19 pandemic. Two soil microbial datasets (from Blue Creek UT and CARC MT) were lost due to mishandling of samples by an undergraduate student worker. A particularly harsh drought throughout the Pacific and Intermountain west negatively impacted wheat and intercrop establishment and reduced yields. In person meetings were delayed and or cancelled due to ongoing pandemic restrictions. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two new graduate students (Tina and Iliak) were recruited and hired at UW and a new PhD student Brad Davis was hired at USU. Two PhD students continued their work on the project Preston Christensen at USU and Hannah Rodgers at UW. These two students are leading plot management and soil analysis efforts at the UT and WY sites respectively. One student at USU (Michael Deakin) finalized his thesis for completion of his MS degree in Plant Science. In addition, a postdoctoral researcher (Tatiana Drugova, USU) three research technicians (Keenen Crummitt UT, Leanna Hayes UT, McKenna Brown MT), four undergraduate research assistants (KaSandra Nordgren, Brady Christensen and two unnamed) have been hired and trained in field maintenance and lab work protocols. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A presentation was given to the NRCS workshop 'Working Effectively with Organic Producers - Utah. Two presentations were given to the University of Wyoming Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center Field Day on August 23rd, 2021. An article on the effects of compost and cover crops on soil health in organic wheat was also published in the University of Wyoming Field Day Bulletin. Thus far, nine Extension fact sheets have been published from this project and the prior project with 697 total downloads. The PhD dissertation and the MS thesis from the previous project have had 535 total downloads. The four journal articles so far published have been cited approx. 16 times as of this report. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective A: Determine the legacy effects of compost on wheat yield and soil health up to twenty-eight years after initial application to dryland soils and further our understanding of the soil and site characteristics responsible for sustained compost response. Soil will be sampled, and soil properties determined across all research sites in the wheat phase of the rotation in May 2022. Soil moisture and temperature will be monitored. A soil incubation study will be completed to evaluate interaction effects between compost type and soil type on nutrient cycling and trace gas emissions. Compost samples will be analyzed for lignin chemistry and the effects of compost on soil chemical functional groups determined using FTIR. At least two manuscripts will be submitted for publication. Objective B: Measure yield, weed dynamics and grain quality of organic dryland wheatusing variety selection, compost and legume intercropping strategies. Sweet yellow clover will be inter-seeded into existing stands of winter or spring wheat at research sites in UT, WY and MT. WA will assess the effect of pea intercrops. Weed, intercrop and wheat species and biomass will be collected. Yield of winter wheat will be determined at harvest. Side trials designed to assess a variety of different intercropping strategies will be initiated. Wheat variety trials will be established in UT, WY and MT. Objective C: Increase adoption and sustainability of organic wheat production through education and outreach programs including tools to aid decision making by growers on the economic viability of applying compost to organic dryland wheat systems. A grower advisory committee meeting will be held in UT and online in February. A second grower advisory and project participant meeting will be held in WY in June in conjunction with a summer field day. Wheat grower survey data is currently being analyzed and expect at least one journal article and two Extension fact sheets will be written and submitted in 2022. We may also do phone-based grower interviews to supplement survey results. Consumer survey data is currently being analyzed and we expect at least three journal articles, and 4-5 Extension fact sheets will be written and submitted in 2022. The expect to have the journal article under submission published or at least forthcoming in 2022 and a current working paper submitted in early 2022. The economic analysis to be completed by Drs. Larsen and Kim will begin in the spring of 2022.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective A: Determine the legacy effects of compost on wheat yield and soil health up to twenty-eight years after initial application to dryland soils and further our understanding of the soil and site characteristics responsible for sustained compost response. Compost was applied to unamended plots in the main trials in MT and WY and to a grower cooperator farm in MT. A new trial was established in Snowville Utah to test the effect of compost that varied in lignin type with and without additional nitrogen (eight treatments with four replicates). TDR soil moisture and temperature was measured in the wheat phase at Snowville, Blue Creek and CAREC during the 2021 growing season and new sensors were installed at all sites shortly after planting (0 and 50 Mg ha-1 DW) at 3, 6 and 9 inches depth in the fall of 2021. Data collected: Soil samples were collected during the wheat phase of the project from two experimental sites in Utah Snowville and Blue Creek, two in WA, two in MT and one in WY. UT, MT and WY soil samples from the 0-10 cm depth were analyzed for bulk density, gravimetric moisture content, aggregate stability, mineralizable carbon, basal respiration, microbial biomass, dehydrogenase, phosphatase enzyme activities (Blue Creek and Montana still in progress). Organic C and total N measurements on that depth are