NWREC’s annual Harvest Dinner this pastSeptember brought together 300 localfarmers, agricultural industry and businessleaders, university faculty, and elected offi-cials—including Governor Kate Brown.Theevent has become one of the premierevents for those in the region to celebrateone of Oregon’s key industries. Agricultureand associated businesses make up about20% of Oregon’s economy and workforce.

The Harvest Dinner is an annual showcaseof research and education work done atNWREC—Oregon State University’s onlyexperimental farm in the WillametteValley—during the past year and sharedthrough a farm-to-plate dinner. Many of thefruits and vegetables making up the dinnermeal came from the Research Center’sexperimental trials during the past summer.

Other menu items included innovativefood productsdeveloped byfaculty and stu-dents at OSU’sCorvallis campusand otherresearch loca-tions around thestate. Besides thepopular OSUcheeses createdby OSU students,surimi noodles—a product look-ing like a pastanoodle, butmade entirelyfrom fish—and a

seaweed product, called Dulse, were fea-tured this year. Both surimi noodles anddulse were developed by OSU at theirFood Innovation Center in north Portland.

Mike Bondi, NWREC’s Director and creatorof the Harvest Dinner event in 2012, saysthe Harvest Dinner gets bigger each year.“We started out like a small garden party.But, each of the past four years we’vegrown by 20%. Now, we are big enough toattract a large number of agriculture’s keybusinesses and leaders.Their attendance isa good attraction for other key leaders inthe state like the Governor, OSU Presidentand the Oregon Department ofAgriculture’s Director.”

This year’s Harvest Dinner welcomed AlanSams, the new Dean of OSU’s College ofAgricultural Sciences. Sams came toOregon State University last November totake the leadership of one of the nation’stop agricultural research and educationinstitutions. Sams was the ExecutiveAssociate Dean in the College ofAgriculture at Texas A&M University priorto arrival in Corvallis. Sams spoke to thecrowd sharing his impressions aboutOregon agriculture gathered this past yearand thoughts about future priorities.

“The diversity of Oregon agriculture hasbeen an incredible thing to see as I’ve trav-eled the state this past year,” Sams said.“OSU’s challenge and opportunity will beto meet the needs of farmers and businessleaders around the state with relevantresearch and education in a rapidlychanging state, country and world—and,

A Newsletter for Friends of North Willamette Research and Extension Center FALL 2019/WINTER 2020

Hundreds Gather to Celebrate Local Farming and Our Food

Alan Sams, Dean of OSU College of AgriculturalSciences, shares thoughts about Oregon agricul-ture and future challenges and opportunities inresearch and education.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown visiting with OSU President Ed Ray at recentHarvest Dinner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .continued on page 2

extension.oregonstate.edu/NWREC

all while preparing the next generation ofagriculturists and leaders. But, we are upto the challenge, have an outstanding fac-ulty, and great history of the success inthis state.”

Governor Brown summed up the HarvestDinner, saying,“This is a really wonderfulopportunity to bridge the rural-urbandivide over the dinner table...what I loveabout the work happening here [at OSUand NWREC] is the innovation and cre-ativity around food products.”

A photo album of the Harvest Dinner isavailable at the NWREC Facebook pageor by clicking on the Facebook icon at:extension.oregonstate.edu/NWREC.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KIMBERLY JACOBSEN NELSON

NWREC’s Harvest Dinnercontinued from page 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Oregon Representative Rick Lewis, Silverton (center back), enjoying conversation with berry growers inthe Willamette Valley. Lewis has taken the lead on providing funding to NWREC the past two legislativesessions for strawberry and caneberry research and education.

The Harvest Dinner buffet included a wide vari-ety of vegetables and fruits from field researchtrials during the summer at the North WillametteResearch and Extension Center. The menu wasprepared and served by Bon Appetite Catering atGeorge Fox University.

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Winter Vegetable Sagra: Sunday, December 8 (11:00am-3:00pm); The Redd at 831Southeast Salmon St., Portland. Contact: Heidi Noordijk.

