The other week, I had the unique opportunity to join native plant specialists from all over the western region on a guided tour of a privatized native plant material center. Federal organizations came in from all over the west to witness first-hand the detailed process that Jerry Benson and his staff are working on to provide generations with native seed for restoration projects. The first day on the tour of Benson Farms Inc. we were shown five restoration fields that ranged in age from 4 year plots all the way to a 15 year plot. These restoration sites focused on using native bunch grasses, specifically Bluebunch wheatgrass, Pseudoroegneria spicata, as well as forbs to naturally outcompete fields of invasive cheat grass and crested wheatgrass.
4 Year Plot
The restoration fields require a lot of prep work. Jerry’s crew literally scrapes the land clean; harrowing, mowing, spraying and harrowing again. It is very extensive, but in the end it pays off, and he is able to show within 15 years how a field of native plants can take over and clear out a huge vast wasteland of cheat grass and crested wheatgrass. Fields upon fields of this stuff is reverted right in front of your eyes like some skeptical magic trick.
10 year Plot
The results were astonishing. Upon starting my current internship with the BLM in Wenatchee, WA, cheat grass was noted to me as a hopeless invasive because it has already infiltrated so many microhabitats that are deemed irreversible due to lack of money and time. And here I am witnessing site after site where native species are claiming back their take on the land, and within 15 years (which, well, does seem long, except for in the eyes of a restoration biologist)!
If that wasn’t enough, Benson Farms Inc. continued their tour the next day through their fields of native plant grow outs and forb production facilities. Have you ever seen rows upon rows, and whole fields just filled with native plants? It gave any plant lover a sheer chill of excitement that lasted them at least through the weekend.
Benson Farms Inc. notices how crucial the end result is, so they take better care in the initial production stages as well as during the critical seed production years. They have an incredible success rate, which seems to carry their reputation above the rest of the native plant material centers and why they are so heavily utilized across the western states. They put in the extra effort to make sure the seed fulfills its full potential and makes it to a restoration site.
The lack of demand still makes this avenue a very unaffordable option for the grower. Jerry and his company are becoming nationally recognized, yet he still has his staple agricultural crops that he produces in order to make enough money. Native plants unfortunately don’t provide this, due to lack of demand.
I hope Benson Farms Inc. is just the beginning for native plant material centers in the private industry, and its success rate will spark people to increase the demand for such an operation. I learned how many people in my field desire to work in such a facility. We realize that change starts with the seed, and we need a means to increase the seed. So let’s keep collecting the native seeds and increase their propagation, in order to better conserve all natives.
