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2 CapitalPress.com February 16, 2018 People & Places Irrigation at its most precise the strength of vacuum within the plant needed to suck water through its roots. “Each measurement ends up costing you about $5, and that’s a very expensive data point,” Campbell said. The experiment would ultimately cost more than $30,000 in hardware and analytical tools, but he was successful in demonstrating a strong correlation between water tension in the plant and the soil. Alan Campbell, Hector Dominguez develop system for monitoring water tension in soil By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Though agricultural sen- sors are becoming less expen- sive and more precise, plant physiologist Alan Campbell realized farmers still face a stiff challenge. Installing sensors, collect- ing data and interpreting the information often isn’t intui- tive, hindering growers from effectively applying the new technology. “People can buy them but that just creates more prob- lems,” Campbell said. “They don’t want to buy it and create a hundred new problems to solve.” To simplify decision-mak- ing in a crucial realm of agriculture — irrigation — Campbell deploys sensors that measure the tension of water in the soil. Greater water tension in the soil means that crops are using more suction to draw water from the ground, which stresses them. By monitoring soil water tension, farmers can then adjust irrigation to increase or decrease that plant stress. For example, a vineyard manager may want to reduce plant stress during bloom to ensure healthy fruit set in the grape vines. Once that’s accomplished, increasing stress can prevent the leaf canopy from growing too vigorously. Withdrawing ir- rigation can achieve this result more cheaply and efficiently than mechanical pruning. “There are many things you want to control by apply- ing stress,” Campbell said. “Depending on the preferenc- es of the winemaker, you may apply more or less stress.” SmartVineyards, a com- pany co-founded by Camp- bell, sells sensors and related equipment that collect and Next step Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press Hector Dominguez, left, chief technology officer of SmartVineyards, and Alan Campbell, the firm’s chief executive officer, display a water tension sensor and transmitting system developed by their company. The system helps farmers make decisions about irrigation. Western Innovator Alan Campbell Occupation: Co-founder and chief executive officer of SmartVineyards Age: 65 Hometown: Tualatin, Ore. Family: Wife and two grown children Education: Bachelor of science in botany from the University of Michigan in 1974, master’s degree in horticulture from Michigan State University in 1989, Ph.D. in plant physiology from the Uni- versity of California-Davis in 1991 Western Innovator Hector Dominguez Occupation: Co-founder and chief technology officer of SmartVineyards Age: 44 Hometown: Portland, Ore. Family: Wife and young daughter Education: Bachelor of science in electrical engineering in 1996, master’s degree in mechanical engineering design in 1999, both from the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico City; master’s degree in mechanical engineering controls from the University of California-Berkeley in 2004. Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico City in 2011. transmit soil water tension data to the “cloud,” a network of computer servers, which relays the information to per- sonal computers and cellular phones. Relying on the concept of computer “machine-learn- ing,” the startup’s software interprets data to guide irriga- tion decisions that influence various stages of the crop life cycle. The hardware is outfit- ted with a miniature weather station as well as a solar panel to power the devices. Water tension Soil water tension is mea- sured at three depths —1 foot, 2 feet and 3 feet — to better inform growers how hard the plant is working to draw water. “There’s a very repeatable pattern here,” Campbell said, referring to the connection between water tension, plant stress and physiology. “We could teach a computer to manage irrigation.” The system developed by SmartVineyards doesn’t auto- matically make irrigation de- cisions. That would take too much authority away from the grower, who can fine-tune wa- ter availability based on goals for the wine grapes. Instead, the company makes it easier to analyze the dynamics of a crop’s water usage. “We can help people man- age complicated situations,” Campbell said. The idea for SmartVine- yards was hatched when Campbell was working as an adjunct professor at the Northwest Viticulture Center in Salem, Ore. With his children leaving the nest, he embarked on a new project in 2013 of com- paring the water tension in grape vines to the water ten- sion in soil. Traditionally, measuring a plant’s water tension required a pressure chamber to gauge Campbell’s next step in- volved developing a system that would rely on the more easily measured soil water tension to steer irrigation management. Since his career was de- voted to