Blueberry Nutrition Workshop: Monday, December 9 (9:00am-12:00pm); NWREC.Contact: Sarah Doane.

Blueberry Pruning Workshop: Monday, December 16 (9:00am-4:00pm); NWREC.Contact: Sarah Doane.

Specialty Seed Growers of Western Oregon Annual meeting: Tuesday, January 22,2020 (8:00am-2:00pm); Linn County Expo Center, Albany. Contact: Kristie Buckland.

Northwest Vegetable and Berry Farmer's Conference—formerly the NorthWillamette Hort Society Meeting: January 29-30 (8:00am-4:30pm); Monarch Hotel &Conference Center, Clackamas. Note: Vegetable Section on January 29 and BerrySection on January 30. Contact: Nick Andrews, Kristie Buckland, Wei Yang.

Winter Vegetable Variety Trial Field Day: Thursday, February 13 (2:00-6:00pm);NWREC. Contact: Heidi Noordijk.

Vegetable Variety Showcase: Sunday, February 16 (3:00-7:00pm); The Redd at 831Southeast Salmon St., Portland. Contact: Heidi Noordijk.

PNWCTA Christmas Tree Short Course: Friday, February 21 (8:00 am-4:30 pm)Wilsonville Holiday Inn. Contact: Chal Landren.

OSU Small Farms Conference: Saturday, February 22 (8:30am-5:30 pm); OSU, LaSellsStewart Center. Contact: Nick Andrews and Heidi Noordijk.

Please contact the NWREC office at 503-678-1264 for more information orvisit the website at: extension.oregonstate.edu/NWREC

Calendar of Events

Interested inAttending Next Year?

We had a number of requests toattend this year’s Harvest Dinner. Theevent has been an invitation-onlyevent and over the past several years,funded entirely by our generous tablesponsors and in-kind contributors. Ofthe 300 attendees this year, slightlymore than 1/2 were guests of oursponsors. The remainder of theHarvest Dinner guests included thefaculty and staff at NWREC; OSU cam-pus faculty, staff, and administrators;elected officials in state and local gov-ernment; and our Friends of NWREC.

We are always happy to have localcommunity members join us for theHarvest Dinner and do try to accom-modate, each year, a limited numberof special guests depending on seat-ing availability. Seating has becomemore limited as we have grown eachyear.

But, to ensure a seat at the NWRECHarvest Dinner table, please dobecome a Friend of NWREC. EachFriend donating at least $100receives an invitation for two.

We’d love to have you join us! Seethe back page of this newsletter forinformation about the Friends ofNWREC.

By Javier Fernandez Salvador, Marion/PolkSmall Farms Extension Faculty

OSU Extension’s Olea Project Team hosteda field tour at the North WillametteResearch and Extension Center in Octoberthat attracted a crowd of over 50 atten-dees. The group included current andfuture growers, nursery, field and otherindustry representatives, as well as, con-sumers and press.

Growing olives in Oregon is not a newidea—but, has faced challenges with coldhardiness of planting stock plus fieldestablishment and production practices.None-the-less, a small and dedicatedgroup of a dozen or so landowners havebeen working to develop an olive oilindustry in this state. OSU Extension facul-ty have been cooperating in this processthe past three years.

The recent NWREC tour started with anintroduction to the project and researchobjectives followed by a preliminaryresults update.“The growers interviewedfor our Industry Survey and NeedsAssessment stated that plant injury anddieback, fruit set and productivity aresome of their most important priorities”,Tessa Barker mentioned. A Q&A sectionfollowed where an interesting discussionon the challenges and issues for state pro-duction of olives ensued.“Olive produc-tion in Oregon faces cold winter freezethat can damage tissue and delay plantdevelopment and production, as well,destroy large sections of an orchard”, NeilBell commented.

The attendees were split in two groups totour NWREC. One stop visited the propa-gation facilities. Heather Stoven sharedabout experiments involving plant pro-duction from cuttings and propagationtechniques for nurseries and small farms.Another stop focused on basic care andmanagement for potted plants. The nexttour stops were led by Javier FernandezSalvador to review the research examin-ing field establishment practices.

