July 3, 2015
CapitalPress.com
7
University of
Grant aimed at helping
Idaho’s table grape industry ,GDKRLGHQWL¿HV
The program’s previous cluster trials
have already increased yields from 9 tons
per acre to 16, Fallahi said.
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“The next question in that project is to
ho researchers will use a $163,000 spe-
see if we can change the number of clus-
cialty crop grant to try to help the state’s
ters per vine and increase the berry size
emerging table grape industry increase its
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production performance.
Alborz, the main table grape grown
The state’s table grape industry has
in Idaho, will be a major focus of the re-
made progress in recent years, but more
search. But the program will also study
research aimed at increasing yields and
17 new cultivars that have never been
quality is needed for it to expand sig-
grown in the Intermountain West, Fallahi
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Sean Ellis/Capital Press said.
Growers Association Secretary-Treasurer Snake River Table Grape Growers Associa-
These new cultivars can become a
Tom Elias.
tion Secretary-Treasurer Tom Elias looks at completely new generation of red and
About 1,200 acres of table grapes are Alborz table grapes growing in the Univer-
green grapes and could pay big dividends
grown in Idaho and four 20-acre vine- sity of Idaho’s fruit orchard in Parma June
for Idaho growers, Fallahi said.
yards have been added since last year, he 25. UI’s pomology and viticulture program
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said.
received a $163,000 grant to try to improve VXLWDEOH IRU XV ² , WKLQN ZH ZLOO ¿QG
The research that will take place as a table grape quality and yield in Idaho.
more than two — that would be a great
result of the grant is what’s needed for
step forward for Idaho’s table grape in-
table grapes “to take the next step to (be- WR VLJQL¿FDQWO\ H[SDQG LWV FXUUHQW WDEOH GXVWU\´KHVDLG
FRPH D IXOOEORZQ LQGXVWU\ LQ ,GDKR´ grape research, Fallahi said.
The project will include pilot plant-
Elias said. “The industry could actually
The project will analyze different can- ings of the different techniques with local
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opy techniques to see what type of im- commercial growers and home garden-
The grant, which was provided by the pact they have on quality, cold tolerance ers.
Idaho State Department of Agriculture, and disease.
An important focus of the research is
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Researchers will also experiment with determining how these new cultivars and
FXOWXUH3URJUDPLQ3DUPDZKLFKLVRYHU- different numbers of clusters per vine — techniques work in Idaho, Fallahi said.
seen by Essie Fallahi.
some will have 64 clusters, others 45 or
“We are trying to see how they do un-
The funding will allow the program 32 — to try to increase berry size.
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By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
Capital Press
FORT HALL, Idaho —
Thresher Artisan Wheat grow-
ers involved in an Eastern
Idaho sustainable farming pro-
gram have enjoyed better yields
despite using less water, energy
and fertilizer per bushel than
other irrigated farms in the area,
according to new data.
The sustainability program
was started in 2010 by Gener-
al Mills, before Thresher pur-
chased the company’s regional
grain handling infrastructure.
Done in partnership with Syn-
genta, it’s the longest running
sustainability program run un-
der Field to Market, a diverse
alliance of 75 major manufac-
turers and organizations aiming
to improve farm productivity.
The program evaluated
92,652 combined acres of ir-
rigated spring wheat in the
region from 2010 to 2014, pro-
viding participants with con-
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pare with aggregate numbers
from other participants. They
were also given general num-
bers from their seven-county
district, compiled by USDA’s
Natural Resources Conserva-
tion Service.
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percent more bushels per acre
than the general district lev-
els. On a per bushel basis,
they used 26 percent less en-
ergy, which includes fertilizer,
electricity and fuel. They also
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by 19 percent and emitted 10
percent less greenhouse gases.
The program has also eval-
uated, 10,263 acres of sugar
beets, 6,872 acres of barley
and 37,863 acres of potatoes,
mostly raised for fresh sales.
Bradford Warner, vice
president of marketing with
Thresher’s parent company,
Agspring, said similar im-
provements have been made
in those commodities. The
program avoids rigid mile-
stones for growers and simply
highlights areas for potential
improvement, compared with
their peers, Warner said. As
more consumers and manufac-
turers begin demanding sus-
tainable products, Warner be-
lieves the program evidences
the strides growers are already
making and could help avert
future mandates.
