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2 CapitalPress.com September 2, 2016 People & Places Firm markets WSU grain varieties Marci Miller also helps farmers, others understand ag options Western Innovator By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press RITZVILLE, Wash. — Marci Miller remembers a plaque on the wall in her grandmother’s farm house in Ralston, Wash. The lettering said, “He who plants the seed beneath the sod and waits to see believes in God,” and it depicted a farm- er and his wife looking across their land. “I always remember look- ing at that and thinking to my- self, ‘I love that thought, that theory,’” Miller said. “It takes faith to farm.” But, she said, “it also takes hard work, a lot of knowledge and education.” That’s what Washington Genetics LLC, the company Miller owns with her husband, Mike, helps to provide farmers and others. The Ritzville, Wash., com- pany markets Washington State University’s grain variet- ies, including answering ques- tions about the varieties and licensing seed dealers. “When I think of the word ‘genetics,’ I don’t necessarily think of the chemical makeup of something,” Miller said. “To us, it’s more technology advancement and research.” The information highway is two-way. Washington Ge- netics also provides informa- tion from customers to WSU, helping breeders select the Marci Miller Age: 38 Occupation: Co-owner, Washington Genetics LLC Hometown: Ritzville, Wash. Education: Associate degree in applied science, agricultural chemical science and agricultural business science, Spokane Communi- ty College Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Family: Husband, Mike, is also an owner of Washington Genetics, a member of the Washington Grain Commis- sion and an oficer of U.S. Wheat Associates. Three children. Marci Miller stands outside the ofice of her company, Washington Genetics LLC, in downtown Ritz- ville, Wash., on Aug. 11. right lines for release and de- velop a strategy for increase to get new varieties to growers more quickly, said Jim Moyer, director of WSU’s Agricultural Research Center. The company also works with the Washington State Crop Improvement Associa- tion to manage royalties so ev- eryone understands and meets contract conditions. “We are exceeding our ex- pectations in terms of market penetration for our new vari- eties, and this in turn adds to our bottom line for royalty col- lection,” Moyer said, crediting Washington Genetics’ market- ing efforts. “It has almost im- mediately raised the stature of our breeding program with the private breeders based on the relationships we are develop- ing with the companies.” Making sure growers are aware of and can access the best WSU varieties increases the industry’s investment in the university, Moyer said. “Every university ap- proaches commercialization of their varieties differently,” he said. “We are in a deinite minority as far as this ap- proach goes, but a lot of our peers are watching us very closely.” The company goes beyond marketing. It also serves as a resource to help clients rang- ing from growers to cities and other government entities working with agriculture. “At some point, everything has some type of agricultural perspective to it,” Miller said. “Every city, big or small, has agriculture on the outlines of it. That does affect anything that goes on in the cities.” Farmers might be looking to explore new crops or de- velop a new product. A school might be leasing some farm ground but need help under- standing what the farmer is do- ing or sorting through USDA paperwork. “There’s a deinite gap be- tween who understands who and how they can work togeth- er,” Miller said. “Even grow- ing up, I would recognize the struggles my dad would have trying to connect with ‘big ag’ industry-type things and how he could get that to apply to his farm.” Miller applies the same theory to her current work. “Tell me what you need, and I will tell you what we can do, or I can point you in the direction of someone who Website: http://www.wash- genetics.com/ Associated Press LOS BANOS, Calif. — A drone whirred to life in a cloud of dust, then shot hundreds of feet skyward for a bird’s-eye view of a vast tomato ield in California’s Central Valley, the nation’s most productive farm- ing region. Equipped with a state-of- the-art thermal camera, the drone crisscrossed the ield, scanning it for cool, soggy patches where a gopher may have chewed through the bur- ied drip irrigation line and caused a leak. In the drought-prone West, where every drop of water counts, California farmers are in a constant search for ways to eficiently use the increas- ingly scarce resource. Cannon Michael is putting drone tech- nology to work on his ields at Bowles Farming Co. near Los Banos, 120 miles southeast of San Francisco. About 2,100 companies and individuals have feder- al permission to ly drones for farming, according to the drone industry’s Association for Unmanned Vehicle Sys- tems International. Federal regulators relaxed the rules Monday on commer- cial drones, a move that could spur even greater use of such aircraft on farms. Michael is descended from Henry Miller, a renowned cat- tle rancher, farmer and West- Calendar Scott Smith/Associated Press Danny Royer, vice president of technology at Bowles Farming Co., prepares to pilot a drone over a tomato ield near Los Banos, Calif. The farm hired Royer this year to oversee drones equipped with a state-of-the-art thermal camera. ern landowner who helped transform semi-arid central California into fertile farmland 150 years ago by building irri- gation canals, some still low- ing today. Six generations later, Mi- chael farms a 17-square-mile portion of that same land, growing melons, carrots, on- ions, cotton and almonds, while carrying on in the same pioneering spirit as Miller. “I’ve always been a big fan of technology,” said Michael, 44, mindful of how climate change is making water more precious. “I think it’s really the only way we’re going to stay in business.” On his 2,400-acre tomato crop alone, Michael estimates that this year his leak-detect- ing drones could save enough Sponsored by: To submit an event go to the Community Events calendar on the home page of our website at www. capitalpress.com and click on “Sub- mit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR 97301. Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Friday, Sept. 2 Washington State Fair, 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puy- allup. (253) 845-1771, http://www. thefair.com/ Washington State Fair, 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puyal- lup. (253) 845-1771, http://www. thefair.com/ Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Saturday, Sept. 3 Washington State Fair, 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puy- allup. (253) 845-1771, http://www. thefair.com/ Eastern Idaho State Fair, 97 Park St., Blackfoot. 