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Oats & The 3-Legged Stool of Farm Resiliency

This Humble Grain Represents One Commonsense Approach to Diversifying the Landscape

By Shea-Lynn Ramthun
November 16, 2024

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In case you haven’t noticed, the humble oat is having a bit of a moment. After decades of declines in oat plantings in Minnesota, acreage increased this year. Market demand for the small grain is up, a group of farmers are attempting to pull together funding for a major processing plant in southern Minnesota, and research is showing that this crop can serve as a key linchpin in a rotation that builds healthy soil and protects water quality. Finally, myself and other southeastern Minnesota farmers who are organizing around cooperatively marketing the grain were recently featured prominently in the Star Tribune newspaper.

As a beginning farmer, Land Stewardship Project soil health organizer, and rural resident who cares about the economic and environmental health of my community, I’m thrilled to see this small grain getting some big attention. It’s become clear that if we are successful in making it a key part of our rotation, it could serve as a three-legged stool that supports economic, agronomic, and environmental sustainability. The oat isn’t the GOAT, but it does have some pretty cool superpowers.

A forage crop emerges from a harvested oat field on Shea-Lynn Ramthun’s farm in southeastern Minnesota.

 

For example, on my farm I recently interseeded oats with clover — oats serve as an excellent protective “nurse crop” for forages while they’re getting started. I harvested the oats for the grain and the straw, and started rotationally grazing my beef herd on the forage a month later. This saved me two months of feeding hay, which resulted in a roughly $1,500 reduction in my feed bill for my herd of nine cattle. That’s a major boost for a beginning farmer who is trying to figure out how to integrate livestock back onto the land in a practical, economically viable manner. To top it off, because of the high feed value provided by the forage, I had to call the butcher and move up the slaughter date by six weeks. By the way, my customers said that was the best beef they’d ever had.

There are other economic benefits to diversifying the rotation with a crop like oats. When paired with a legume like clover, oats create a field environment where nitrogen can be fixed naturally. In fact, studies show that integrating small grains like oats into a rotation can boost corn and soybean yields by 5%, adding $30 per acre in farmer income. In addition, when integrated with legumes, oats can result in a $15 per acre savings as a result of reduced fertilizer costs. That’s important at a time when commercial fertilizer prices remain stubbornly high.

And it turns out less of a reliance on purchased nitrogen fertilizer means less nitrate pollution in our groundwater, a key issue here in southeastern Minnesota. Adding a single small grain like oats to a rotation can have a significantly positive impact on our air and climate, according to research conducted by the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University. That study found more diverse rotations used 56% less fossil fuels, generated 54% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and had monetized damages from greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants that were 42% lower than the conventional corn-soybean system.

The other farmers I work with through LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network have found that oats can play a key role in building soil health profitably. Oats provide cover for the soil and fibrous living roots beneath the surface at a time when row crops like corn and soybeans are just getting their growing season started. The beauty of oats is that, unlike some experimental “third crops” out there, they have a long history on Midwestern farms — oats have been grown on our farm for six generations, for example. Growing this grain does not require a major shift in equipment or handling and storage facilities. And oats can play a complementary role in our existing corn-soybean rotation.

What I’ve found is growing a crop like oats may not produce profitable returns immediately (like corn and soybeans can in good years), but it creates a good investment in the soil and my bank account over several growing seasons. That’s key to long-term resiliency when volatile price swings plague mainstream commodity crops like corn and soybeans.

What I’ve found is growing a crop like oats may not produce profitable returns immediately, but it creates a good investment in the soil and my bank account over several growing seasons.

There are big picture economic benefits to increasing the presence of oats here in Minnesota as well. With a growing consumer trend toward healthy, sustainable foods, oats present a prime opportunity to build a resilient, locally driven supply chain for an in-demand product. Oat sales climbed almost 45% during the 2022 growing season, according to one market research analysis. The $5.16 billion market for oats in the U.S. is projected to have a 7.8% mean annual growth rate between now and 2030.

So what can be done to get more oats growing on more Minnesota farms? For one, farmers like me need to be guaranteed a consistently profitable market if we are expected to take the risk of growing this crop. Two out of the top 10 companies with the largest oat market shares are based in Minnesota. Ironically, those companies, General Mills and Grain Millers, source most of their oats from Canada; in fact, the U.S. is the biggest importer of oats in the world. What if our homegrown companies bought more homegrown product?