plant physiology, Campbell needed to recruit an engineer who understood the process of collecting and an- alyzing data with computers. At a networking meet- ing of engineers, Campbell met his co-founder, Hector Dominguez, who specializes in mechanical engineering and robotics. Dominguez, who has worked on many projects during his career, said he was intrigued by the dirt on Camp- bell’s jeans. “This is actually some- one going into the field. I can work with that,” he remem- bers thinking. The company has since in- stalled its systems in several vineyards in Oregon, Cali- fornia and Washington, and is applying the technology to hops, blueberries, onions, potatoes, cherries, apples and hazelnuts. In 2017, SmartVineyards received a $250,000 grant from Oregon BEST, a non- profit that invests in new tech- nology, to team up with re- searchers from Oregon State University and Washington State University to validate and improve its system. Smartvineyards is also seeking a $580,000 grant from the Oregon Innovation Council, a public-private part- nership, which will facilitate the company’s expansion into other crops. Capital Press Established 1928 Board of directors Mike Forrester Steve Forrester Kathryn Brown Susan Rana Mike Omeg Corporate Officer Heidi Wright Chief Operating Officer Capital Press Managers Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager Entire contents copyright © 2018 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 Circulation ......................... 800-882-6789 Email ........ 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Kameshige, 92, has grown onions in the region for 68 years, while Bybee, 79, has farmed onions in this area for 45 years. They were inducted into the hall of fame Feb. 6 during the 58th annual meeting of the Ida- ho and Malheur County, Ore., onion growers’ associations. Both men have served on numerous onion industry com- mittees and boards. “Garry and Kame are a cou- ple of highly deserving peo- ple for this award,” said Clint Shock, director of Oregon State University’s agricultural re- Calendar Sean Ellis/Capital Press Isao “Kame” Kameshige, left, and Garry Bybee, right, are welcomed into the Idaho-Oregon onion industry’s joint hall of fame Feb. 6 by Malheur County Onion Growers Association President Paul Skeen. search station near Ontario. The southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon onion in- dustries are closely linked. They established a joint hall of fame in 1986. Bybee has turned over op- eration of his farm in the past 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 “Submit an Event.” Calendar items can also be mailed to Capital Press, 1400 Broad- way St. NE, Salem, OR 97301 or emailed to newsroom@capitalpress. com. Write “Calendar” in the subject line. Saturday, Feb. 10 Field-to-Market Workshop. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15210 NE Miley Road, Aurora, Ore. How to produce value-added food products, and where to start. Cost: $25 person or $40 per couple. http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/ field-market Monday, Feb. 19 Oregon Blueberry Conference. 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial St. SE, Salem. Program includes a blueberry produc- tion summary and trends, industry speakers and research updates, trade show and reception. Website: oregon- blueberry.com Tuesday-Thursday Feb. 20-22 Oregon Board of Agriculture Meeting. Oregon Department of Ag- riculture, 635 Capitol St. NE, Salem, Ore. The full board meeting begins at 4 p.m. Feb. 20 with a presentation on water quantity issues from the Or- egon Water Resources Department, with a focus on Columbia River water reservations and Oregon minimum stream flows. On day two, the board will participate in a roundtable dis- cussion of key legislative issues with agriculture industry representatives. The board will also receive an up- date on the ODA’s legislative issues. Day two concludes with board mem- bers meeting with individual legisla- tors at the Capitol to discuss priority issues concerning agriculture. On day three, board members will re- ceive an update from Oregon OSHA few years to his son, Marc, and his wife, Tamara. “To be honored by the on- ion industry after 45 years is indeed an honor,” said Bybee. “It’s been a hell of a ride.” He credited others for any success he has had during his farming career. “I’ve seen the highs, I’ve seen the lows, I’ve seen the middle, I’ve survived and it’s because a lot of friends, a lot of business partners and a lot of growers have helped me sur- vive through all these years,” he said. Bybee said it’s hard for him to digest the amount of change that has taken place in the on- ion industry over the past five decades. “When we first started, ev- erything was manual,” he said. “Everything was done by hand. Now, virtually the only thing that is still done by hand is sort- ing. Technology is changing every day and I can’t imagine what’s going to happen in the next 45 years.” Kameshige’s two sons, Randy and Brian, run the fam- ily farm while Kame helps taxi workers around the farm. Randy Kameshige told