Nick Pate is the owner and operator of Raising Cane Ranch, a 38-acre organic farm and ranch in Snohomish, Washington. Much of the land is open pasture, including hay fields that are grazed by Highland cattle, which Nick raises and sells for beef. In 2010, Nick converted 3-acres of these hay fields into an alley cropping system by planting rows of cider apple trees into his hay fields in intercropped rows. 

Alley cropping is defined by the Natural Resources Conservation Service as the practice of growing trees or shrubs in rows, with other crops produced in the alleys between them. Adding cider apple trees has helped Nick diversify his income and increase the overall productivity of his farm. Continuing to cultivate hay in between tree rows through the practice of alley cropping has allowed him to generate revenue from the land while the young apple trees are still maturing. Over time, the alley cropping system at Raising Cane Ranch has also provided other benefits to the surrounding Snohomish River ecosystem.  

Using cider trees to create an alley cropping system 

Nick purchased Raising Cane Ranch in 2006. At the time, it was a struggling hay and beef cattle operation. “When we first bought the farm, it was all hay fields. There were only maybe a dozen trees on the whole 38-acre site,” says Nick. “But financially speaking, that model didn’t make sense. We needed a second source of income.”  

Initially, Nick explored berry production, but the area’s high rainfall created significant fungal pressure, making berries a difficult crop to manage. Instead, he began researching more resilient fruit crops for the area and eventually landed on cider apples—a crop that often retains market value in Washington even with blemishes from pests and diseases. 

Rather than establishing a traditional orchard, Nick chose to integrate cider apples with his existing hay production by designing an alley cropping system. In 2010, he planted cider apple trees in rows across a 3-acre parcel, with hay grown in the alleys between the rows. The apple trees are a mix of over a dozen varieties of sweet, bittersweet, sharp, and bitter-sharp apples so that Nick can make custom cider blends. The hay is harvested, bailed, and fed to his herd of Highland cattle, which he markets directly to consumers. Nick eventually plans to transition out of hay and cattle production entirely, but alley cropping allows him to maintain cash flow in the meantime. “Because it can take 5 to 10 years before cider apples generate a profit, it’s important to diversify in that initial period, so that income can be generated through other means,” he explains.  

Photo Credit

Mitchel Davidovitz

Planting trees in an alley cropping system alongside this riparian waterway has helped reduce the amount of sediment runoff and agricultural nutrient load that ends up in the river.

Nick’s decision to plant trees was not only financially motivated; he also was interested in their ecological benefits. Raising Cane Ranch borders a riparian area that drains into the Snohomish River Watershed, the second largest watershed in the Puget Sound region. This watershed supplies clean drinking water to surrounding communities and provides critical habitat to numerous plants and animals, including salmon, a keystone species in the region. Before Nick bought the land, the farm experienced some erosion and leaching of agrochemicals during seasons of heavy rainfall. By incorporating trees into the landscape through his alley cropping system and an adjacent riparian forest buffer, Nick aimed to stabilize the soil, reduce erosion, and minimize nutrient and chemical runoff, helping protect the health of the watershed downstream. 

Climate risks and adaptation strategies 

Hot and dry summers

Hot and dry summers are becoming increasingly common across Washington. Extended periods without precipitation can place stress on the hay at Raising Cane Ranch, which is unirrigated. Alley cropping systems can alter the microclimate surrounding understory crops and reduce evapotranspiration. Nick has observed that the hay in his alley cropping system remains greener for longer during the summer compared to his other fields. The partial shade provided by the apple trees helps retain soil moisture and protect the hay from the full intensity of the summer heat.

High winter rainfall

Snohomish, Washington receives an average of 11.25 inches of precipitation during the winter months, with some years bringing even more rainfall. The ranch is flat and sits just 10 feet above sea level, so in the winter, pooling and ponding are common. To deal with this issue, Nick chose native crabapple rootstock to graft his apples onto, as crabapple rootstock is well-adapted to seasonal periodic flooding and saturated soils.

Periods of extreme rainfall are common in Washington, and this trend is expected to intensify in the coming years. Extreme rainfall can occasionally cause hay to rot before it can be harvested. However, because Nick is already generating income from the apples in his alley cropping system, the hay produced there serves more as a safety net than a primary crop. “This is sort of like my savings in the bank,” he explains. “Most of my other hay fields give me what I need through the winter for my livestock, but in some years, production is low, or sometimes the hay gets rained on and damaged.” Having an extra field of hay in his alley cropping system provides Nick with supplemental hay during these difficult years. “If the other hay fields aren’t sufficient for whatever reason, the hay in this alley cropping section at least gives me a little bit of a bump.”   

