Growers Abandon Grass Seed for Wheat

As growers in Oregon's Willamette Valley shift from grass seed to wheat, the question on many minds is: What are growers going to do with all that wheat?

Many don't have storage to handle their production. And what storage is available generally is packed with grass seed.

With Willamette Valley growers planting nearly 10 times more wheat than normal, the question presents a sizable problem, said Oregon State University Extension cereals specialist Mike Flowers.

(Capital Press, November 13, 2009)

Judge Will Decide: Will Beets Be Roundup Ready?

Beet farmers around Oregon, and the nation, say they feel like they are in limbo right now.

They are awaiting a judge's decision about whether it is legal to plant genetically-modified sugar beet seeds this year - or not.

Rich Affeldt: "And the reason that sugar beets really matter, is that it's our number one supply of domestic sugar. Sugar from cane, that's primarily imported. And having a domestic supply of sugar is a strategic, national security issue."

(OPB News, November 3, 2009)

Oregon State Study Finds Bumble Bees Can Help Pollination Effort

A recent Oregon State University study shows that native bumble bees provide high pollination and seed production levels in red clover.

"To sustain these high yields in Oregon, we must conserve the habitat of bees, use pesticides judiciously and provide floral resources prior to red clover bloom," urges OSU entomologist Sujaya Rao, one of the study researchers.

(Western Farmer-Stockman, November 3, 2009)

Composting and Blueberry Production

Dan Sullivan, Associate Professor at Oregon State University, along with graduate student Ryan Costello, has begun a research project this year to evaluate the use of composts in blueberry production.

Contact Costello at Ryan.Costello@oregonstate.edu to learn more about the OSU composting research discussed in this article.

(Oregon Small Farms Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 4)

Wheat Leaders Ponder Biotech Future

Even though biotechnology traits probably won't appear in commercial wheat production for a decade, the wheat industry wants to prepare for them now.

Jim Peterson, Oregon State University wheat breeder and chair of the National Wheat Improvement Committee, said universities need to look at their role in the future of commercialization of biotechnology in hopes that public and private partnerships evolve. 

(Captial Press, October 15, 2009)