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2 CapitalPress.com January 29, 2016 People & Places Horticulturist seeks one more hit Pat Moore searches for next superstar raspberry cultivar before retiring Western Innovator Capital Press Pat Moore Age: 63 Position: Horticulturist at Washington State Universi- ty’s Puyallup Research and Extension Center Don Jenkins/Capital Press Washington State University plant breeder Pat Moore sits in the office that he’s occupied since 1987 at the Puyallup Research and Extension Service Center. Moore was nationally recognized last year for developing strawberry and raspberry cultivars. State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1943. Meeker provided the con- sistency processors crave, and nearly all Washington rasp- berries are sold to processors. Raspberries are a $57 million a year business in Washing- ton. Only California produces more raspberries, but almost all of its berries are sold as fresh fruit. Meeker’s popularity may eventually be its downfall, however. Any disease Meeker is vulnerable to spreads from field to field, Moore said. “Meeker may be showing its age,” he said. Fifteen years ago, Meek- er made up 70 percent of the plant sales in Washington, Or- egon and British Columbia. Now, Meeker holds about one- third of the market, while an- other third is held by a relative newcomer, Wakefield, bred in New Zealand and tested in Washington. No other cultivated variety claims more than 10 percent of the market. The privately developed Wakefield plants cost more than cultivars released by pub- lic institutions such as WSU, and while that works for some growers, it doesn’t work for all, Washington Red Raspber- ry Commission Executive Di- rector Henry Bierlink said. “We would love to see the hot new berry come out of WSU,” he said. The commission, a finan- cial supporter of Moore’s ber- ry breeding program, wants a high-yielding, summer-bear- ing, winter-hardy, virus-re- sistant, machine-harvestable raspberry. “He’s been very willing and able and responsive to our needs, but we also recognize he’s got a big challenge in front of him,” Bierlink said. Many years ago, Moore decided to brand WSU’s rasp- berry cultivars with the name “Cascade.” Beginning in 2003, Moore has released Cascade Gold, Cascade Dawn, Cascade De- light, Cascade Nectar, Cas- cade Bounty and Cascade Harvest. Bierlink said it doesn’t ap- pear any of the Cascades will inherit the Meeker’s throne. “I would have to say the consensus opinion of the rasp- berry growers community is ‘no.’ They have been tried and have some positive attributes, but none of those varieties will dominate in the future,” Bierlink said. A raspberry can excel in one area, but fall short in an- other. Moore, who fills rasp- berries with chocolate pud- ding for church socials, said Cascade Dawn, released in 2005, was particularly tasty. But the variety doesn’t shake off the vine until it’s too ripe, a flaw for machine harvesting. Cascade Harvest was the cultivar most recently re- leased, in 2013, and the first full harvest won’t be until 2017. There’s hope the berry will perform well, and it cur- rently ranks fourth in plant sales. But Moore said the ber- Education: Bachelor’s de- gree in forestry, Oregon State University; master’s degree in forestry, University of Min- nesota; doctorate in forestry, Michigan State University. Background: A Portland native, after earning his doctorate, Moore worked for International Paper Co. breeding pine trees in the South; did post-doctoral work under Michigan State Uni- versity horticulture professor Jim Hancock, a breeder of popular blueberry varieties. ry has not proven as tolerant to root rot as he had hoped. Each new cultivar rep- resents years of work. WSU has released 13 raspberry cul- tivars in 85 years, The average time between crossing parents and commercial sales has been 15.8 years. Moore’s program grows thousands of seedlings each year, looking for good pros- pects. Only a handful of can- didates are tried in farmers’ fields, usually in Whatcom County, where the state’s raspberry growers are con- centrated. Moore said he has four more cultivars ready to be planted this summer. He said the failures will become ap- parent fairly soon, but winners will take longer to identify. Pierson selected as new dairy princess-ambassador By GEOFF PARKS For the Capital Press SALEM — Sara Pierson of St. Paul was chosen the 2016 Oregon Dairy Princess-Ambas- sador at the 57th annual corona- tion