One common question from growers andthose considering olive crop productionhas been about which olive varieties toplant and when to expect production?There is no simple answer to this question.Some cultivars are definitely more tolerantof cold and freezing temperatures, but

there are otherfactors to con-sider, too, suchas, the age ofthe plantingstock and plantsize going inthe field, thesite microcli-mate, andresources suchas irrigationavailability.

“You need a little luck, too, to be success-ful—like any farming,” said FernandezSalvador.“The winter at time of plantingcould be mild or harsh. This may be themost important factor for establishmentand production. The last two years havebeen mild, but this year may be very dif-ferent.”

The final tour stop visited Neil Bell’sPacific Northwest Olive Collection. Morethan 60 varieties from around the worldhave been planted at NWREC to see howthey produce—side-by-side on the samesite over a several year period. The datacollected from the evaluation will be criti-cal to answering the hardiness questions.

For additional reading about olive pro-duction in Oregon, see these articles:https://www.epicurious.com/ingredi-ents/oregon-olive-oil-farms-climate-change-new-olio-novo-article;https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/oregon-project-aims-to-promote-olive-oil-sector/67991.

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New Modular to Provide AddedOffice SpaceIn anticipation of a remodeling to construct new lab space (see Two MajorInfrastructure Projects Funded! on page 7), a modular office building arrived atNWREC in early November. The 24’ x 60’ building was claimed on federal surplus inWashington state. The modular includes four office rooms and a large commonmeeting space in the middle of the building.

The modular will become shared office space with at least two staff per room. Thebuilding is located south of the Propagation Greenhouse. Electrical power has beenbrought to the site for lighting, general electrical needs, heating and cooling.

Once staff can be relocated and the Parker House offices vacated to make room forthe new lab space, this latter project will be ready to begin.

OSU’s Olea Project Team includesJavier Fernandez-Salvador, Marionand Polk County Small FarmsExtension Agent; Heather Stoven,Yamhill County Small Farms andCommunity Horticulture ExtensionAgent; Neil Bell, Marion and PolkCounty Horticulture Extension Agent;Victoria Binning, Marion CountyExtension Outreach Coordinator; andTessa Barker, OSU Graduate ResearchAssistant.

Javier coordinates field establishmentresearch and grower site winter dam-age evaluation. Heather coordinatesolive propagating techniques. Neildirects the cultivar evaluation for win-ter cold hardiness. Victoria Binningmanages the outreach coordinationfor events and publications. Tessaprovides research assistance for vari-ous components of the project.

Yes, We Can Grow Olives!

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This has a busy year for comings andgoings at NWREC. As the year comes to aclose, we have two long-time faculty retir-ing—Robin Rosetta and Gina Koskela.And, we are welcoming four new addi-tions to our family over the past fewmonths. Before the end of the year, weexpect to add two more positions, too. Alltolled for the year, we have transitionedtwo NWREC employees into new posi-tions plus added another 9 new positions.I guess the only thing for sure, is change!

Let’s recognize those leaving service andwelcome our new team members.

Farewell to RobinRobin Rosetta,NWREC’s Nursery IPMExtension Agent willretire on November30 after twenty-fiveyears of service atOSU. Robin is bestknown for bringingthe concept of inte-grated pest management (IPM)—a moreholistic approach to controlling pests—tothe nursery industry in Oregon. Othernotable accomplishments include: startingthe OktoberPest series of educationalweekly 1/2 day educational seminars atNWREC each October for nursery andgreenhouse managers and workers—aprogram that has been ongoing for thepast 18 years; developing and managing acomprehensive website for nursery andgreenhouse pest management and a pestalert system that reached thousands ofgrowers and professionals each year; andpioneering work to create and adapt intel-ligent spray technology for nursery grow-ers and other agriculture sectors in theWillamette Valley.

Robin was raised in California. Her aca-demic degrees include an AssociateDegree in Horticulture from CabrilloCollege, and a Bachelor’s degree inEntomology and Masters in PlantProtection/Pest Management—both fromthe University of California at Davis. “I wasreally fortunate,” Robin says,“to comethrough the premier integrated pest man-agement program in the country. When Icame to Oregon to work with Extension,we were barely talking about IPM. I hadthe opportunity to introduce biocontrolprinciples and cultural practices and other

ideas in the nursery and greenhouseindustries.”

