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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.
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Idaho-Oregon Onion Hall of Fame inducts two farmers
By SEAN ELLIS
Capital Press
ONTARIO, Ore. — Gar-
ry Bybee and Isao “Kame”
Kameshige are the newest
members of the Idaho-Oregon
Onion Industry Hall of Fame.
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:
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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
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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.