Agriculture and Natural Resources

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

Networks foster support and learning as women in agriculture surge

Throughout the country, the number of women in agriculture is surging and that includes Oregon where 44% of the state’s farm producers are women. Still, working in an industry that is largely dominated by men causes some ...

Apr 2022 | Impact Story

OSU Extension helps Klamath County farmers save forage by detecting and suppressing grasshoppers

In the summer of 2021, Oregon suffered its worst outbreaks of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets in 50 years. Light infestations – six to seven grasshoppers per square yard across 10 acres – will forage as much as one ...

Feb 2023 | Impact Story

OSU Extension Master Gardener Program increases diversity, equity and inclusivity

With nearly 2,800 volunteers in 27 counties across the state, the 46-year-old Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardener program made contact with 78,700 Oregonians in 2022 – a significant increase from 2021's ...

Feb 2023 | Impact Story

As climate changes, interest grows in OSU Extension Dry Farming Project

With climate change causing ongoing drought and warmer temperatures in the West, there’s a critical need to develop alternative methods of producing the many and diverse vegetable crops grown in Oregon. Droughts translate into ...

Apr 2022 | Impact Story

Latino and Mesoamerican Indigenous families grow their own food with help from OSU Extension

Latino and Mesoamerican Indigenous families in Lincoln County generally have less access to land for growing their own food. Due to language barriers – most of the residents speak Spanish or Mam, a language spoken by more ...

Apr 2022 | Impact Story

OSU Extension-led team searches for chlorpyrifos alternatives for controlling insect pests in Oregon grass seed crops

Oregon leads the country in grass seed production, with over 400,000 acres grown each year. Insect pest issues continue to be an issue for Oregon’s grass seed growers, impacting profitability due to both crop damage and the ...

Mar 2022 | Impact Story

OSU Extension researches alternative pesticides to fight cabbage maggot

In the Willamette Valley, cabbage maggot devastates a wide variety of crops, causing substantial economic loss for many farmers. Most often, farmers used to control the damaging insect with chlorpyrifos insecticides. In 2020, the ...

Mar 2022 | Impact Story

OSU Extension supports small-scale and historically marginalized farmers

Oregon's farmers continue to suffer losses from drought, heat waves, wildfire and other problems related to climate change. Traditional crop insurance and relief funding programs often don't work for affected small-scale farmers who ...

May 2023 | Impact Story