Reflecting on her career with OSU, Robinsaid,“I’m elated at the success of many ofmy initiatives to enhance the use of IPM inOregon. Biological control, now a staple inmany nurseries, was in its infancy here, andI was told—not infrequently—it wouldn’twork. I did have, however, excellent collab-oration from top experts at Oregon StateUniversity, insectaries, and many earlyadopters in this progressive industry, whosupported my efforts and teamed up withme to make augmentation work for a vari-ety of pests.That same level of support hasbeen there for so many programs, includ-ing OktoberPest workshops, the PacificNorthwest Nursery IPM website, and morerecently, our work with intelligent spraysystems, which reduce the volume of pesti-cides needed to manage pests by morethan 50%. I’m really happy to see this tech-nology expand to other commodities inOregon and elsewhere.Thank you to themany growers, consultants, colleagues, andstaff I’ve worked with through the yearshere to help protect Oregon’s farms, land-scapes, and natural resources.

Farewell to GinaGina Koskela is retir-ing, too, by the end ofthis calendar year.She is a SeniorFaculty ResearchAssistant and hasbeen working atNWREC for the past33 years. Gina has held a variety of posi-tions, and done a variety of work, atNWREC but, for the past 15 years or so,her main responsibilities have been insupport of the Pesticide Research andRegistration Program, also known as theIR-4 Project, mostly under the supervisionof Joe DeFrancesco.

Over the years, Gina has been a dedicatedfaculty member providing the leadershipand oversight, and taking responsibility,for the conduct of about 12-15 pesticideresidue field research trials each year,which provide data required by the US-EPA to register a pesticide product for usein for a wide variety of western Oregonagricultural crops—from cranberries on

the Coast, to hops, vegetables, clover seedand grass seed crops, plums, cherries andpears, and the full range of berry cropsgrown in the Valley. She has even workedwith unconventional crops such as chia,quinoa, and wasabi.

Gina’s work in the Pesticide Research andRegistration Program has included thereview and implementation of theresearch study protocols as outlined inthe USDA’s IR-4 study plans, plot estab-lishment, application of pesticide treat-ments, collection of plant samples, andwriting reports.“Gina is dedicated, well-organized, and detail-oriented, which areall qualities necessary to ensure a success-ful outcome to these experiments”, saidDeFrancesco. He continued to add,“Theresidue field studies are intenselyreviewed and audited by EPA, USDA, IR-4,and private quality control/quality assur-ance auditors; Gina’s work over the yearshas been exemplary and without nega-tive findings”.

Given Gina’s wide range of knowledgeand experience, in addition to the residuefield studies, she has also taken the leadin many efficacy and crop safety field tri-als for a variety of Oregon crops, whichensures that these new pest managementtools and strategies are safe and effective.

“Gina is a hard worker, putting in longhours to help us meet the requirementsof the research studies, and traveling allover the region to meet our deadlines,”said DeFrancesco. “She has been a valuedemployee who will be sorely missed. Wewish her well in her new endeavors.”

Trevor Moving OnTrevor Wood hasworked at NWREC forthe past five years—originally as a summerstudent in highschool, then steppingin as a contractemployee in the sum-mer of 2018, and most recently a perma-nent BioScience Technician since this pastspring. We are happy for Trevor as he takesa positon with Columbia Helicopters, justdown the road from the Research Center.

Trevor’s summer work was mostly in theBerry Research program and worked forBernadine Strik over four summers. Always

More Staffing Changes at NWREC

• PA G E 5 •

a hard working student and good teamplayer,Trevor moved on to constructionwork following high school. When wewere short-handed in the summer of 2018,Trevor quit his position in construction tocome back to NWREC as a contract laboremployee and helped with general farmwork, including irrigation, over the summerand, then into the fall and winter until wecould create a permanent position.