banquet Jan. 23 in Salem. Gina Atsma of Amity was chosen first alternate. Both of their families have been in the dairy business five generations. Passing the crowns to their successors were the 2015 Or- egon Dairy Princess-Ambas- sador, Emma Miller, and last year’s first alternate, Megan Sprute. Pierson, 20, is the daughter of Steve and Susan Pierson, owners of Sar-Ben Farms of St. Paul. She and her two brothers represent the youngest of three generations actively working the family’s 165-acre, 350- cow organic dairy, along with their parents and grandfather, Marlin. She represented Mari- on County in this year’s ODPA program. Her jobs at the dairy still include chores such as mov- ing the cows among different pastures and moving irrigation pipe. Atsma, 19, represented Polk County, and was raised on her family’s dairy farm, Atsma Dairy of Amity, and still works Geoff Parks/For the Capital Press Sara Pierson of St. Paul, the 2016 Oregon State Dairy Princess-Ambassador, takes a bow before the audience at the coronation banquet at the Salem Convention Center. At back is master of ceremonies Jim E. Chonga. there between college studies and other activities. In their speeches, both Pier- son and Atsma celebrated their families’ long histories in the dairy industry. Pierson spoke about her family’s dairy history and her part in it under the theme of “Where I Come From.” Atsma likewise spoke of the longevity of the Atsma Dairy with a theme of “Cows Come First In Our Family.” Pierson and Atsma were chosen over a field that includ- ed four other young women: Olivia Miller of Independence, representing Linn and Benton counties; Chelsey McFalls of McMinnville, representing Yamhill County; Stephanie Breazile of Cornelius, repre- senting Washington County; and Lucy Kyle-Milward of St. Helens, representing Columbia County. Pierson is a 2014 gradu- ate of St. Paul High School and currently is a sophomore studying agricultural business management at Oregon State University with the hopes of beginning a career in marketing or business with an agricultural cooperative. “I’m super excited,” she said after her crowning, “but I’m still sort of in disbelief. I worked really, really hard for this and banked a lot of hours with my adviser to get here. It’s kind of a nerve-wracking event, but I was really ready and my nerves subsided.” Among Pierson’s first du- ties as the 2016 Oregon Dairy Princess-Ambassador will be to make an appearance during Dairy Day at the state Capitol in Salem on Feb. 8. She said she would probably take a break from spring term classes at OSU to deal with the crush of events — nearly 110 through the year — that will greet her beginning this April. Those events include ele- mentary school presentations, public appearances and giving speeches to civic and commu- nity organizations. According to ODPA State Director Jessica Kliewer, the program last year reached more than 15,000 stu- dents. In another unusual happen- ing at the coronation event, Pierson was also voted the congeniality award. She be- comes only the third contestant in the past 42 years to win both honors. Monday, Feb. 1 Native Tree Identification Class, University of Idaho Extension Office in Kootenai County, Coeur d’Alene, 208-446-1680. Tuesday, Feb. 2 Spokane Ag Expo & Pacific Northwest Farm Forum, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Spokane Convention Cen- ter. Wednesday, Feb. 3 Spokane Ag Expo & Pacific Northwest Farm Forum, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Spokane Convention Cen- ter. Capital Press Managers Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher Joe Beach ..................................... Editor Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Entire contents copyright © 2016 EO Media Group dba Capital Press An independent newspaper published every Friday. Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is published weekly by EO Media Group, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048. To Reach Us Toll free ............................. 800-882-6789 Main line ........................... 503-364-4431 Fax ................................... 503-370-4383 Advertising Fax ................ 503-364-2692 News Staff N. 