Growing Diverse Crops: Steve and Nate Riggers Video

This video features Steve and Nate Riggers of Riggers Clearwater Farms near Nezperce and Craigmont, Idaho. The brothers describe how decades of direct seeding have reduced erosion, improved soil health, increased efficiency, and created a foundation for growing a more diverse set of dryland crops. In addition to red and white spring and winter wheat, they grow spring peas, canola, lentils, alfalfa, malting and food barley, turfgrass seed, reclamation grasses, camelina, and buckwheat. The video emphasizes that crop diversity helps keep land out of winter wheat for multiple years, breaking disease and grassy weed cycles and improving yields across the rotation. It also covers the added complexity of managing many crops, including seed ordering, crop protection, equipment needs, custom hiring, agronomist support, and herbicide carryover risk.