Since this past spring,Trevor has provideda variety of farm assistance at NWRECincluding field work, irrigation manage-ment, rodent trapping, mowing, and servic-ing vehicles—plus a wide array of othermaintenance and upkeep tasks, as needed.

According to Farm Manager, MarcAnderson,“Trevor's been a dedicatedworker for us over his years here. We espe-cially appreciate him coming in during thesummer of 2018 to fill a sudden needwhen we were short-handed and help usget through the summer with all of theprojects on the farm.”

We thank Trevor for his service at NWRECover the years and wish him well with hisnew opportunity.

Welcome Sarah!

This past August,Sarah Doane joinedNWREC’s team as aFaculty ResearchAssistant workingwith BlueberryExtension Agent, WeiYang. But, Sarah is nostranger to NWREC—having worked herein the nursery production program nearly20 years earlier. “I am very excited to beback at NWREC. This is a special placewith great people doing really importantwork.”

Sarah was raised in the Chicago area,graduated with a Bachelor’s degree inPlant and Soil Science from SouthernIllinois University and worked in pomolo-gy research prior to coming to Oregon.“The work I did with fruit tree research inIllinois is what turned my interest toresearch and created contacts to facultyat OSU.”

Sarah did end up moving to Oregon, inpart, because of her interest in outdoors,camping, hiking, plus the diversity of agri-

culture—and our ability “to grow justabout anything!”

After coming west, Sarah first worked forChad Finn’s berry breeding program inCorvallis. Then, so moved to a position innursery production with J Frank Schmidtand Son Nursery in Boring—one of thelargest shade tree growers in the nation.After six years of experience there, Sarahjoined our nursery production researchand outreach team here at NWREC work-ing with Rich Regan, Robin Rosetta andSven Svenson. Eventually, Sarah took onthe management responsibility for theLandscape Plant Development Center atDonald where she worked for 19 years.

Sarah’s return to NWREC this past summeris focused on blueberry research anddevelopment. “It’s good to be back withfruit production. I think my strong back-ground and experience in nursery pro-duction science will be an asset to Wei’sprogram. I am enjoying the creative workwe are doing with mechanical harvestingresearch and equipment modification andlooking forward to getting involved in therootstock project. Seeing research thatcan potentially make a huge differencefor our growers is what makes the workwe are doing very special.”

Welcome Rebecca!Earlier this summer,Rebecca Sheridancompleted her PhD inforestry at OSU work-ing in Douglas-firseedling physiologyand how limited wateraccess influencesgrowth and development. She joinedLloyd Nackley’s nursery production team atNWREC as a Post Doc Researcher broadlyfocusing on irrigation management.

“I’m working fast to shift my thinkingfrom forestry nursery and production sys-tems to horticulture. It’s incredible to dealwith so many different species and pro-duction systems in ornamental nurseries.It’s nothing like forestry! But, my back-ground should be a good fit. Water is ahuge issue for everyone.”

Rebecca grew up in the Eugene area. Shewent off to Carleton College in Minnesotawhere she received a Bachelor’s degree inBiology. After doing trail work inWashington State through Americorps,

Rebecca moved on to work as a lab man-ager at the University of Washingtonstudying penguins. Rebecca said,“Thepenguin work was really interesting. And,I had the chance to travel some interna-tionally to be in their habitat. But, I foundmyself more interested in the plants andthe vegetation where the penguins wereliving than with the animal, itself. That’swhen I decided it was time to return tomy interests in plant science.” Rebeccawent on to complete a Master’s degree atthe University of Idaho, where she firststarted working with forestry and nativeplant nurseries, before coming to OregonState University.

Rebecca’s work at NWREC will be that linkbetween plant physiology and produc-tion science. “I think we have a reallygood team with nice, complementaryskills and interests in soils, water, andphysiology. And, that’s what you needwhen trying to figure out how systemswork and develop new practices for theindustry. The Extension and outreach partof the work is something that interestsme, too. Farm visits and interacting withpeople on the ground is really fascinating.It pushes me, as a scientist, to have toexplain the science at the grower level.And, that’s good for all of us.”