Cap- ital Press his father is “pretty low key about accolades. He just liked to do his part and help out where he could. He’s always inquisitive, always try- ing to learn and not afraid to try something different and always open to learning something from somebody else, too.” The family farm has faced a lot of tough times over the decades but the key to Kame’s success has been hard work and not incurring a lot of debt, Ran- dy Kameshige said. “His philosophy was, stay away from debt,” he said. “He didn’t over-extend himself and when times were tough, we didn’t have a lot of debt.” Kame started growing onions in the Ontario area in 1949 on 37 acres. His farm has grown to 700 acres today. GASES / WELDING / SAFETY / FIRE www.oxarc.com on the Worker Protection Standard and a presentation of a land use study conducted by Portland State University. The board will conclude its meeting by reviewing resolutions and providing subcommittee reports. Public comment periods are sched- uled for 11:45 a.m. on Feb. 21 and 10:45 a.m. on Feb. 22. Website: http://oda.direct/BoardAgriculture Thursday, Feb. 22 Part 1: Farm & Ranch Succes- sion Planning Workshop. 6-8:30 p.m. Clackamas Small Business Develop- ment Center, 7726 SE Harmony Road, Milwaukie, Ore. Register now for the four-part Farm and Ranch Succession Planning Workshop Series. No need to attend in person. You can take this workshop remotely from anywhere in the state. This program is offered and taught by the Clackamas Small Busi- ness Development Center, along with guest presenters such as attorneys and CPAs. In addition to informative topics and experienced ag profes- sionals, courses include confidential, 20 Northwest Locations one-on-one business counseling. A complimentary light dinner will start each evening at 6 p.m. To register, call 503- 594-0738. Cost: Free. Website: http://bit. ly/2CX1jvl California State University-Chico Agriculture Career and Internship Fair. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. University Farm Pavilion, Chico, Calif. More than 40 leading agri- cultural companies will be represented. Students and alumni from all majors are invited to attend and are advised to dress professionally and bring a resume. Prior registration is not required of job seekers. Thursday-Friday Feb. 22-23 Logging, Construction, Trucking & Heavy Equipment Expo. Lane County Fairgrounds and Convention Cen- ter, 796 W 13th Ave., Eugene, Ore. The exhibits, demonstrations and log-loading competition are spon- sored by the Oregon Logging Con- ference, which is celebrating its 80th year. Included is the Oregon Women In Timber annual dinner and auction. 1-800-765-9055 Website: www.oregonloggingconfer- ence.com Family Farm Alliance Annual Conference, Eldorado Resort Casi- no, 345 N. Virginia St., Reno, Nev. The theme of this year’s conference is “One year in: What’s changed and where are we going in Western wa- ter?” Website: http://bit.ly/2hGieJU Friday, Feb. 23 Screening of the film “Food Evo- lution.” 3-5 p.m. Polk County Fair- grounds, 520 SW Highway 99W, Rickreall, Ore. This documentary, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, takes a close look at the facts as- sociated with genetically modified foods. It was directed by Academy Award nominee Scott Hamilton Kennedy. This presentation will include an introduction by Helle Rudenklau and is sponsored by the Polk County Women for Agriculture. Cost: Free. Online: foodevolution- movie.com 9 months 4-H, FFA students & teachers .....$25 Visa and Mastercard accepted To get information published Mailing address: Capital Press P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR 97308-2048 News: Contact the main office or news staff member closest to you, send the in- formation to newsroom@capitalpress.com or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press. Include a contact telephone number. Letters to the Editor: Send your comments on agriculture-related public issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital Press. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday. Capital Press ag media www.capitalpress.com www.FarmSeller.com marketplace.capitalpress.com www.facebook.com/capitalpress www.facebook.com/farmseller twitter.com/capitalpress www.youtube.com/capitalpressvideo Index Dairy .................................... 14 Livestock ..............................11 Markets ............................... 13 Opinion .................................. 6 Clarification A story in the Feb. 9 Capital Press about the Red Bluff Bull Sale did not mention the own- ers of the two cattle dogs that were sold for $30,000 each. One dog, BC Gurdy, was consigned by Jeff Clausen of Melba, Idaho. The other, ZBC Rose, was consigned by Mandi Post of Wallowa, Ore. More information about the dogs can be found in the cata- log, which is online at http://bit. ly/2EhqI4o. Correction A graphic on page 14 of the Feb. 9 edition incorrectly displayed the monthly pre- cipitation percent of normal instead of the snow water equivalent percent of normal. The corrected version of the graphic can be viewed at www. capitalpress.com.