Enhancing farm operations through alley cropping 

Nick centered the design of the alley cropping system around the goal of streamlining farm management for greater efficiency. He planted apple trees in straight lines across existing hay fields to facilitate operations. “Straight lines, whether we like them or not, are very effective for mowing and maintaining and getting equipment in here,” Nick explains. 

Spacing was also a key consideration in the design process. Nick spaced the tree rows at 20 feet apart, just wider than the width of the tractor and mower that he had already invested in to cultivate his hay. Within each tree row, he spaced apple trees 15 feet apart to maximize productivity, while minimizing competition between trees. 

Photo Credit

Mitchel Davidovitz

Nick spaced apple trees at 20 feet between rows and 15 feet within rows, to accommodate his existing hay production equipment.

Planting density for cider apple orchards in Washington varies widely. Traditional low-density orchards may have around 300 trees per acre, while high-density systems can exceed 1,300 trees per acre. Nick opted for a very low planting density of just around 145 trees per acre. This spacing reduces competition between apples and hay, but it also significantly lowers per acre apple yield. Likewise, Nick’s hay yield within the alley cropping system is also lower, just half of what an adjacent field yielded that was planted only to hay. “It isn’t ideal for hay production, and it isn’t ideal for apple production either, but for our system, it makes sense,” Nick notes. This aligns with research indicating that while individual crop yields tend to decrease in alley cropping systems, the overall system productivity, or combined yield of both crops, is often higher. For Nick, this tradeoff is worthwhile. The system allows him to produce more combined yield overall, and to continue producing hay for cattle feed and generating income during the early, low-yield years of the orchard’s establishment when he would have otherwise generated very little income. 

Alley cropping systems are dynamic—they change as the trees mature. As trees grow, they increasingly impact the understory crops by casting more shade and competing more for below-ground resources like water and nutrients. Because of this, the design and management of understory crops also require modification. Nick is anticipating this shift. 

“In five years, I’d like to transition out of producing cattle and hay anyway, and that’ll be about the same time that these trees are producing a lot of fruit,” he says. When the apple trees are more productive and cast more shade, he plans to replace the hay with a more shade-tolerant crop, adapting the system as its conditions and productivity evolve. Some options for future understory crops include cut flowers or lavender. Alternatively, Nick says he might decide to continue producing fodder for his cattle, but instead of growing hay, he might switch to more shade-tolerant species, like cool-season grasses or legumes. 

Managing the hay component of the system is relatively straightforward. Nick harvests the hay three times a year, once in the spring and twice in the summer, by cutting it to a height of 6 inches using a 60-inch deck mower. After cutting, the hay is baled and stored for use as livestock feed in the winter. 

As much as possible, Nick aims to reduce reliance on external inputs by creating synergies between different parts of the farm. For instance, he feeds his cattle rotten apples and leftover pressings from cider production rather than throwing them away. In turn, he uses composted cattle manure to fertilize the apple trees. “There is a bit of a full circle thing going on here, with livestock being a big, integral part of that,” says Nick.  

Photo Credit

Mitchel Davidovitz

Hay grown in alleys provides an income while the apple trees are maturing.

Funding 

Planting trees involves a high upfront cost, and it can take years for trees to produce a harvestable crop and a return on investment. Harvesting hay during the trees’ initial growth period has helped Nick alleviate some of this cost. He also sought support from government programs and organizations, which made the transition to alley cropping far more feasible. “A lot of my costs were the initial investment: those plants, the hours, the compost,” says Nick. “To make that initial investment, with all the variables, it’s expensive and it’s risky.”

To help with these costs, Nick received technical and financial assistance from several sources, including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Environmental Quality Incentives Program; the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Farmer and Rancher grant; the Snohomish Conservation District; the Washington Department of Ecology; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and the USDA Farm Service Agency, Conservation Reserve Program. “Getting help with the initial funding is a huge help for these pilot projects,” he says.   

Nick Pate’s alley cropping system at Raising Cane Ranch is an example of how diversification can create resilient farming systems that are better equipped to withstand the ups and downs of markets and the climate. Although alley cropping requires tradeoffs, like lower individual crop yields and higher upfront costs, it can offer increased overall productivity, climate resilience, and many ecological benefits.