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CapitalPress.com
Friday, May 7, 2021
Ag Education
6 myths about the cost of college PNW yield gap highest in nation
gon off ers state aid for eligi-
ble students who complete
the ORSAA, and many schol-
arships don’t require U.S.
citizenship.
Not low-income? The fed-
eral government has a formula
that determines the amount your
family is expected to contribute
to your college costs. Any costs
above that have a chance to be
covered by fi nancial aid. Plus,
there are a few sources of fi nan-
cial aid that are not need-based
such as the unsubsidized Staf-
ford loan and PLUS loan.
Oregon Goes to College
One of the biggest con-
cerns about college is the cost
and how to pay for it. Don’t be
fooled by these common myths!
Myth: College is
unaff ordable.
You can pay for college —
in fact, most students don’t pay
full price, so don’t rule out a col-
lege simply because of the cost.
Students and families can use a
Net Price Calculator to get an
estimate of what they will actu-
ally pay after including some
types of fi nancial aid.
Most students pay for col-
lege in a variety of ways includ-
ing fi nancial aid, earnings from
part-time or full-time jobs, sav-
ings and money from parents
and family.
for help! Ask a counselor or
teacher, attend an event or fi nd
support online.
Myth: It’s too late to save
money for college.
It’s never too early or too
late to save money for college!
There are even special savings
accounts just for paying for
college.
Any amount you and your
family are able to save will help
and likely won’t aff ect how
much fi nancial aid you receive.
Here’s why: Under the federal
fi nancial aid formula, what mat-
ters most is the parents’ income.
Savings typically have little
impact in the government cal-
culation of Expected Family
Contribution.
Myth: The cost of college
only includes tuition.
College costs can include
tuition and fees, room and
board, books and supplies,
personal expenses, and trans-
portation. Most colleges also
require students to have health
insurance.
Consider all of these costs
when choosing a college. Com-
pare fi nancial aid off ers care-
fully, and create a monthly bud-
get based on your projected
needs.
Myth: I can’t get
fi nancial aid.
Everyone can get fi nancial
aid. The FAFSA and ORSAA
forms are free, so there’s no rea-
son not to apply. No matter your
circumstance, you will be eligi-
ble for some type of fi nancial
aid (grants, scholarships, work-
study and/or loans) to help pay
for college.
Part-time student? Federal
fi nancial aid is available for stu-
dents who attend at least half
time.
Older sibling in college that
didn’t get aid? The number
of family members in college
make a diff erence on fi nancial
aid packages.
Undocumented?
Ore-
Myth: I should avoid
taking out student
loans—I don’t want to be
in debt!
Despite the horror stories
you often hear in the media, just
54% of 2019 graduates of Ore-
gon 4-year colleges had student
loan debt, with an average debt
load of $27,542.
That said, it’s important to
understand student loans so you
can borrow responsibly.
In general, federal loans
are better than private loans,
and subsidized are better than
unsubsidized. Parent loans
should be a last resort.
Build a budget fi rst and
accept only what you need. You
don’t have to borrow the full
amount off ered to you in your
fi nancial aid package.
Myth: It’s hard to apply
for aid.
When students and fami-
lies gather all their informa-
tion ahead of time, fi lling out
the FAFSA or ORSAA usually
takes less than an hour.
Scholarship applications can
vary in length. Work on them a
few hours a week and you could
earn thousands of dollars for
college.
Don’t be afraid to ask
4 conversations families should have about college
social and fi nancial factors
to consider when choosing
what schools to apply to or
attend.
What would be your per-
fect college? Are you inter-
ested in going to a big or
small school? Close to home
or far away?
How will you get there?
Oregon Goes to College
College Expectations
Students are more likely
to be successful with family
support. These four conver-
sations will help put every-
one on the same page.
Parents and family expecta-
tions play a big role in whether
a student decides to attend col-
lege. Families can remind stu-
dents of their expectations that
they will continue their educa-
tion after high school.
Education after high school
is important. What expecta-
tions do you have for yourself?
Future Goals
Students should share
their aspirations with fam-
ily members, who can help
encourage them and keep
them on track to follow their
dreams.
What do you imagine
yourself doing in 10 years?
Financial
Have a conversation about
the costs of college and how
to pay. Get an estimate of
your family’s contribution
using net price calculators
and the FAFSA4Caster.
