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August 17, 2018 CapitalPress.com 3 OSU names new dean for College of Ag Alan Sams previously led programs at Texas A&M, Clemson By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press The Wilco-Hazelnut Growers of Oregon cooperative has finished its new processing facility in Donald, Ore., in time for this year’s hazelnut harvest. Hazelnut facility ready for upcoming harvest By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press A new processing facility built by the Hazelnut Grow- ers of Oregon cooperative is ready for the next crop of ha- zelnuts when harvest begins next month. Work on the new plant in Donald, Ore., broke ground in 2016, shortly after HGO merged with the Wilco farm supply cooperative, which will also operate out of the new location. A grand opening and rib- bon cutting ceremony at the facility were scheduled for Aug. 15. While the building and property are leased from a de- veloper, the cooperative has invested about $20 million in equipment and other up- grades. The new facility has more than twice the capacity to pro- cess and store hazelnuts than the company’s old headquar- ters in Cornelius, Ore., and was designed with an eye for growth in the hazelnut indus- try. Initially, the plant will op- erate at about 30-40 percent capacity but will likely reach full capacity in three to four years as more newly planted orchards mature, said Tim Ramsey, who was hired as Wilco-HGO’s new CEO last year. About 70,000 acres of ha- zelnuts are grown by rough- ly 800 Oregon farmers, with their crop’s value averaging about $100 million in recent years. “How do we provide the best economic value to hazelnut growers and ex- pand beyond commodity marketing?” he said. To that end, the cooper- ative plans to begin rolling out four product categories made from hazelnuts under the “Oregon Orchards” brand in 2019. Ramsey said it’s too ear- ly to disclose specifics about the product lines, other than they’re intended to fill “op- portunity gaps” in the food retail sector uncovered during market research. “The grocery industry is always looking for innovative products,” he said. The products will be sold in Wilco’s consumer-oriented farm stores as well as other outlets, “from Whole Foods to Winco,” Ramsey said. Though the focus of the new facility is on producing value-added hazelnut prod- ucts, the cooperative will still process in-shell nuts and isn’t “picky” as to the varieties de- livered by farmers, he said. Hazelnuts will be sorted according to size and other qualities, which will deter- mine their ultimate purpose. In-shell varieties will con- tinue to find a home at the co- operative but the growth will come from kernel varieties used in value-added goods, Ramsey said. The cooperative is less de- pendent than its competitors on exports to China, which are currently facing a head- wind due to trade tensions, he said. While the company ex- ports half as many hazelnuts as some other processors, it’s not impervious to the trade dispute since tariffs can affect the entire market for Oregon’s crop, Ramsey said. “It will impact everyone.” A new dean is coming to the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sci- ences. The university on Tues- day named Alan Sams to lead the college, succeeding Dan Arp, who will retire at the end of August. Sams has spent the last nine years as executive as- sociate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sci- ences at Texas A&M Uni- versity, managing academic programs, personnel and budgeting for one of the larg- est agricultural colleges in the country, with 350 faculty, 7,800 students and a budget of more than $69 million. At Oregon State, Sams will oversee 250 faculty, 2,600 students and a $90 million research budget. The OSU College of Agricultur- al Sciences offers 13 under- graduate and graduate degree programs, and works closely with state and federal part- ners including the USDA, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service and National Institutes of Health. In a statement released Tuesday by the university, OSU Alan Sams has been named dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University. Sams said he is excited to join OSU, crediting a “stu- dent-centered environment combined with an excellent faculty at the forefront of their fields.” “The breadth and eco- nomic importance of agri- culture in Oregon, and the interest in environmental sustainability are factors which drew me to Oregon State University,” Sams said. “There is a tremendous inno- vative spirit here, whether it is in production agriculture or food entrepreneurship. Agriculture’s role in health, energy and national security is expanding and we need to lead that growth.” Sams will also serve as director of the Oregon Agri- cultural Experiment Station on campus in Corvallis. He begins his new duties Oct. 31. Bill Boggess, executive associate dean of the college, will serve as interim dean from Sept. 1 through Oct. 30 following Arp’s retirement. During his nine years as executive associate dean at Texas A&M, Sams helped the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences increase enrollment by 25 percent, increase its budget by 30 percent and expand both re- search and international pro- grams. Sams was also previously dean of the College of Ag- riculture, Forestry and Life Sciences at Clemson Univer- sity from 2007 to 2009. Sams holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in poultry science and a doc- torate in food science and human nutrition, all from the University of Florida, where he started his academic ca- reer as a graduate assistant. He joined the Texas A&M faculty in the Department of Poultry Science and Food Science in 1984, where he stayed until he was named dean at Clemson. He then returned to Texas A&M in 2009. Sams also has experience in the private sector, having worked as a quality assur- ance analyst with Gold Kist Poultry in Florida. Ed Feser, OSU provost and vice president, described Sams as a seasoned and savvy administrator with a strong vision for the college. “There’s the strong ex- perience factor with Alan,” Feser told the Capital Press. “Also, I think he’s very com- fortable and skilled working with the