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Friday, September 6, 2019 CapitalPress.com 5 OSU names interim director for Hermiston research station Clive Kaiser to take over for Phil Hamm By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press HERMISTON, Ore. — Oregon State University has appointed a new leader at the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Clive Kaiser, horticulture professor and Umatilla County extension agent for OSU in Milton-Freewater, took over as interim director at HAREC beginning Sept. 3. He takes over for longtime station director and plant pathologist Phil Hamm, who retired earlier this year. Hamm spent 44 years with OSU, and 14 years overseeing research pro- grams at HAREC. Farmers grow more than 150 different crops in the Uma- tilla Basin, including potatoes, wheat, corn and onions. Kaiser, who arrived at OSU in 2006, said Hamm encouraged him to apply for the station director’s job. “Obviously, I have big shoes to fill,” Kai- ser said. “Phil Hamm Clive Kaiser did an amazing job running the station all these years.” Kaiser’s work has largely focused on assisting tree fruit and wine grape growers in Milton-Freewater, part of the Walla Walla Basin in north- east Oregon. Through his research, he helped to develop a protective coat- ing for cherries and blueberries to keep them from cracking — a product marketed in the U.S. under the brand name “Parka.” Two more products are also pat- ent-pending, including “Hydro- Shield,” a spray that reduces water usage in plants and prevents insects from laying eggs in fruit, and “Decoy,” an attractant that lures harmful insects away from fruit while killing eggs and larvae. Kaiser said he looks forward to spearheading more innovation at HAREC, and is especially eager to begin focusing on post-harvest dis- eases, pests and disorders in crops. “There is a great team at the Herm- iston research center, so it will be great to work with them,” he said. A native of South Africa, Kaiser has three degrees from the Univer- sity of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermar- tizburg, including a doctorate in hor- ticultural science. He has also worked in Australia, England and New Zea- land before coming to Oregon. Kaiser said he is interested in becoming the permanent director at HAREC and learned a lot from Hamm over the years, whom he described as a tireless supporter of local agriculture. “Rather than filling his shoes, I’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants,” he said. Kaiser will continue to serve in the interim until OSU conducts a full search for candidates. Wet spring, cool summer nix big onions By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Brad Carlson/Capital Press Javier Russek, left, and Rene’ Emch, both of seed company Enza Zaden, participate in Onion Variety Day Aug. 27 at the Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station south of Ontario. Nyssa-area grower Paul Skeen also expects a smaller percentage of oversized onions in the region. “Some people got on the ground too early, especially if they were fur- row-irrigated,” he said. Soil compac- tion challenged some growers who use traditional furrow irrigation. “There were a lot of spread-out planting dates,” said Erik Feibert, senior faculty research assistant at OSU-Malheur. Though onions in the region vary by size in part because of the wet spring, “even later-planted crops caught up to an extent” as con- ditions warmed. A cooler-than-average July kept heat stress to a minimum and kept pest pressure slightly below long- term averages, he said. Wheat quality meeting registration opens By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press The Pacific North- west Wheat Quality Coun- cil will meet Jan. 28-31 in Spokane. At the meeting, the indus- try reviews wheat variet- ies that have been recently released or are soon to be released, said Doug Engle, technician for Washing- ton State University at the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s West- ern Wheat Quality Lab in Pullman. Various cooperators — including major milling companies and represen- tatives of overseas mills — check out flour samples and determine whether to move forward with a vari- ety, Engle said. “Everyone who is part of the development process for wheat participates,” he said. Cooperators share the things they like or dislike about a sample. “Wheat quality is in the eye of the beholder,” Engle said. “There’s some cen- tral issues for hard and soft wheat quality, but the indi- vidual user is the one who has to actually make a buck with them.” Farmers and breeders are invested in producing high-quality varieties, Engle said. “It’s a vital exercise that ONLINE 2020 Pacific Northwest Wheat Quality Council Meeting: https://bit.ly/2kihGeF happens every year,” he said. The event begins with a workshop on the falling number test, which mea- sures wheat starch damage that reduces the quality of baked goods and noodles. The price of grain with a low falling number is discounted because end-use quality is compromised by starch damage. USDA molecular genet- icist Camille Steber and wheat breeder Kimberly Gar- land Campbell will lead the workshop. Stakeholders will provide and receive updates, and dis- cuss future research, Engle said. The agenda includes a day of reports from regional wheat breeding and research programs, technical presen- tations, tours of process- ing facilities and a baking discussion. Growers are welcome to attend, Engle said. Cost is $380 before Jan. 2 and $430 for late or on-site registration. For more information, contact Engle at 509-335- 4062 or doug_engle@wsu. edu 36-4/103 Onion growers likely will har- vest fewer big bulbs this year in southeastern Oregon and south- western Idaho, thanks to a wet spring that delayed planting in spots and a cooler-than-average summer that curtailed the bulk-up period. But the crop looks good overall, said participants in the annual Onion Variety Day Aug. 27 at Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Sta- tion south of Ontario. Station trials involved more than 50 varieties. “The quality is definitely there,” station director Stuart Reitz said. “A lot of good-looking onions are out throughout the (Treasure) Valley.” Some growers in the region — particularly in northern and western areas — planted around two weeks later than usual, leaving less time for onions to grow big and full, he said. He expects fewer colossal-sized onions this year. Yields are yet to be determined. Members of the wheat industry will get together this winter to talk about quality. 36-4/103