also still in progress. Also, pH and electrical conductivity were measured on the 0-30 cm samples. Ammonium, nitrate, and dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen were analyzed to 90 cm soil depth in 30-cm increments. Olsen P and total organic carbon and nitrogen are still in progress. Water infiltration and penetrometer data were collected on Snowville plots using the Cornell Sprinkle Infiltrometer and FieldScout penetrometer in early spring of 2021. A methods comparison for aggregate stability was conducted on Snowville soils in an effort to test which method was most sensitive at determining stability in unstable soils. The methods used were; wet aggregate stability (Kemper and Rosenau), Slakes smart phone application, and dry sieving. Further testing will include the Cornell Sprinkle Infiltrometer for wet aggregate stability. WA soil samples were collected and frozen and or airdried as appropriate and stored for future analysis due to an ongoing backlog due to covid19 lab access restrictions. WY measured trace gasses from plots that received compost in 2016. Summary of results: Preliminary results from UT show an increase in aggregate stability in plots that received compost in 2015 but not in 2019. In addition, penetrometer data and water infiltration data suggest compost improves soil physical health. Two journal articles were published describing the results from the early phase of the work at Blue Creek and the short and long-term effects of compost on soil phosphorus dynamics. A third paper was published on the effects of semiarid wheat management practices on soil microbial properties. A journal article was submitted showing that compost has a positive effect on soil carbon fractions up to 90cm in depth in dryland soils, likely due to enhanced root growth. Four presentation was given at the Tri-Society annual meeting. Objective B: Measure yield, weed dynamics and grain quality of organic dryland wheatusing variety selection, compost and legume intercropping strategies. Wheat was planted and harvested at all sites except Snowville UT and Deakin MT, which were terminated prematurely by the growers due to crop failure caused by the drought. Yields were relatively low overall, although at CARC MT, yields in the 50 mg/ha compost treatment were almost twice that of the urea fertilizer control. Similar benefits of compost under drought conditions were observed in WA. Intercrops failed to establish in UT and WA due to a lack of soil moisture. Cultivar trials (20 cultivars with and without compost) were also established in two locations in MT and UT and one location in WY. A poster on wheat yield response to compost in UT was presented at the 2020 ASA CSSA & SSSA annual meetings. Objective C: Increase adoption and sustainability of organic wheat production through education and outreach programs including tools to aid decision making by growers on the economic viability of applying compost to organic dryland wheat systems. A virtual grower advisory meeting with members participating from all four states was held on February 24th, 2021. Two presentations were given to the University of Wyoming Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center Field Day on August 23rd, 2021. An article on the effects of compost and cover crops on soil health in organic wheat was also published in the University of Wyoming Field Day Bulletin. A wheat quality needs assessment was conducted with organic wheat buyers (millers and bakeries) using two separate online surveys. Results were presented at the project advisory meeting in February 2021. Two Extension fact sheets and one journal article were written based upon study results. The fact sheets were published in June 2021 and the journal article is under review. The in-person interviews planned could not be conducted due to COVID-19 based restrictions IRB has in place that prohibit in-person data collection. Phone interviews were conducted with two bakers and three wheat millers for input and testing of the survey instruments. A survey of wheat growers (both organic and non-organic) was developed and administered in summer/fall of 2021. Again, in-person interviews weren't possible due to COVID based IRB restrictions. We are currently analyzing results and expect at least one journal article and two Extension fact sheets will be written and reviewed in 2022. A survey of US consumers on preferences and WTP for organic bakery products was conducted in the fall of 2021 with 659 consumers responding. In-person based economic experiments were not allowed due to COVID based IRB restrictions. We are currently analyzing results and expect at least three journal articles and 4-5 Extension fact sheets will be written and reviewed in 2022. Three journal articles have been outlined and literature review completed. A webpage for all publications, including Extension and outreach materials for this project with regards to marketing and producer adoption components was completed and can be found at: https://extension.usu.edu/apec/organicwheatmarketing. This website had approx. 40 visitors in 2021 so far.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Adeleke, K., Atoloye, I., Creech, J. E., Dai, X., & Reeve, J. (2021, June). Nutritive and non-nutritive effects of compost on organic dryland wheat in Utah. Agronomy Journal, 113, 3518-3531.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Atoloye, I. A., Jacobson, A., Creech, J. E., & Reeve, J. (2021, May). Variable impact of compost on phosphorus dynamics in organic dryland soils following a one-time application. Soil Science Society of America Journal.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Christensen, P., Jacobson, A., Creech, J. E., & Reeve, J. (2021). Compost Effects on Physical Aspects of Soil Health in Dryland Organic Wheat Systems. American Society of Agronomy.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Christianson, B., Christensen, P., Jacobson, A., & Reeve, J. (2021). Methods comparison for determining wet aggregate stability in organic, compost-treated, semi-arid, calcareous soils. American Society of Agronomy.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Reeve, J., Atoloye, I., Adeleke, K., Jacobson, A., & Creech, J. E. (2021). Compost effects on particulate organic matter, mineral associated organic matter and soil health in surface and sub-soils of organic dryland wheat. American Society of Agronomy.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2021 Citation: Presentations Reeve, J., Creech, J. E., Working Effectively with Organic Producers, "Soil health in organic orchards and dryland wheat systems.," NRCS workshop. (April 2021 - April 23, 2021)

Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers, industry stakeholders, researchers and extension personnel in crop, soil and business management of dryland grain production. Changes/Problems:Covid19 pandemic restrictions resulted in a number of delays to our plan of work for 2020. In person field days were cancelled and the implementation of wheat variety and compost type trials were delayed until 2021. In WA soil samples were taken but had to be stored for future analysis. The establishment of the two new sites in Montana were delayed until spring of 2021 due to unseasonably dry field conditions that precluded the planting of winter wheat at those locations before the arrival of snow. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two new PhD students were recruited and hired, Preston Christensen at USU and Hannah Rodgers at UW. These two students are leading plot management and soil analysis efforts at the UT and WY sites respectively. In addition, a postdoctoral researcher (Tatiana Drugova, USU), two research associates (Idowu Atoloye USU, Carol McFarland WA) and four research technicians (Preston Christensen UT, Keenen Crummitt UT, Leanna Hayes UT, Heather Fryer MT, Sally Dahlhausen MT), two undergraduate research assistants (KaSandra Nordgren and Erin Mortensen) and a program assistant (Taylor Thompson) have been hired and trained in field maintenance and lab work protocols. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A presentation and a poster on the project were given at the High Plains Organic Conference in Wyoming Organic Association winter meeting on February 27th, 2020 to 106 participants and three presentations were made to the USU Extension Crops Virtual Field Day on July 28th 2020. Topics included compost for dryland organic wheat, cover crops for dryland wheat and cover crop and compost impacts on soil health in organic dryland wheat. Each of these presentations attracted 80 participants. Youtube videos of the presentations have received 177, 140 and 75 views respectively to date. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective A:Soil will be sampled and soil properties determined across all research sites in the wheat phase of the rotation in May 2021. Baseline soil samples will be taken in early spring, prior to establishment of treatments at both locations in Montana. Installation of soil moisture and temperature sensors will be completed and measurements taken. New plots will be established in Montana. A new trial to assess the importance of compost/manure type/composition will be established. At least two manuscripts will be submitted for publication. Objective B:Sweet yellow clover will be inter-seeded into existing stands of winter or spring wheat at research sites in Utah, Wyoming and Montana. WA will assess the effect of pea intercrops. Weed, intercrop and wheat species and biomass will be collected. Yield of winter wheat will be determined at harvest. Side trials designed to assess a variety of different intercropping strategies will be initiated. Wheat variety trials will be established in Utah, Wyoming and Montana. Objective C:A grower advisory committee meeting will be held in Utah in February. A second grower advisory and project participant meeting will be held in Wyoming in June in conjunction with a summer field day (Covid 19 restrictions permitting). The analysis for the two surveys described in objective C under accomplishments will be completed by summer 2021 and academic and outreach materials will be outlined at that time. Submissions for winter and spring 2022 conferences will be completed in summer and fall 2021. A consumer preference and behavioral change experiments for organic wheat products will be conducted using the experimental economics lab and in-store taste tests coupled with a survey, hopefully, in the late spring or early summer of 2021 when the COVID based restrictions end. Assuming the experiments take place in spring/summer 2021, the analysis will be done by December 2021 and academic and outreach plans will be outlined at that time. Submissions for spring and summer 2022 conferences will be completed in the winter of 2022. The economic analysis to be completed by Drs. Larsen and Kim will begin in the spring of 2021. An article will be prepared for publication in a trade journal and work on developing a website dedicated to organic dryland wheat production will commence.