McMINNVILLE, Ore. — From childhood, Dan and Michael O’Loughlin were hooked on the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it. Their fascination never waned, and as adults they’ve turned their 200-acre grass seed farm along the South Yamhill River near McMinnville into a model for environmental stewardship.
“Although the size and scale of the O’Loughlin brothers’ pollinator-friendly farm management is exceptional by national standards, what completely sets them apart is the extent to which they take their knowledge back out to the community."
For their significant efforts, the brothers received the national Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award from the National Association of Conservation Districts and the Pollinator Partnership.
“Growing up, Dan and I were into creatures,” said Michael O’Loughlin, an Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener and Master Melittologist. “We were always bringing home snakes and letting them go in the house. We were always outdoors. I don’t think there was ever a conscious decision that we were going to turn our farm into an environmental haven. We want wildlife around. It feeds our soul.”
Dan O’Loughlin, also a Master Melittologist, said the brothers are committed to the philosophy of identifying bees and improving the environment. “We do it for the joy it brings us, but to be recognized feels good,” he said, “as if we’d accomplished something.”
One of the first projects the O’Loughlins took on was a reptile study of their property. Once a month, the pair would walk a grid, catching snakes and weighing and measuring them. They wanted to understand the number of snakes and how far they travel into grass fields to eat slugs. Their research led them to set up a hibernaculum as habitat for reptiles and amphibians, which in turn help keep pests in check.
On a third of a mile down the center of the farm, a long berm planted with lupine, goldenrod and other pollinator-friendly host plants attracts beneficial beetles that eat pest insects such as cutworms and slugs. Native bunchgrass gives bumblebees and other pollinators a place to nest, and four artificial nests were installed. The bank serves as a Monarch Waystation and is part of Monarchwatch.org.
“The beetle bank came out of our commitment to do more sustainable farming,” Michael O’Loughlin said. “They are not traditionally used by conventional farms where insecticides are used. We rarely use pesticides, so it’s been very successful.”
Expanding biodiversity
Never satisfied and endlessly motivated, the brothers have made major strides to increase insect biodiversity on their farm. Their goal is to provide natural pest control and preserve endemic flora and fauna, including the federally threatened Nelson’s checkermallow. Other insectary plantings attract aphids early in the year, giving beneficial insects something to eat. Planted with native species like clarkia, Douglas aster and yarrow, the insectaries also provide nectar, pollen and butterfly host plants.
Two federally listed butterfly species – Taylor’s checkerspot and Fender’s blue – and hundreds of species of native bees make their home in Oregon. With pollinators providing one of three bites of food we eat and nearly $16 billion to the U.S. agricultural economy, biodiversity conservation is essential, said Andony Melathopoulos, OSU Extension pollinator specialist who nominated the brothers for the award.
As Master Melittologists, the pair volunteer to search the state for native bees, some that have never been identified. They catch and categorize and spend hours at the microscope determining which species they’ve found. The brothers have surveyed more than 1,500 locations for the Oregon Bee Atlas, part of the Oregon Bee Project, a legislatively funded program to preserve the state’s bees, both native and managed.
They’ve also worked with Yamhill County to establish roadside pollinator mix trials, created pollinator habitat at schools throughout Oregon, and converted a wetlands area on the farm into riparian habitat.
“Although the size and scale of the O’Loughlin brothers’ pollinator-friendly farm management is exceptional by national standards, what completely sets them apart is the extent to which they take their knowledge back out to the community,” Melathopoulos said.
Sharing knowledge
Research seems to be part of the O’Loughlins’ DNA.
“We like to do experiments just for the sake of doing experiments,” Michael O’Loughlin said. “We do it because we believe in it.”
It shows. Their outreach to schools has resulted in gardens full of pollinator plants and children who learn the importance of conservation.
“I have worked with pollinators and landowners for over 30 years and in all those years, I have never encountered a large commercial farm as dedicated to pollinator conservation as that of O’Loughlin Farms,” Melathopoulos said. “They serve as the bridge between abstract ideas about conservation and what can be done on the ground in a commercially viable manner.
"They have the rare combination of being exceedingly practical farmers with a deep knowledge of pollinator biodiversity and natural history," Melathopoulos continued. "In fact, I am positive there is not a single commercial farm in the U.S. with operators who understand the native bee fauna as well as Dan and Michael.”
Previously titled Master Melittologists garner national award for biodiversity conservation