Welcome Clint!Clint Taylor arrivedfrom Texas in July tobecome our MetroSmall Farms EducationProgram Assistantworking with NickAndrews and HeidiNoordijk. Clint comesto OSU after five years of teaching highschool biology and environmental sciences.He has a Bachelor’s degree in Horticulturefrom Texas A&M University and a Master’sdegree in Agriculture from Oklahoma StateUniversity. Clint and his wife, Allison, met incollege and both have the same degrees.

Following graduate school, Clint served inthe Peace Corps in Panama and, then, asan Extension Project Coordinator for aTexas A&M project looking at irrigationtrials in the high desert of Arizona.

Clint is an agriculturalist and educator atheart with significant classroom teachingexperience, as well as, informal education

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .continued on page 7

By Heidi Noordijk, Metro Small FarmsOutreach Coordinator, and Claire Sullivan,Central Oregon Small Farms Faculty

On August 29th, 2019 the second OSUMechanical Cultivation Field Day was heldat the North Willamette Research andExtension Center in Aurora. The day-longevent was attended by over 100 people,many of the participants were farmers.The goal of the event was to increase theholistic weed management knowledgebase of vegetable farmers, and provide aplatform for farmer and equipment sup-plier exchange of ideas and opportuni-ties. Valuable feedback gained from 2018field day evaluations added new elementsto the 2019 field day, including a focus onwalk-behind cultivation equipment, non-mechanical methods of weed control, andan experienced farmer discussion panel.

Walk-Behind Cultivation Tools

The morning demonstrations showcasedwalk-behind equipment in radish, cab-bage, and radicchio plots. Equipmentdealers traveled from near and far for theevent. Equipment included electric hoesfrom Carts & Tools (Oregon), various non-powered hand tools from Johnny’sSelected Seed (Maine), the Ox—a walk-behind cultivating tractor—from Tilmor(Ohio), and a walk-behind tractor for bedshaping from BCS (Oregon).

Tractor Mounted Cultivation Tools

The afternoon demonstrated tractor-mounted cultivation tools, and equip-ment dealers traveled from Ohio (Tilmor),Pennsylvania (KULT-Kress) and California(Sutton Ag) to demonstrate tools inradish, radicchio, and cabbage crops. Thecultivation equipment included fingerweeders, knives and sweeps; toolbarswere setup on both belly-mounted and

rear-mounted tractors. Participants wereable to try the new Tilmor cultivating trac-tor, and test out hand-steering rear-mounted toolbar setups.

Farmer Panel

The farmer panel held right after lunchwas a highlight for many field day atten-dees, and offered the chance to hear fromthree experienced vegetable growers ofdifferent production scales. Josh Volk(Slow Hand Farm, <1 acre), Frank Battilega(Big B Farm, ~50 acres), and Joe Siri (Siri

and Son Farms, >500 acres) spoke of theirweed management successes and lessonslearned, and answered questions from theaudience.

Overwhelmingly, participants had a verypositive experience: 88% said the demon-strations were very useful or extremelyuseful; 96% said they gained new infor-mation to improve weed management intheir crops; and 80% said they planned touse new cultivation equipment on theirfarm. Comments included,“Tractor tooldemos were very useful for me. Talking tothe company reps was a quick way to getquestions answered”, and “What was mostuseful was seeing the tools demonstrated,and having an opportunity to operatethem.”

In 2018, faculty within the Small FarmsProgram organized the OSU’s firstMechanical Cultivation Field Day and heldin Corvallis. That event was a huge suc-cess and attracted farmers from Oregonand Washington. In 2019 the OSU teamorganized this second field day, and thisyear were able to collaborate withWashington State University (WSU) tohost two field days in the PNW on thesame week. This winter we will be launch-ing a website with videos of cultivationtools in use, and other mechanical cultiva-tion websites.

The field days were made possible througha two-year mini-grant from the USDAWestern Sustainable Agriculture Researchand Education program (WSARE) to con-duct educational outreach on mechanicalcultivation.

