David and Margaret Brewer

Emerson Dell Farm

The Dalles, OR

Wasco County SWCD

David and Margaret Brewer are the fifth-generation farmers who operate Emerson Dell Farm. The Brewers believe it is a privilege to live, prosper, and raise their family in the drylands of Oregon, and they strive to be good stewards of the land, so it is there for future generations.

Emerson Dell Farm consists of more than 2,000 acres of cropland and 3,000 acres of pasture and rangeland, all on upland soils. They grow wheat, canola, barley, sunflowers, mustard, and a variety of forage for their cattle.  Their cow-calf operation is all grass-fed, grass-finished cattle that they direct market themselves.

In their region, the average precipitation is 12 inches annually and some of the land they farm has a slope as steep as 45 percent. With these conditions, the Brewers have looked to various conservation practices to help them maintain the moisture he receives, reduce erosion, and still have a successful, sustainable operation.

The Brewers run a no-till operation with direct seeding with a no-till drill. The main objectives are to disturb the soil as little as possible, keep it covered to retain moisture, and reduce erosion. David Brewer says that there’s so much more of an incentive to do direct seeding in a low rainfall environment as you just don’t have the water to lose, and you certainly don’t have the soil to lose either. Since he began direct-seeding in 1997 and later adding no-till, they’ve seen a dramatic change in their soil and its ability to capture and retain water. Their biggest challenge was soil erosion and now it is nearly non-existent – even on the steepest of their slopes.

In the 1990s, David Brewer visited the Dakotas where he learned about cover crops and soil health. He came home both inspired and energized. Although it was a different precipitation zone and cropping system, he learned the principle of focusing on feeding the soil and then letting the soil take care of his crops. While fellow dryland farmers as well as research scientists have said “you can’t do that here,” David was up for the challenge. He said if worked for the folks in the Dakotas, it ought to work for him – it just might look a bit different. David doesn’t grow cover crops to the point of seeding and harvesting with a combine, but he uses them as extra forage for his cattle.

Adding into his soil health management, David explored a diverse crop rotation. He’s found this practice has been essential for weed control in a no-till operation. In a monoculture (a single crop field), weeds will adapt to that crop and soon take over. When growing a diverse rotation of crops, the weeds are less likely to adapt and there is better disease control. Through a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG), David was able to explore what crop rotations work best for him in his area.

David says his attitude towards farming has become more positive over the years as he’s developed a soil health system for his operation. Before they started direct seeding, the Brewers said they were always fighting against something – mainly against annual grassy weeds and soil erosion. When they would address one issue, it aggravated another. But with the adoption of direct seeding and a planned spring crop rotation, they addressed the cause of both problems, and they could quit worrying about the symptoms.

For the beef production side, the Brewers have pastures which are managed through the rotational grazing of their cattle. Their cattle in turn help provide the soil with nutrients through the natural spread of their manure. This is an added benefit when David brings them onto the cropland to graze the cover crops. They manages their cattle to be grass-fed and grass-finished with no antibiotics and no GMO feeds.

David Brewer was interviewed as part of the USDA NRCS campaign “Unlock the Secrets in Soil.” From the interview, they published an article “Focus on soil health drives innovation, moisture preservation for Oregon Farmer” and a corresponding video “Profiles in Soil Health: David Brewer.”

Posted October 2022