Oats could be making a comeback; they help the soil and control pests and diseases in rotation with other crops

Oats near harvest time in Iowa
(Photo by Anne Plagge via Civil Eats)

Most oats consumed in the U.S. come from Canada, but there are sprouts of change on the horizon. Spurred by the oat "milk" industry's demand, some farmers are piloting crops of Avena sativa. Crop rotations using oats provide benefits such as healthier soil and some control over crop diseases and pests, but the crop needs more internal supports, Amy Mayer reports for Civil Eats. Oats were once an American mainstay crop, "But the second half of the 20th century brought myriad changes to Midwest agriculture. . . federal policy incentives for corn and soybeans that led to significant investment from seed and chemical companies. . . . It became easier and more profitable to grow only corn and soybeans. . . . In 1950, Iowa planted 6.5 million acres of oats. In 1980, Iowa had just 1 million acres of oats, and by 2000, just 180,000 acres."

"Landon Plagge farms 4,000 acres in Latimer, Iowa, with his father and uncle, and his oats are a rarity. . . in the neighborhood," Mayer writes. "Plagge is one of a handful of farmers who have been taking part in an oat-growing pilot program launched in Minnesota and Iowa in 2019. Through the program, he gets technical assistance and some money to plant oats and cover crops." He told Mayer, "I'd like to plant more oats, but the market isn't good enough right now." 

Green oat shoots in the spring
(Photo by Anne Plagge via Civil Eats)

Consumers' demand for oat milk paired with their concern for "the environmental impact of their food choices. . . . is propelling some people to advocate for policy changes that could make growing oats more viable," Mayer reports. "Oatly, the Swedish company ... is one of more than half a dozen companies selling oat milk in the U.S. It buys a lot of oats—from Canada. That's where the vast majority of oats processed and eaten in the United States come from. . . . Oatly's sustainability goals have led it to explore sourcing more [oats] from the Midwest. . . . Over the last three years about 20 farmers have participated in the pilot Plagge joined, planting oats on about 1,500 to 2,000 total acres in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota, according to Lydia English, crops viability manager at Practical Farmers of Iowa, a nonprofit that nurtures farmer-led innovation. When Oatly came calling with the pilot idea, PFI was already working with a group of farmers who were experimenting with oats on their own as a way to diversify their corn and soy rotations, said English."

More processing options, investment in Midwestern seed varieties and federal inclusion of oats in required crop rotations could incentivize more oat plantings, Mayer writes, along with teaching farmers the benefits of oats and how to grow them, But many people think the crop checks enough boxes already and is worth the effort. English told Mayer, "We can grow oats here. We know growers want to do it. . . . We just need to help make it viable for them and support them."