Buzz Seeds

The honey bees were out in force this morning on the Corn Poppies in our Pollinator Pathway Mix. Both Afro-Eurasian species, happily existing where they find themselves today. Why did they just start visiting today, when the Corn Poppies have been blooming for weeks? I suspect the nearby Ceanothus hedge has lost their interest. Trivia: why are they called Corn Poppies? These shockingly gorgeous flowers were common weeds in farm fields before the advent of herbicides. Also, since WWI, they have been the global symbol of fallen soldiers. They bloom right on time for Memorial Day each year. Thank you service members!

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April was packed with fantastic field days hosted by Karl Mohr at Jackson Family Wines, the Organic Winegrowers Chemeketa, Soter, OSU's Organic Extension, and Doug Rose in the Umpqua Valley.

What an amazing April we've had at Buzz Seeds, with so many wonderful gatherings in the field. First, we gathered with OSU researchers at a #JacksonFamilyWines vineyard to sample biomass in order to estimate the amount of nitrogen the cover crop will provide to the vines this year, offsetting fertilizer costs. After that, I helped to host field tours at the fabulous second annual #Organicwinegrowers Conference at #Chemeketa and #Soterwines. Then I skipped down to the Umpqua to discuss regenerative viticulture with Mimi Casteel and a group of lovely growers in Elkton. Finally, OSU's Organic Extension group #organic.ext.osu hosted a cover crop variety trial at the veg farm in Corvallis where we dug up some favas to investigate their nodulation. Nice work everyone!