NWREC Hosts 2019 Mechanical Cultivation Workshop

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All of Oregon’s 13 Branch ExperimentStations around the state are in need ofsignificant capital infrastructure improve-ments to address years of neglect and lackof monies to make important repairs andupgrade facilities to better serve today’sfaculty and staff—plus meet stakeholderand community needs. The OregonLegislature heard this message andresponded with funding earmarked onlyfor the off campus agricultural facilities inthe 2017-2019 Legislative Session. Thosedollars (approximately $1.7 million) weren’tavailable until the end of the Session—thispast June. In addition, the College ofAgricultural Sciences provided an addition-al $320,000 from their Ag ExperimentStation budget to support more capitalimprovement projects.

Each Branch Station was allowed to makeup to two funding requests—a larger oneup to $425,000 and a smaller proposal.Proposals were due in August. Twenty-oneproposals were submitted; 12 were fund-ed. NWREC submitted two proposals—and both were funded!

Our first priority project will be remodelingoffices into an upgraded Parker House lab-oratory space. This project has an estimat-ed cost of $420,000. A second projectfunded is the final build out of an irrigationwell drilled last year, but not brought on-line. Power will be brought to the site, awell house constructed, infrastructure pip-ing, and variable speed drive pumps toconnect NWREC’s two irrigation pumps toserve the entire needs of the farm. The

well project is valued at approximately$110,000.

The $530,000 for the NWREC projects rep-resent approximately 25% of the fundingallocated this year. It is anticipated that asimilar level of Legislative funding (the $1.7million) will be available each biennium forthe next 5 Sessions. This funding will makea huge difference in the capabilities of theBranch Stations throughout the state.

Needless to say, NWREC priorities were rec-ognized by the College and we sincerelyappreciate this support. Our plan movingforward is to schedule work to bring theirrigation well on-line prior to the nextgrowing season—hopefully by April. Wewill be working with the College to finalizeplans for the lab space project in the com-ing months and hope to begin construc-tion later in the year.

Two Major Infrastructure Projects Funded

• PA G E 7 •

and community development experience with his time in thePeace Corps and Extension in Arizona. We think he’s a perfectfit for the Small Farms Extension program and the work we doat NWREC!

Clint and Allison decided it was time to relocate when they leftTexas. “The weather was getting hot and drier there. It seemedlike it was getting harder and harder to grow crops,”Clint said.“We looked at Oregon as a neat place with a moderateMediterranean climate and the Willamette Valley as a horticulturalparadise. With my interest in vegetable production, this is a per-fect place to be.”

“The move has been great. We are very happy. I’ve never hadmore fun working. I am doing something different every day—maybe planting or harvesting on some days. On other days,I’m doing science with measurements or data analysis.Another day, we could be doing education and teaching.Working with Nick and Heidi is a lot of fun, too.”

Clint reports that one of the things he is most proud of isbuilding his own house—just he and Allison—without anyhelp. They did everything including the site work and founda-tion, framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, roofing, everything...from the ground up...and teaching themselves along the way.

Clint has a lot to offer and the Small Farms program is fortu-nate to have him on their team!

Belated Welcome to Kody, too!Kody Transue returned to NWREC to join NikWiman’s Orchard Crops team last March.Somehow, he was missed in the last issue ofDown on the Farm in August—just too manynew hires this past year.

Kody is another addition to our family who is no stranger toNWREC—having worked here for two summers while a studentat Clackamas Community College where he received hisAssociate’s degree in horticulture. Previously, Kody had summerseasonal positions in 2015 in the Blueberry Extension programand 2016 with the Orchard Crops program.

Kody was born and raised in the Oregon City area. Although moreof a city or town kid, his real interests developed in agriculture andgrowing plants—hence his Community College degree. “I justreally like learning about plants and production systems and figur-ing out how to grow things better.” Kody has developed stronginterests in fruit trees—having been a volunteer and intern withthe Home Orchard Society since 2014. In addition, Kody hasworked as a market vendor of Kiyokawa Family Orchards inParkdale selling fruit at the Oregon City Farmers Market.