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Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester ..........................President Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Sid Freeman .................. Outside director Mike Omeg .................... Outside director Corporate officer John Perry Chief operating officer By DON JENKINS PUYALLUP, Wash. — Since 1987, Washington State University berry breeder Pat Moore has occupied the same office, a cubbyhole crammed with books, family mementos, worn furniture and plaques. The plaques commemorate milestones in Moore’s career. He’s patented three strawber- ry cultivars and four raspber- ry cultivars. Last year, he was awarded the Wilder Medal by the American Pomological Society, a national honor giv- en for contributions to fruit breeding. Four or five years from re- tirement, however, Moore, 63, has ambitions to top his past accomplishments. He hopes to develop the red raspberry that will succeed the renowned but aging Meeker as the king of Washington rasp- berries. “The growers really want a new raspberry,” Moore said. “They feel Meeker, the term they use, is ‘running out.’” Raspberry farmers have re- lied for several decades on the Meeker, which was released by WSU in 1967 and named for Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker, Puyallup’s first may- or. Meeker, the man, grew rich growing hops and built a man- sion 2 miles from the WSU Puyallup Research and Exten- sion Center. Meeker, the berry, was the superstar of its generation, and the next. In the 1980s it surpassed the venerable Willamette, a cultivar released by Oregon Capital Press Thursday, Feb. 4 Spokane Ag Expo & Pacific Northwest Farm Forum, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Spokane Convention Cen- ter. Klamath Bull & Select Ranch Horse Sale, Klamath County Fair- grounds, Klamath Falls, Ore. Ad- mission tickets for the Event Center are available for purchase at sever- al local retailers and online at www. klamathbullsale.com. Friday, Feb. 5 Klamath Bull & Select Ranch Horse Sale, Klamath County Fair- grounds, Klamath Falls, Ore., www. klamathbullsale.com Nevada Small Farm Con- ference, Nugget Casino Resort, Sparks, 775-250-1339. Swine Information Day, Pillar Rock Grill, Moses Lake, 509-754- 2011, ext. 4313. Saturday, Feb. 6 Klamath Bull & Select Ranch Horse Sale, Klamath County Fair- grounds, Klamath Falls, Ore., www. klamathbullsale.com Nevada Small Farm Con- ference, Nugget Casino Resort, Sparks, 775-250-1339. Sunday, Feb. 7 Klamath Bull & Select Ranch Horse Sale, Klamath County Fair- grounds, Klamath Falls, Ore., www. klamathbullsale.com Thursday, Feb. 18 WAFLA Annual Labor Confer- ence, Central Washington Universi- ty, Ellensburg. Wednesday, Feb. 24 Southern Idaho Direct Seed Workshop, Shiloh Inn Conference Center, Idaho Falls, (208) 334- 2353. Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 27-28 Mid-Valley Winter Ag Fest, Polk County Fairgrounds, Rick- reall, Ore. 503-428-8224. The Winter Ag Fest will have events promoting local ag commerce. Tuesday-Wednesday, March 1-2 22nd Fruit Ripening & Ethylene Management Workshop, Posthar- vest Technology Center, University of California-Davis. Friday, March 4 Ag Chemical Collection Event, Redwood Transfer Station, Grants Pass, Ore., 541-690-9983. Pre-reg- istration is required by Feb. 18. Saturday, March 5 Ag Chemical Collection Event, Rogue Disposal Transfer Station, White City, Ore., 541-690-9983. Pre-registration is required by Feb. 18. Saturday, March 12 Spring into Gardening, McMin- nville Community Center, McMin- nville, Ore., 503-434-7517. The 4th annual Spring into Garden- ing event’s theme will be “Home Landscaping — Small Changes Big Impact.” Nine speakers will discuss a variety of garden and landscaping topics. Presented by Oregon State University Ex- tension Service and the Yamhill County Master Gardeners Asso- ciation. Friday-Sunday, March 18-20 Northwest Horse Fair & Expo 2016, Linn County Fair and Expo Center, Albany, Ore. 765-655-2107 The 17th annual Northwest Horse Fair and Expo is the largest equine expo in the Northwest. California ................................ 9 Idaho ...................................... 7 Markets ............................... 17 Opinion .................................. 6 Oregon .................................. 8 Washington ......................... 10 World Ag Expo ............... 13-15 Correction policy Accuracy is important to Capital Press staff and to our readers. If you see a misstatement, omission or factual error in a headline, story or photo caption, please call the Capital Press news department at 503-364-4431, or send email to newsroom@capitalpress.com. We want to publish corrections to set the record straight.