different constituen- cies you need to work with at an agricultural college.” Feser said a hiring com- mittee of 15 people selected Sams from a 12-candidate field, which was whittled down to four finalists who each visited campus earlier this year. Sams has a strong sense of the college’s ability to serve agriculture in Oregon, as well as nationally and in- ternationally, Feser said. “He has a great interest in working with stakeholders,” Feser said. Dave Dillon, executive vice president of the Ore- gon Farm Bureau, said that bodes well for members who depend on the university for data, outreach and educating the next generation of farm- ers and ranchers. “For us, OSU is our land grant institution,” Dillon said. “It has the closest con- nection to family farms and ranches. The things that they do have an ongoing rele- vance to producers well be- yond their college years.” Europe foresees record apple crop By DAN WHEAT Capital Press Europe is forecasting a record 12.6 million met- ric ton apple crop this fall, which means it will be in- creasingly competitive against Washington apples in the Middle East and Asia. The forecast was released at the Prognosfruit Confer- ence in Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 9, attended by about 300 international apple and pear growers, according to a news release from the World Apple and Pear Association. The forecast is up 36 percent over last year’s low crop of 9.25 million metric tons but is only 3 percent over the 2014 to 2016 aver- age. It is slightly above the record 12.5 million metric ton 2014 crop. Europe’s pear crop is predicted at 2.3 mil- lion metric tons, up 4 per- cent from 2017. The increases are due to better climatic conditions across Europe with a mild winter, no late frost and lim- ited impact of hail so far, the association said. Dan Wheat/Capital Press Just a small portion of the thousands of apple bins staged at the McDougall & Sons Inc. Baker Flats facility north of East Wenatchee, Wash., waiting to be trucked to area orchards for harvest in the next few weeks. Apples will be strong in Poland at 4.5 million metric tons and more average in Ita- ly and France. Last season’s stock is sold out so there will be strong demand in Europe on the fresh and processing side, the association said. Drought and heat waves in several parts of Europe so far have had limited im- pact on the quality and fruit size. Markets are also com- plex given the continuing Russian embargo of Western produce and restrictions in the Mediterranean, the asso- ciation said. The 12.6 million fresh and processing metric ton forecast equates to 662 million, 42-pound boxes compared to a 131 million, 40-pound box Washington fresh forecast and a U.S. total fresh and processing likely to be about 280 mil- lion, 42-pound boxes, said Desmond O’Rourke, world apple market analyst and re- tired Washington State Uni- versity agricultural econo- mist, in Pullman, Wash. Washington’s fresh crop equals 2.4 million metric tons and the U.S. fresh and processed is 5.3 million met- ric tons, he said. “But you have to remem- ber that the European popu- lation is well over 500 mil- lion people compared with our 320 million, so propor- tionally that makes U.S. and European crops more com- mensurate,” he said. “But they have a huge crop and a lot of markets are very difficult. Russia is still closed to all of Europe and us,” O’Rourke said. “It hurts us in Asia and the Middle East, probably more in the Middle East. They can sell low-value product in there. They will be scrounging for markets so we’d better keep our promotions up.” Washington exporters are concerned about tariffs in Mexico, India and China, all top Washington export mar- kets, he said. That makes the Middle East more important and Washington has been falling there in recent years due to the Russian embargo and be- fore it, he said. Former NIFA chief questions USDA decision to relocate institute Ramaswamy says move will hinder ag research By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press The former director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture is questioning the USDA’s decision to relocate it outside Washington, D.C. NIFA provides funding for and pools together collabo- rative efforts on agricultural research, said Sonny Ra- maswamy, di- rector of NIFA from 2012 to 2018. Moving the agency will take two to Sonny five years, he Ramaswamy said, potential- ly impacting funding for research and de- terring state researchers from taking on projects without NIFA funding. The USDA recently an- nounced most NIFA and Economic Research Service employees will be relocated outside the Washington, D.C., area by the end of 2019. New locations have yet to be deter- mined. According to the USDA, the move is being done: • To improve USDA’s abil- ity to “attract and retain” high- ly qualified staff. The press release cites “significant turn- over” and difficulty recruiting employees to the Washington D.C., area due to the high cost of living and long commutes. • To place the programs clos- er to stakeholders, “most of whom live and work far from the Washington, D.C., area.” Ore. (6-10 day outlook as of Aug. 14) ELLIS EQUIPMENT 800-949-2336 31-5-3/102 .COM search and extension system in the world.” Also a former dean of the College of Agricultural Sci- ences at Oregon State Uni- versity, Ramaswamy is now president of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities in Seattle. Weekly fieldwork report Item/description (Source: USDA, NASS; NOAA) • Days suitable for fieldwork (As of Aug. 14) 7 • Topsoil moisture, surplus 0 • Topsoil moisture, percent short 90% • Subsoil moisture, surplus 0 • Subsoil moisture, percent short 88% • Precipitation probability 33-40% Below MFG OF BRUSH MULCHERS | STUMP GRINDERS | DRAINAGE PLOWS BOOM MOWERS | PTO GENERATORS | AUGER BITS & DRIVES TRENCHERS | TREE SPADES | TREE SAWS | LIMB SHEARS AND MORE • To benefit American tax payers with “significant sav- ings on employment costs and rent,” allowing more employ- ees to be retained even in the face of tightening budgets. Ramaswamy worries mov- ing NIFA will “destroy the most vaunted and envied re- Wash. Idaho Calif. 6.8 0 65% 0 56% 6.9 0 72% 0 67% 7 0 70% 0 70% 33-40% Below Normal 40% Below
