Rep. Anna Scharf

State farm regulators have decided against lifting a prohibition against canola in Central Oregon until the crop’s future is more certain in the Willamette Valley.

Critics of the crop’s expansion say the Oregon Department of Agriculture is wise to wait for more information, but canola advocates argue the region’s farmers are being held hostage to a westside policy battle in the state’s capital.

‘Fighting the politics’

“I’ve grown weary of fighting the politics in Salem,” said Gary Bishop, a farmer near Bend, Ore. “Eastern Oregon is getting fed up with rules that are centered on Western Oregon politics.”

Central Oregon growers shouldn’t suffer the consequences of a regulatory conflict in the Willamette Valley, as the crop faces distinct circumstances in each region, he said.

But the Friends of Family Farmers, a nonprofit that’s critical of increasing canola acreage, believes it makes sense for ODA to refrain from major changes until there’s a statewide legislative discussion about canola.

“It’s smart to have a conversation about the system as a whole,” said Alice Morrison, the group’s co-executive director.

Controversy has typically swirled around canola in the Willamette Valley, where the crop’s been restricted to 500 acres annually since 2013.

After repeated legislative negotiations, canola advocates and specialty seed growers nearly reached a compromise to expand the crop’s production in the Willamette Valley this year. However, that bill was scuttled in favor of extending the current acreage limit until 2028.

Though cross-pollination between canola and related seed crops is less likely in Central Oregon, where Brassica species aren’t as common, the crop was still effectively banned by ODA a decade ago in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties for other agronomic reasons.

Earlier this year, though, ODA proposed eliminating the Brassica “protected district” that prohibited canola in the area, citing reduced concerns that its flowers would distract bees from pollinating carrot grown for seed.

After several months of consideration, the agency has now decided to keep the district intact to “enable a more comprehensive evaluation of potential impacts and the exploration of possible solutions at the statewide level,” since a task force will soon negotiate possible canola legislation to be introduced next year.

‘Further dialogue’ ahead

“By postponing the repeal, ODA is creating space for further dialogue and collaboration during the upcoming brassica workgroup sessions led by the governor’s office and the 2025 legislative process,” the agency said in a rule-making bulletin.

Some farmers in Central Oregon have grown so frustrated with the situation that they’ve been cultivating canola in the region in violation of the protected district, said Bishop, who grew canola for several years as part of a research trial that began roughly a decade ago.

Canola requires minimal irrigation because it’s harvested in early summer, making it an attractive option for drought-stressed Central Oregon farmers contending with water curtailments, he said. In Bishop’s experience, the crop generates impressive yields and revenues while allowing plenty of time to prepare for autumn seeding.

“It’s a benefit to every aspect of our system over here,” he said.Ally in the legislature

Other concerns

While canola advocates say the crop blooms at a different time from carrot grown for seed, negating its potential to pull away pollinators, critics say that’s not the only reason for concern.

Pesticides applied to canola could harm bees and other pollinators when carrots are flowering, said Morrison of Friends of Family Farmers.

“The life cycles of these plants coincide in such a way there could be diminished pollinator activity,” Morrison said.

It’d be ill-advised for ODA to repeal the Central Oregon protected district before growers on the upcoming task force can hash out the issues surrounding canola, she said.

“There are seed growers living this everyday,” Morrison said. “It’s a good idea to put their voices front and center in the conversation.”