“This gives us the horse-
power to tell regulators, ‘Hey,
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JRW WKH GDWD WR EDFN LW XS¶´
Warner said.
Warner said just over 20
wheat growers participate,
and Thresher is seeking to re-
cruit additional growers over a
broader area.
“We still have a struggle
that producers don’t like to
give their information out,
but I think as we continue to
grow and they continue to see
that it’s not being used against
them, the growers will come
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2SHUDWLQJ 2I¿FHU 'RQ :LOOH
“I was real happy to see what
we’re seeing with the num-
bers, and I’d like to get it out to
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John O’Connell/Capital Press
Sam Thornton, sustainable sourcing lead with Syngenta, presents
GDWDIURPWKH¿UVW¿YH\HDUVRIDQ(DVWHUQ,GDKRVXVWDLQDEOHIDUP-
ing program during a recent forum hosted in Fort Hall by Thresher
Artisan Wheat. Participants in the program have improved both
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Now that the program has Sam Thornton, sustainable
JHQHUDWHG ¿YH \HDUV RI GDWD sourcing lead with Syngenta,
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
MOSCOW, Idaho — An
advisory committee conduct-
ing a nationwide search for a
new dean for the University of
Idaho’s College of Agricultural
and Life Sciences has expand-
ed its search.
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additional candidates have been
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to campus to be interviewed in
person.
The 14-member committee
had narrowed the pool of candi-
dates from 25 to four and those
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Moscow in May. One of those
candidates has since withdrawn
from consideration.
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ag industry leaders they hoped
to have a new dean in place by
July 1, but that won’t happen
now.
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WLRQDOZHOOTXDOL¿HGFDQGLGDWHV
that will be brought to campus
believes buyers such as Gen- LQWKHQH[WIHZZHHNV´8,3UR-
eral Mills can begin using the vost John Wiencek told univer-
data to make a sustainability sity faculty and staff June 25
FODLP WR FRQVXPHUV 3RWDWR in an email. “There has been a
sugar and barley will still need strong response to our recruit-
a few more years of data be- LQJHIIRUWV´
fore making a sustainability
Rich Garber, CALS’ direc-
claim, he said.
tor of industry and government
Thornton said J.R. Simplot relations, said those additional
Co. is interested in joining in candidates will also be brought
the project and would recruit to Boise, where ag leaders will
more processed potato grow- have an opportunity to meet
ers.
them.
Each year, Syngenta hosts a
Times for the open sessions
gathering for its sustainability in Moscow where stakeholders
participants, where growers can meet the new candidates, as
and experts share information well as the candidates’ names
about their farming practices.
and biographical information,
Thornton said growers are will be posted on the UI web-
also receiving new econom- site when the information is
ic data this season, including FRQ¿UPHG VDLG 8, FRPPXQL-
VSHFL¿F ZKHDW YDULHW\ SHUIRU- cations specialist Cara Haw-
mance comparisons and com- kins-Jedlicka.
parisons of different rotations.
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Idaho sustainability program help improve yields
By JOHN O’CONNELL
more ag college
dean candidates
more candidates are being
interviewed and ag industry
leaders haven’t been told either,
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David Gerrard, who heads
Virginia Tech University’s De-
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try Sciences and was one of the
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his name from consideration af-
ter being interviewed in Idaho.
Gerrard told the Capital
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much into the fact the search
is being continued and said he
was impressed with university
RI¿FLDOV DQG LQGXVWU\ VWDNH-
holders.
“I had a very positive inter-
action with everyone and the
process was handled in a man-
QHU UHÀHFWLYH RI D ZRUOGFODVV
ODQGJUDQWLQVWLWXWLRQ´KHVDLG
*HUUDUG VDLG 8, 3UHVLGHQW
Chuck Staben “really seemed
‘pumped’ about the future of
agriculture and the university.
He was a dynamic individual
and quite down to earth and
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Gerrard also said decisions
to continue these types of
searches “are hugely complex
and involve a number of peo-
ple, professionally and other-
wise. In fact, I applaud organi-
zations that are bold enough to
go to such additional lengths to
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The search for a new dean
was underway before the uni-
versity’s president and provost
accepted other positions in
spring 2013. The current CALS
dean, John Foltz, was appoint-
ed in June 2013 to a two-year
term to allow time for the new
president and provost to get on
board.
Foltz withdrew from the
dean search for personal rea-
sons, before the candidate pool
was reduced to four.
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