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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2016)
16 CapitalPress.com April 15, 2016 Hazelnut growers use several tools to fight EFB For the Capital Press Jeff Newton, manager of Christensen Farms’ 700 acres of hazelnut trees, looks at the sky hopefully and says he wishes for a few dry days. If the dry days come, you’ll find him directing spraying from helicopters, airplanes and ground rigs, a routine he’ll Tons of Accessories Easy Financing Full Service Dealership Complete Line of Honda ATV’s Serving Farms & Ranches for 52 Years •••• 1964-2016 continue every two weeks until the trees completely leaf out. Fungicides are among sev- eral lines of defense against the Eastern Filbert Blight, a fungus that weakens and even- tually kills productivity in hazelnut trees. The blight has been hitting Oregon orchards for decades, but his have been hardest hit in the past five years, Newton said. Spraying is not the only defense. New resistant vari- eties, developed by Oregon State University and released in 2012, are showing promise in the ground. There are also some older, experimental Jef- ferson trees growing on Chris- tensen property that are doing fine. “But they’re resistant, not immune,” Newton said, walk- 2016 PIONEER 1000 EPS MSRP $ 15,199 00* 4x4 3-Seater 6 Spd. Paddle Shift Auto Trans. Liquid Cooled Fuel Injection 12 Month Warranty honda sports Your Authorized Full Service Dealer 2140 N. Pacific Hwy. 99E • Woodburn, OR • Open 8-6 Tues-Sat. (503) 981-1813 • 800-981-1813 • www.taylormotorcycles.com honda.com Pioneer IS ONLY FOR DRIVERS 16 YEARS AND OLDER. MULTI-PURPOSE UTILITY VEHICLES CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO OPERATE. FOR YOUR SAFETY, BE RESPONSIBLE. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND APPROPRIATE CLOTHING. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT, AND KEEP THE SIDE NETS AND DOORS CLOSED. AVOID EXCESSIVE SPEEDS AND BE CAREFUL ON DIFFICULT TERRAIN. 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ONV16-1/#7 Metal Roofing and Siding Quality Steel Buildings 1” 12” or 16” Coverage Loc Seam 1 1 ⁄ 4 ” 3’ PBR 36” Coverage 9” 3’ Magna Rib Gail Oberst/For the Capital Press Eastern Filbert Blight, the bane of Oregon’s industry, infects young leaves and branches with pustules that leave tell-tale scars, according to hazelnut manager Jeff Newton. Growers use several tools to stave off EFB. begins cutting out the infected branches to stop the spread- ing. The blight infects young leaves and stems as it travels through wind and rain. Eventually, the infected tree will weaken, even with pruning, but long before that, production will decrease, the infected tree will be removed and a new tree will take its place. The past five years have es- pecially taken a toll on the or- chards he manages, which are scattered throughout Yamhill and Polk counties in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Isolated Buell, halfway to the coast on Highway 22, was the last or- chard to be hit with the blight. Oregon’s battle with the blight might have destroyed the market if freezing disas- ter had not struck a few years ago in Turkey, which produces most of the world’s hazelnuts. Scarcity in the world market pushed up Oregon’s nut pric- es, inspiring other growers — both new and experienced — to plant more hazelnuts. New acreage, spraying, pruning and resistant varieties have combined to stave off the economic impact of the fungus, although there’s still an expected shortage until the new nuts come online. According to National Agricultural Statistics Ser- vice counts, there were nearly 30,000 acres in production (of 45,000 planted) in both 2002 and 2014. Despite the blight, the in- dustry is holding on, averag- ing nearly $70 million in sales each of the last few years. Become the new generation of farmer - at the forefront of technology and agriculture. Contact us today! 36” Coverage 12” ing through young orchards, the new Jefferson and Mc- Donald trees now in their sec- ond leaf. After just one year in the ground, both varieties are showing signs of blight attack, but, unlike his Barce- lona variety trees, blight pus- tules appear but don’t seem to spread on the Jefferson variety. Instead, an injury will appear, but quickly heals over, leav- ing nothing but a small scar. Whether that scar is hiding the fungus that could impact pro- duction down the road remains to be seen, said Newton. Still, he spent his winter planting hundreds of acres of the five resistant varieties, replacing the weakening Barcelona trees that make up most of Oregon’s market — for now. Newton and OSU research- ers are carefully watching all of the new resistant varieties as they leaf out this year, includ- ing orchards planted to Dorris, Yamhill and Wepster varieties. New varieties are not New- ton’s only line of defense. Hard pruning is another. When older trees — the trees he man- ages are from one to more than 50 years old — Newton’s crew 3⁄4” SALE White Magna Rib $1.55/LF CHOOSE YOUR SIZE CUSTOMIZE YOUR DESIGN CALL FOR QUOTE! PRE-ENGINEERED STRUCTURES Lindsey Williams (509) 524-5239 lindsey.williams@wwcc.edu Mike Hagerman (509) 527-4217 michael.hagerman@wwcc.edu www.WWCC.edu See our website for additional profiles and products! HOURS: Mon. - Fri. 8:00 - 5:30 www.metallionindustries.com 500 Tausick Way Walla Walla, WA 99362 503-630-7740 Fax 503-630-7770 850 NW Park Avenue, Estacada, OR “L IVE E VERY D AY F OR J ESUS !” ONV16-1/#7 ONV16-7/#6 By GAIL OBERST