After completing his Associate’s degree, Kody worked for a localsmall farm operation and with Concentrates, Inc., a Portland-based agricultural product distributor specializing in natural fer-tilizers and feeds. “The work and experience I received in thoseyears following college was great for me. But, my goal wasalways to get back to NWREC someday. I like the place and thepeople and the work we are doing is important to the growersand community.”

Kody is involved in a wide array of Orchard Crops projects atNWREC with Nik Wiman and Heather Andrews. He provides fieldsupport for the research trials studying irrigation practices, nutri-tion management, and pest control in hazelnuts. In addition, hesupports the cider apple research project and the work beingdone with peaches, nectarines, and almonds.

Finally, Kody shared that his fruit tree interests include being adevote enthusiast of Paw Paw (Asimina triloba). “It's sort of anobscure and forgotten fruit native to North America that is myfavorite and I’m very passionate about growing and telling folksabout them.”

NWREC Staffing Changes continued from page 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSIPRINT

Oregon State UniversityNorth Willamette Research & Extension Center15210 NE Miley RoadAurora, Oregon 97002-9543

Oregon State University–North Willamette Research & Extension Center15210 NE Miley Road, Aurora, OR 97002 • Phone: 503-678-1264 • Website: extension.oregonstate.edu/NWREC

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

North Willamette Researchand Extension Center

FACULTY & STAFFAdministration & Support StaffMike Bondi, DirectorShelley Hughes, Admin. AssistantJan Egli, Office SpecialistMarc Anderson, Farm & Facilities Mgr.Derek Wells, Building/Trades Maint.Joe Battilega, Farm TechnicianTrevor Wood, Farm Technician

Extension & Research FacultyBernadine Strik, Berry Crops Research

LeaderWei Yang, Berry Crops Extension AgentJavier Fernandez Salvador, Special

Berry InitiativeLloyd Nackley, Nursery & Greenhouse

Production & Management ResearchRobin Rosetta, Nursery IPM Ext. AgentLuisa Santamaria, Nursery Pathologist/

Bilingual Extension AgentChal Landgren, Christmas Tree

Extension SpecialistNick Andrews, Metro Small Farms

Extension AgentHeidi Noordijk, Metro Small Farms

Outreach CoordinatorKristie Buckland, Vegetable & Specialty

Seed Crops Extension SpecialistJoe DeFrancesco, Pesticide

Registration Research, EmeritusDani Lightle, Pesticide Registration

Research LeaderNik Wiman, Orchard Crops

Extension SpecialistNicole Anderson, Field Crops Ext. Agent

Research & Program StaffAmanda Davis, Berry Crops ResearchPat Jones, Berry Crops ResearchSarah Doane, Berry ExtensionHeather Andrews, Orchard CropsKody Transue, Orchard CropsGina Koskela, Pesticide Registration

ResearchJudy Kowalski, Christmas Tree

Research & EducationBrian Hill, Nursery & Greenhouse

Production ResearchRebecca Sheridan, Nursery & Greenhouse

Production Research Post DocMaria Marlin, Nursery Pathology &

Bilingual EducationBrian Donovan, Field Crops ResearchAnn Rasmussen, Vegetable & Specialty

Seed Crops ResearchClint Taylor, Small Farms Education

Program Assistant

Become a Friend of NWREC Today!

Membership forms for the Friends of North Willamette Research and Extension Centerare also available by contacting the NWREC office at 503-678-1264 or downloading from

the website at extension.oregonstate.edu/NWREC.Contact Director, Mike Bondi, for more information or to discuss life or deferred gifts options.

Phone: 503-678-1264 • E-mail: michael.bondi@oregonstate.eduCell. 503-705-2434

Name:

Address: City, State, Zip:

Phone(s): Email(s):

I prefer to remain anonymous. Please do not publish my name in future publications.

Membership Category (circle one):

$25 Member $100 Second Crop $500 Director’s Club $2,500 President’s Club

$50 First Crop $250 Bumper Crop $1,000 Dean’s Club $5,000 Sustainable Agriculture Club

Make checks payable to: OSU Foundation–NWREC. Mail to:North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15210 NE Miley Road, Aurora, OR 97002

Membership—Friends of North Willamette Research and Extension Center