Look into the larger sized cultivars of Junipers, Juniperus chinensis and J. x pfitzeriana. They can get almost tree like with age when left unmolested. What conifers grow naturally on your coastline? Look there for plant choices. That brings things like Monterey Cypress to mind.

windbreaks are usually the providence of your local federal Ag office or state COUNTY extension office .... they are often in the same building ...

you might be further ahead.. if you start by looking for information from your local resources ...

watering large tree/conifer transplants on irrigation can be very hard to do ... as you need to saturate the soil down thru the gob planted.. to insure that the roots.. at depth.. have the moisture they need .. you cant water them like perennials.. for 15 mins a day or something ...

if i knew what state you were in.. i would search out the AG or extension office for you.. but you can do that ... besides.. as a farmer.. one would suspect you are already working with either or both ... or them ...

ken

I am familiar with your problem here on the east coast, zone 6. There are solutions, but they require a detailed study of the situation. Have you considered a line of sturdy board fencing backed by evergreens on the windward side of your farming operation? Or can you change its location to an area where a building{s} coupled with fencing might provide protection? I always plant Cryptomeria japonica in this type of situation. It is resistant to salt spray and retains bottom branching. Just check to see if it is prone to scale problems in your area.

There is a difficulty in combining wind resistance or blocking ability and a tolerance for coastal conditions.....very few plants will measure up satisfactorily to both situations. The Sunset Western Garden book carries lists of plants well suited to both of these conditions in our area but provide very little overlap. A few native conifers offer the best solutions - shore pine (Pinus contorta, native to coastal areas), western red cedar (Thuja plicata) and Doug firs lead the list. You may want to fill in gaps with shrubs like Arbutus unedo, cistus, cotoneaster, escallonia and eleagnus. If shielded from salt spray, you could add ceanothus, Pacific wax myrtle, junipers, nandina, barberry and chamaecyparis.

Here's a local publication that could be useful: Trees Against the Wind

Thank you so much to everyone for your really helpful suggestions!

I am in Canada, so we don't have a state county office dedicated to agriculture. I have looked into our provincial supports for farmers, but there are really diverse ecosystems in our province, and their general info (or that from our federal government, for that matter) wasn't super helpful.

I haven't considered several of your suggestions, so I am off to research shore pine, juniper and cotoneaster. Our whole area is zone 7, but I think our farm might be zone 8, since we rarely get snow even when everyone else does and calla lilies overwinter well out here.

Cryptomeria japonica is really beautiful, but it grows very slowly out here (my five year old one only reached 4 feet). Douglas firs look great when young (are nice and bushy), but as soon as they stretch out they loose their branches near the ground and don't offer much wind protection. Red cedar doesn't like the Mediterranean climate we have at our specific location (very dry summers), and tends to turn brown and barely survive unless it is located within a forest.

Cotoneaster is a great suggestion. Have people found it to be quick growing?

I love the idea of a board fence to reduce wind speed and to plant the evergreens in front of it. I think it would really help to give them the protection they need as they establish. I will have to see if we have the budget for several hundred feet of fencing!

Great suggestions everyone. Thank you again :)

Has anyone done a mixed hedgerow in an English style? Hawthorne seems to be a dominant plant in these, but I am concerned about disease doing from it to our apple orchard.

I have been reading about Juniper chinensis cultivars and it seems like they might be a good fit. We have very well drained soil (since our soil has a lot of beach sand in it) and full sun. According to the internet junipers do well with salt spray. Does anyone know how they hold up to winds? Will they still grow upright in the face of very strong wind?

I haven't seen any large junipers in our area, and I am not sure why. I don't know if it is fashion or if there is a local problem. I will consult with a local nursery when they open.

Minnesota may as well be canada.. lol ...

just some general info here: https://extension.umn.edu/agroforestry/windbreaks

appears you have a minister of natural resources: https://www.canada.ca/en/natural-resources-canada/news/2021/02/new-program-launches-to-plant-two-billion-trees.html

gotta think he has a whole bureaucracy below him or her ....

heres another link

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=farm+windbreaks+canada+natural+resources&t=ffab&ia=web

good luck

ken

bc ag windbreaks - Bing