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective A: Compost was applied to unamended plots at Snowville and Blue Creek, in UT, WY and WA. TDR soil moisture and temperature sensors were installed at UT sites shortly after planting in plots that received compost (0 and 50 Mg ha-1 DW) in 2011 (Blue Creek) and 2015 (Snowville) at 3, 6 and 9 inches depth. New sites in Montana were prepared for establishment of plots. Manure was sourced and supplies acquired for the establishment of manure treatments. Data collected: Soil samples were collected during the wheat and fallow phase of the project from three experimental sites at Snowville UT, two in WA and one in WY. In UT, soil samples from the 0-10 cm depth were analyzed for bulk density, gravimetric moisture content, aggregate stability, mineralizable carbon, basal respiration, microbial biomass, dehydrogenase, phosphatase enzyme activities, total organic carbon, and nitrogen. Also, pH and electrical conductivity were measured on the 0-30 cm samples. Olsen P, ammonium, nitrate, total organic carbon and nitrogen, and dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen were analyzed to 90 cm soil depth in 30-cm increments. Soil moisture was measured on a fortnightly basis from May through June as deep as possible. WA soil samples were frozen and or airdried as appropriate and stored for future analysis due to covid19 lab access restrictions. WY collected soil samples from each fallow plot on September 18, 2020, and analyzed for SOM components, including labile C and N pools on fresh field moist samples. Results are being compiled. Summary of results: At the UT site established in 1994, a significant compost carryover effect was still observable 26 years later. The available soil phosphorus, P, acid phosphates and dehydrogenase enzyme activities were significantly higher in plots that received compost compared with the control plots. In the plots established in 2015 at Snowville, compost significantly increased soil dehydrogenase activity, and acid and alkaline phosphatase enzyme activities. Readily mineralizable carbon and microbial biomass were significantly higher in amended plots. Likewise, the soil available P was higher in amended plots compared with control plots. In Washington, the medium and high rates of compost continue to yield wheat crops in excess of 100 bu/acre. The positive effect of including pea in the rotation is starting to become evident, particularly at the low compost rate. Two journal articles were submitted describing the results from the early phase of the work at Blue Creek and the short and long-term effects of compost on soil phosphorus dynamics. Two presentation was given at the Soil Science Society annual meeting. Objective B: Winter wheat was planted on research sites in Utah, Wyoming and Washington State. Organic seed (winter wheat and sweetclover) was purchased, however plot establishment and planting in Montana was delayed due to adverse weather. Two new graduate students were recruited to work on this objective in Utah and Wyoming. In Wyoming, preliminary screening trials for new cover crop treatments were initiated on August 24, 2020, including: 1) winter-hardy mix of vetch, lentil, and triticale planted into fallow after wheat harvest to be terminated in late spring 20201; and 2) a cold-sensitive mix of safflower, crimson clover, phacelia, and nitro radish planted into fallow ground three weeks before wheat planting. Two more screening treatments will be planted in March, 2021, including: 1) fast-growing mix planted in fallow, terminated in May; 2) intercropping yellow-blossom sweet clover (winter-hardy biennial) into wheat, terminated in May, 2022; and 3) intercropping a cold sensitive summer annual into wheat. We will evaluate these treatments in spring and summer 2021 and decide which to continue and combine with compost treatments. A poster was presented at the 2020 ASA CSSA & SSSA annual meetings: Objective C: University restrictions in place because of covid19 prevented face-to-face and other interactions with stakeholders starting in March of 2020. Public access to research sites in Montana was prohibited until mid-summer and was restricted thereafter. One in person presentation and a poster were given to 106 participants at the 2020 High Plains Organic Conference and three presentations were given at the Utah Field Crops Virtual Field Day with attendance of 80 individuals at each. A wheat quality needs assessment is currently being conducted with organic wheat buyers (millers and bakeries) using two online surveys. The surveys were developed and are being distributed by two industry organizations. USU staff are also calling and emailing mills and bakeries to complete the surveys. The in-person surveys and interviews planned could not be conducted due to COVID-19 based restrictions IRB has in place that prohibit in-person data collection. A separate survey for wheat growers (both organic and non-organic) has been developed and will be administered in January 2021. Again, in-person interviews won't be possible due to COVID based IRB restrictions. We are currently considering phone interviews. This research will build upon that done on this topic in the previous grant. We hope to secure additional input and observations. Two journal articles and two extension factsheets were published.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Presentations Atoloye, I. A. (Presenter & Author), Reeve, J. (Author Only), Jacobson, A. (Author Only), Creech, J. E. (Author Only), Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting, "Effects of cover crops and a one-time compost application on soil health in organic dryland winter wheat-fallow systems." (November 9, 2020 - November 12, 2020)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Presentations Reeve, J., High Planes Organic Conference, "Soil building practices in driest dryland wheat production," Cheyenne, WY. (February 27, 2020)
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: Presentations Reeve, J., Soil Health Water Conservation Training, "Soil health building in dryland, pastures, forages and orchards," Utah State University Extension. (February 20, 2020)
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Atoloye, I. A., Reeve, J., Jacobson, A., & Creech, J. E. (2020). Effects of cover crops and a one-time compost application on soil health in organic dryland winter wheat-fallow systems. Soil Science Society of America.