By Claire Carlson for The Daily Yonder.
Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Oregon News Service Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration

Efforts to electrify transportation in urban areas have been underway for years now, but rural advocates say electric vehicle needs in rural areas have long been misunderstood and ignored.

Now, one organization in the Pacific Northwest is looking to break down the barriers to electric transportation with a new "rideshare" program that brings electric tractors to farmers.

"Our whole energy system is moving from a centralized grid and centralized power plants to distributed energy, and we're here to ensure that this transformation is equitable and provides benefits to rural communities too," said Bridget Callahan, senior energy program manager at Oregon-based nonprofit Sustainable Northwest.

Sustainable Northwest, in partnership with Forth, Wy'East RC&D, and Bonneville Environment Foundation, is leading a "rideshare" program in Oregon that allows farmers to test out electric tractors on their farms. Three Solectrac electric tractors are currently available for farmers to try out, with two more to be added to the fleet next year. Farmers decide with rideshare program managers how long they want to use the tractor, which can be for a period of several months.

According to Callahan, electric tractors are one way for farmers to avoid the price volatility of fuel.

Rural Oregonians put nearly twice as many daily miles on their vehicles than the statewide average, according to 2019 research prepared for the Oregon Department of Transportation. For farmers, this mileage can be a lot higher, equaling a much steeper price tag on diesel.

"Farmers are at the whim of so many external factors that are outside of their control, dealing with climate change, drought, pests, international conflict," Callahan said. "When we talk to farmers, we often hear that energy is one of the few things that they can control."

Shifting to electric agriculture equipment can provide this control for farmers, according to Callahan. "Being able to power your tractor from an outlet in your shop can provide a whole new level of resilience and longevity for the farming community," she said.

Electric tractors can also provide health benefits, according to research from Oregon State University. The minimal sound the machinery creates - a low hum accompanied by the noise of the bearings turning while driving and no noise while idling - is a stark difference from the rumble of diesel-powered tractors. Long-term exposure to this loud rumble is a common cause of hearing loss among farmers, according to research from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

Currently, there are no incentives for electric tractor purchases in Oregon. Sustainable Northwest hopes to change that, and providing a tractor rideshare program free of charge to farmers is just one way they're doing this.

"We're actively exploring whether Oregon's Clean Fuels Program could be expanded to include electric tractors, and of course, there are the traditional tax credits or rebate purchases that could be made available as well," Callahan said.

Only two states in the country provide such incentives: California and Colorado. In California, the CORE voucher program enables businesses and government agencies to obtain vouchers to cover a percentage of the cost of an off-road electric vehicle, including agricultural equipment. In Colorado, businesses can replace their diesel machines with an electric equivalent through the state's Clean Diesel Program.

Most of the progress in Oregon has been led by organizations, not legislators. A bill introduced in the Oregon House of Representatives last year would have modified zero-emission and electric vehicle rebate programs to include electric tractor purchases, but no progress has been made in the one year the bill's sat in the House Committee.

According to a Statesman Journal interview with Salem representative Raquel Moore-Green, there are plans to reintroduce the bill in the 2023 legislative session.

The move to adopt heavy-duty electric vehicles comes amid the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides some incentives for electric vehicle purchases. While equipment like electric tractors is not included in the bill, rural advocates hope it can keep the conversation about electric agriculture equipment front of mind.

"The Inflation Reduction Act directs agencies to think more about diversifying equipment," Callahan said. "And if we're going to be incentivizing electric transportation, we have to be thinking about what makes sense in rural communities."

Claire Carlson wrote this article for The Daily Yonder.


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The chair of the Federal Trade Commission will be in rural Iowa this weekend to hear from farmers and other residents about the proposed sale of Iowa Fertilizer to Koch Industries.

The sale is pending FTC approval. Iowa spent $500 million to build an Iowa Fertilizer factory in Weverly to create competition in an already consolidated industry.

Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union, said he plans to tell FTC Chair Linda Khan a sale to Koch Industries would backtrack on any competitive progress the state has made.

"Our concern is that an industry that already lacks competition and has all sorts of monopoly problems would only get worse if this sale is allowed to go through," Lehman explained.

Koch and other corporate ag conglomerates have said consolidating allows them to provide better products to farmers more efficiently. The hearing is set for Saturday on Main Street in Nevada.

In addition to reducing competition for fertilizer, Lehman argued the sale would increase prices for farmers, and ultimately mean higher food prices for Iowans. He wants Khan to hear stories firsthand, from the people on the ground in Nevada.

"We know that we might not be able to have a dialogue with the people who are investigating this situation, because they need to be impartial," Lehman acknowledged. "But our farmers need to tell their story about how the industry is already in a monopoly state."

Some 18 other ag organizations have joined the Iowa Farmers Union calling on the FTC and the Justice Department to investigate the proposed sale.

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops.

Excess nitrates can wind up in ground and surface water, and cause health problems.

Practical Farmers of Iowa is encouraging farmers to find just the right amount of nitrogen they need for their crops - while avoiding applying too much, which the group says is common.

PFI's Field Crops Viability Coordinator - Chelsea Ferrie - said thanks to federal grants and private funding, the group will pay farmers up to $35 for every acre that has a lower than normal yield if they didn't apply enough nitrogen.

"No cost to the farmer, either," said Ferrie. "We're trying to help incentivize them. This is something that farmers want to do - I mean, they want to be good stewards of the land - but also, that they need to have a profitable farm."

The application period for the program is open through the end of April.

To help them reach the right nitrogen balance, Ferrie said PFI will help farmers on the front end of the process, too - so they aren't left guessing how much to apply.

"Talk through what your typical fertilizer plan is, and what your reduction plan would be," said Ferrie. "Then you would implement this year, going into the spring and into the season."

Farmers have relied on nitrogen-based fertilizers for generations - but when applied in excess, nitrates run off into ground and surface water, posing health concerns for animals and people.




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Pesticides are still common in agriculture. Organic producers who avoid them have seen ups and downs in pushing for stronger regulations, and they point to a South Dakota example of the harm associated with widespread use among neighboring farms.

At the heart of the regulatory fight is the application of the weed-killing pesticide dicamba, and how it can drift from one farm to another. Last month, a federal court blocked "over the top" spraying of dicamba products, but the EPA followed with an order to allow the spraying of existing supplies.

Glenn Pulse, co-owner of an organic farm in Vermillion, said a 2017 drift incident had a big impact on his operation.

"Our entire farm was covered. We lost a lot of livestock, and thousands of bees were killed," he explained.

It also resulted in health concerns for his family, having to regain his organic farmer certification, and a legal battle over restitution. Groups such as the National Family Farm Coalition have been fighting what they call the deregulation of these chemicals, arguing the drift and runoff effect has damaged millions of crops.

Dicamba-manufacturing companies deny responsibility, instead blaming farmers who apply it for not following guidelines.

The EPA has said there were already millions of gallons of dicamba in circulation prior to the court's ruling, prompting the agency's order. Pulse feels there are farmers who are careful in spraying chemicals, but he wants stronger enforcement against those he describes as "loose cannons."

"The guys that are not following the labels and they're spraying in weather conditions that are not favorable, that is where, I would say, 90% of the problems are happening with drift incidents," Pulse said.

His calls for better responses to these incidents coincide with policy demands to heavily restrict dicamba products. Meanwhile, Rep. Dusty Johnson, D-South Dakota, is the main sponsor of a bill supporters say would assure uniformity in national pesticide labeling under federal law. But opponents argue it would limit longstanding state and local pesticide safety rules.