College Preferences
Students and families
should discuss the academic,
COLFAX, Wash. — Recent
research points toward unre-
alized grains per head and
low grain weight as the great-
est potential yield loss among
wheat crops in the Pacifi c
Northwest. The health and via-
bility of the fl ag leaf is the con-
duit to extending the grain fi ll
period and increasing weight
per grain.
“The ‘stay green,’ or longev-
ity, of the fl ag leaf contributes
more to yield than any other
photosynthetic trait associated
with wheat by prolonging the
length of time focused on grain
fi lling,” explains Cat Salois,
Director of Research and Tech-
nology for The McGregor
Company. “On average, in the
Pacifi c Northwest, 4 bushels per
day are lost for each day grain
fi ll is cut short.”
For the past 3 years, Salois
has been an active contributor
to the Maximum Wheat Yield
Project (MWYP), an interna-
tional collaborative research
initiative examining the gaps
between current yield and
potential yield in the Pacifi c
Northwest (PNW). The results
of that research indicate that the
PNW wheat crop consistently
lags behind other high yield-
ing regions in two critical yield
building functions — grains
per head and weight per grain.
Additionally, the defi cit from
these yield components is driv-
ing the PNW to have the largest
yield gap in the nation — a gap
which Salois aims to fi ll.
“In the environment of the
Pacifi c Northwest, our great-
est opportunity to close the
yield gap exists by managing
wheat from fl ag leaf emergence
through grain fi ll, impacting
2 of the 3 yield components,”
says Salois. “Increasing the
grain weight by just 1 gram per
thousand grains adds up to 3
bushels per acre of yield gain.”
By shifting a portion of the
crop inputs later into the season,
Salois and her team have been
able to successfully improve the
health of the fl ag leaf resulting
in a consistent 10% yield gain,
which Salois credits to a com-
bination of foliar nutrition and
plant health fungicides applied
at Feekes stages 9 to 10 (full
fl ag leaf emergence to head
emergence).
“Applying a true plant
health type fungicide will
cause the plant to think it has a
low-energy status, which then
leads the plant to begin tak-
ing up more carbon and nitro-
gen, thus increasing photosyn-
thesis beyond what would have
occurred without those appli-
cations and allowing the plant
to grow through stresses lon-
ger into the season,” explains
Salois. “By reducing plant
stress, and thereby reducing the
ethylene gas production that
signals the plant to ripen and
mature, the plant is able to keep
energy stores focused on yield
production rather than being
diverted to survival.”
This performance gain is
rooted in the tremendous solar
radiation resources (i.e. sun-
light) of the PNW. Longer days,
and considerably more sunny
days, equates to 25-30% greater
sunlight capture than other
high-yielding regions. Paired
with peak sunlight availability
occurring in June and overlap-
ping the critical grain fi ll period,
the environmental potential of
the PNW is among the high-
est in the United States and
higher than that of the United
Kingdom.
In order to maximize the
PNW’s immense environmen-
tal potential, reduce yield losses,
and close the yield gap, more
intentionality must be placed on
feeding the crop what it needs,
when it needs it. Plant health
fungicides plus the right foliar
nutrition plan at fl ag leaf tim-
ing aligns peak crop demands
with peak nutrient availabil-
ity to extend grain fi ll, leading
to heavier grain and increased
yields at the fi nish line.
The McGregor Compa-
ny’s yield management strat-
egy, Yield 3DTM, focuses on
bringing intentionality to each
yield component throughout the
entire growing season. For addi-
tional information on nutritional
crop inputs and propelling yield
potential through grain fi ll, visit
www.mcgregor.com or con-
tact a McGregor Certifi ed Crop
Adviser at (509) 397-4355.
Finish
what you
start.
Celebrate
your FFA
graduate!
Capital Press is giving you the opportunity to
honor your FFA senior with an affordable ad
that will run in the June 11th edition. These
ads will be published in a special keepsake
edition to celebrate our FFA seniors in the
Northwest.
UP TO 4 BUSHELS ARE
LOST FOR EACH DAY
GRAIN FILL IS CUT SHORT.
Order your ad by Thursday, May 20 at 10am (PT)
For $35, the ad includes:
- Name, FFA Chapter,
& Hometown
1.625”
3”
Call your
Sales Rep Today!
STUDENT’S
NAME
Take back your yield…
Call 800-822-6789, or email
adservices@capitalpress.com
FROM FLAG TO FINISH ™
FFA Chapter
City, State
Plant health fungicides + foliar nutrition at flag leaf
timing EXTEND photosynthesis and GRAIN FILL.
EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER
capitalpress.com
S240437-1
S240430-1