The potential for rural Minnesota is huge. Consider this: farmers who are proposing a processing facility in Albert Lea that could handle 30,000 acres of oats annually estimate that each oat-producing acre would use 50 pounds less purchased nitrogen per year. Now what if we expanded this environmental (and economic) opportunity by having additional oat processing facilities located in other parts of Minnesota? One estimate is that three oat processing facilities would support 500 small to mid-sized farms through the addition of a profitable third crop while creating dozens of new jobs.

Are oats some sort of magical silver bullet? No, but they do represent one commonsense approach to diversifying our landscape while building economic, agronomic, and environmental resiliency. Let’s take advantage of oats’ moment in the sun while we have the chance.

LSP soil health organizer Shea-Lynn Ramthun is a Farm Beginnings graduate and raises crops and livestock in Minnesota’s Goodhue County.

Category: Blog
Tags: beginning farmers • crop diversity • integrating livestock • nitrates • oats • rural economic development • small grains • soil health • water quality

Upcoming Events

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October 2025

Tuesday October 28

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
MDA Grants Webinar
Tuesday October 28
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
MDA Grants Webinar
Zoom online

Are you interested in applying for a grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)? On Tuesday, Oct. 28, from noon to 1:30 p.m., the Land Stewardship Project will be holding an online webinar on four grants that will be available this fall. MDA staffers will go over the details of these grants and how to apply for them.

 To sign-up, click here.  

 This webinar will feature information on four grants:

– AGRI Livestock Investment Grant

– AGRI Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Grant 

– Preparing for Extreme Weather (Prepare) Grant

– AGRI Protecting Livestock from Avian Influenza (Protect) Grant 

For more information, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski at akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.

Wednesday October 29

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Wednesday October 29
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement, 2800 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311, USA

The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings —  is set for release on Oct. 2.  The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. 

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

Thursday October 30

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Thursday October 30
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA

The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings —  is set for release on Oct. 2.  The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation. 

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

November 2025

Tuesday November 4

11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Tuesday November 4
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds. 

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions. 

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here. 

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT


LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT


LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Big Ag, Big Problems: LSP Panel on Rural Consolidation
Tuesday November 4
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Big Ag, Big Problems: LSP Panel on Rural Consolidation
Lanesboro Community Center, 202 Parkway Ave S, Lanesboro, MN 55949, USA

 
The concentration of money and power in our food and farming system is a threat to our rural way of life, the land, and Main Street economies. According to research compiled by Farm Action, agricultural industries ranging from poultry processing to seed distribution are now dominated by four or fewer corporations, creating a system that for all intents and purposes no longer represents an open market situation. This makes it next to impossible for small and mid-sized farms to compete economically.  

Those of us who grew up in the rural Midwest have seen these effects firsthand. As once vibrant agricultural economies diminish, so too do community resources: hospitals, public schools, religious institutions, grocery stores, and more. Young people who see little opportunity in their hometowns move to cities and suburbs to start their careers and families. 
 
A consolidated, corporate-controlled agricultural system is also wreaking havoc on our natural environment. Runoff from large-scale factory farms and row cropping operations threatens our drinking water and spoils natural landscapes that people from all walks of life cherish. Without intervention, it won’t be long before all of us — urban or rural, farmers and non-farmers, rich or poor, young or old — will be impacted by the devastation of Big Ag. 

Join the Land Stewardship Project on Tuesday, Nov. 4, to hear from two people who think a lot about the power of Big Ag and its negative impacts — Austin Frerick and Sonja Trom Eayrs. They will lead a discussion about the forces threatening our rural communities and how we build the people power to take them on. 

This is an opportunity to take the first steps toward developing the kind of positive future for our communities that builds homegrown wealth, treats people fairly, and is resilient in the long term. If you love something and someone, you fight for it. Come fight with us! 
 
Austin Frerick Biography: Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. In 2024, he published his debut book, Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry.
 
Sonja Trom Eayrs Biography: Sonja Trom Eayrs, author of Dodge County, Incorporated: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America, is a farmer’s daughter, rural advocate, and attorney.

To register for this event, click here.

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