208-785-2480, https://funatthefair.com/ Sunday, Sept. 4 Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ Eastern Idaho State Fair, 97 Park St., Blackfoot. 208-785-2480, https://funatthefair.com/ Monday, Sept. 5 Washington State Fair, 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puyal- water to sustain more than 550 families of four for a year. California endured the dri- est four-year period on record before a relatively wet and snowy winter this year over- lowed some reservoirs in the northern part of the state. Southern California, however, remains dry, and the statewide drought has not ended. Beyond California, drones are becoming ixtures on farms in places such as Canada, Aus- tralia, South Africa and Latin America as they become more affordable and easier to use, said Ian Smith of DroneDe- ploy, a San Francisco-based industry leader in drone soft- ware development. A farmer can order a com- mercial-grade drone online for $2,000 and receive it in the mail days later, he said. Its video camera is then paired up with a smartphone or comput- er tablet that is used to control the drone. “Hook it up to a smart- phone. Boom. Take off and you’re in business,” Smith said. Many farmers, however, have yet to grasp the full po- tential beyond capturing video images of crops or using in- frared cameras to spot color variations in the plants that can signal a problem. Few have used technology and invested in it to the degree Michael has. This year he began using the thermal camera, which can cost up to $10,000 and can show moisture variations in soil. He also created a new management position at his company dedicated to over- seeing drones. Recently, Danny Royer, the new vice president of tech- nology at Bowles, stood at the tailgate of his pickup studying live images transmitted to the screen of his tablet as a drone buzzed 300 feet overhead. Rows of mature tomato plants appeared on the screen in glowing burnt orange, in- dicating warmer, drier areas, while dark patches of purple showed the cool moist soil hidden below the plants. After taking the images back to his ofice to analyze them, he decided there were no leaks to repair, but the can,” she said. Besides Washington, the irm serves clients in Idaho, Oregon and Montana and is starting to branch out to Northern California. Miller believes the com- pany is at a “growing pain” stage: There’s a lot of need, but she’s trying to balance the business, family life with three children and two farms — the irrigated farm she grew up on and Mike’s family farm. “The opportunities to be able to help the ag industry are endless,” she said. “I’m excited about that.” soil needed to be enriched in places to help the ield grow evenly. The Federal Aviation Ad- ministration’s new rules say operators of commercial drones that weigh less than 55 pounds will no longer need to go through the long, expen- sive process of earning an air- plane pilot’s license. Instead, they will have to take a written test — but not an actual lying test at the controls of a plane — and will be issued a drone license for $150. The rule change and emerging technology could make drones more attractive tools for farmers, said Bran- don Stark, director of the University of California’s Center of Excellence for Un- manned Aircraft Systems Safety, based at the Merced campus. However, he said that until federal regulators clarify parts of the new rules, commercial drones must continue to ly below 400 feet, limiting their use on very large ields. Stark is seeking what he calls the Holy Grail of drone use in agriculture — enabling them to directly diagnose what ails a tree, whether it’s deiciencies in water or nu- trients, or a pest — without having to send a person into the ield. “We’re just getting start- ed,” Stark said. “The research is really still in its infancy.” GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE www.oxarc.com 20 Northwest Locations 1-800-765-9055 492-4200 or bgr@ricedairy.com Oregon State Fair, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem, 971-701- 6573, http://oregonstatefair.org/ the relationship between soil and plants, hand versus mechanical tillage, soil structure and texture, the cast of characters in the soil and how to improve soil. https:// secure.oregonstate.edu/osuext/ register/1064 Eastern Idaho State Fair, 97 Park St., Blackfoot. 208-785-2480, https://funatthefair.com/ Eastern Idaho State Fair, 97 Park St., Blackfoot. 208-785-2480, https://funatthefair.com/ Eastern Idaho State Fair, 97 Park St., Blackfoot. 208-785-2480, https://funatthefair.com/ Tuesday, Sept. 6 Upgrade Your Dairy Decisions Workshop and Lunch, noon-2 p.m. Darigold headquarters, 1130 Rainier Ave. S, Seattle. Learn how a growing number of dairy farms are using Vault Technologies to save time and make financial de- cisions with greater confidence. One type of financial manage- ment on a dairy farm is hedging. Rice Dairy LLC will be there to share ideas and experiences on how dairies are using technology to become better hedgers. 312- Upgrade Your Dairy Decisions Workshop, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Snipes Mountain Brewery, 905 Yakima Valley Highway, Sunnyside, Wash. Learn how a growing number of dairy farms are using Vault Tech- nologies to save time and make inancial decisions with greater con- idence. One type of inancial man- agement on a dairy farm is hedging. Rice Dairy LLC will be there to share ideas and experiences on how dairies are using technology to become better hedgers. lup. (253) 845-1771, http://www. thefair.com/ Practical Application of Soil Management Principles: Down and Dirty, 5:30-8:30 p.m. SOREC Extension Building Auditorium, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point, Ore. Wear your work clothes and bring gloves for this two-session class. Move beyond theory and learn about the Rogue Valley soils. Our instructors will guide you through discussions and demonstrations of how different management practic- es and equipment affect soil quality, Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester ..........................President Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Sid Freeman .................. Outside director Mike Omeg .................... Outside director Corporate oficer John Perry Chief operating oficer 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. 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