Strip-tillage for Onions and Sweet Corn: Lorin Grigg

On his irrigated farm near Quincy, Washington, Lorin Grigg uses strip-planted wheat cover crops and spring strip-tillage to shield onion and sweet corn seedlings from windblown sand. The case study traces how Grigg and his father developed the system, adjusted cover crop types and planting dates, and modified equipment to balance wind protection with the need for a clean seedbed. It describes benefits including reduced wind erosion and replanting risk, improved water infiltration, and less runoff, along with challenges involving variable residue, planting equipment, weeds, and onion diseases associated with cereal cover crops. Sidebars summarize research on Rhizoctonia-related onion stunting, glyphosate timing, and fungicide applications. Grigg presents cover cropping as a form of insurance and emphasizes continual experimentation, travel, and learning from other growers.