Agricultural Experiment Station

OSU Extension research helps wheat growers fight serious stripe rust disease

If conditions are right, stripe rust can wipe out a crop of winter wheat, costing Oregon farmers millions of dollars. In a state where wheat is the sixth-most valuable commodity, a disease that can devastate crops casts a ...

May 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension outreach helps slow the spread of deadly X-disease in cherries

Cherry growers in the Columbia River Gorge dread the emergence of X-disease, which makes cherries small, flavorless and unmarketable. At least 239,856 cherry trees were removed between 2015-2023, costing growers an estimated $115 ...

Apr 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension soil fertility study saves grower costs of applying gypsum to hemp crop

Crop production can be challenging on the serpentine soils of southwestern Oregon, where hemp production is an important local crop. Made up of the mineral serpentinite, the soils contain high levels of magnesium and other metals...

Mar 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension research gives wine grape growers in Umatilla County hope for adjusting to changing climate

The wine region of the Walla Walla Valley labors under the most extreme conditions for grapes in the state. Growers have adapted, but recently the shifting climate has created more unpredictable and extreme conditions as ...

Mar 2023 | Impact Story

OSU researchers patent new packaging material made from food waste

It is estimated that 30-40% of food in the US is wasted, creating approximately 170 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and fostering climate change. When juiced, only 70-75% of the fruit is used, which means the...

Oct 2022 | Impact Story

OSU studies hemp and hops to better predict flavor and aromas for plant-derived products

New research funded by a $638,000 USDA grant aims to help Oregon hemp and hop growers more reliably predict consistent flavor and smell of Cannabacea plant-based products. These plant-derived high-value chemicals and ingredients in ...

Oct 2022 | Impact Story

OSU partners with Yurok Tribe for Klamath River dam removal study to address water quantity and quality

The Yurok tribe – the largest Indigenous tribe in California and the original inhabitants of the Klamath Basin – has partnered with Oregon State University researchers to have a voice in matters affecting their home. Tribal ...

Oct 2022 | Impact Story

‘Agripeneurs’ course creates regional market for local seed producers

Southern Oregon has a climate well-suited for seed production, and there are already more than a dozen farmers in the area who are selling commercial seed on contract for regional, national and international seed companies. But ...

Jul 2022 | Impact Story

New rotational crops increase economic viability for Lower Columbia Basin farmers

On the irrigated farmland of the Lower Columbia Basin, growers rotate their high-value crops of onions and potatoes from field to field to help stave off soil-borne diseases and pests, cut down on erosion, suppress weeds and ...

May 2022 | Impact Story

Farm managers gain knowledge in OSU Extension’s virtual Coffee Hours

With its fertile soil and mild climate, the Willamette Valley grows a wide number of crops that are profitable but attract a challenging arsenal of pests and weeds. Growers and field agronomists tell the Oregon State University...

May 2022 | Impact Story