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CapitalPress.com
Friday, July 30, 2021
People & Places
Researcher at OSU expands
herbicide options for farmers
Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher
Anne Long ................. Advertising Director
Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor
Samantha McLaren ....Circulation Manager
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Farm-
ers who grow specialty seeds in Ore-
gon’s Willamette Valley have plenty
of weeds but few herbicides to choose
from.
Using a combination of science
and diplomacy, researcher Ed Peachey
convinces chemical companies to
make weed-killing products available
for such high-value, niche crops.
“There is little financial incentive.
They don’t get much money back,”
said Peachey, an Oregon State Uni-
versity horticulture professor. “The
chance of getting a return on invest-
ment for them is pretty small.”
To major herbicide manufactur-
ers, the money generated from an her-
bicide sprayed on several thousand
specialty crop acres is basically a
rounding error compared to a major
commodity like corn.
Due to the high value of specialty
seeds, companies are also reluctant to
include them on their herbicide labels
because they want to avoid liability
for potential crop damage.
Peachey’s job is to work with
farmers and the state’s Department of
Agriculture to test specific herbicides
on seed crops to see if they’re effec-
tive and whether they cause much
crop damage.
Since specialty seeds fetch rel-
atively strong prices, farmers have
a higher tolerance for damage com-
pared to those who grow commod-
ity crops grown on razor-thin mar-
gins — as long as weed competition
is reduced.
Once he’s compiled the data,
Peachey must persuade the herbicide’s
manufacturer it’s not taking an exces-
sive risk by expanding the chemical’s
label registration with the U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency.
Hard science and more
“Depending on the product, it can
be very difficult to do that,” Peachey
said, adding that obtaining such per-
mission requires cajoling as well as
hard science.
“We know it’s meaningless to you,
but just out of the kindness of your
heart,” he jokingly describes a typi-
cal plea.
Peachey performs a comparable
function for farmers of processed veg-
etables, who also grow valuable crops
on a relatively small number of acres.
In that case, though, he collects
data that allows the USDA to deter-
Western
Innovator
ED PEACHEY
Occupation: Oregon State Uni-
versity horticulture professor
Hometown: Corvallis, Ore.
Age: 64
Family: A wife and two grown
daughters
Education: Bachelor’s degree
in horticulture in 1986, master’s
degree in horticulture in 1993,
doctorate in crop science in 2004,
all from OSU
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
Ed Peachey, an Oregon State University horticulture professor, exam-
ines garlic grown for seed in a Willamette Valley field. Peachey helps
farmers secure new herbicides for high-value niche crops.
the field, clinching its knives to kill
unwanted plants based on their differ-
ent size. The system reduces manual
hoeing expenses.
“We explore everything that has
potential,” Peachey said.
Flaming weeds with a torch is
another non-chemical weed treatment
that he’s studied, focusing on the ideal
time to perform the operation without
damaging the crop.
“You want to go as late as possi-
ble to get the weeds that come up,” he
said. “It’s all about timing.”
Interest in ag
mine the “tolerances” for pesticide
residues on food crops that won’t
harm people.
The USDA then petitions the EPA
to expand the product’s label registra-
tion, based on research paid for by the
Oregon Processed Vegetable Com-
mission, which raises money from
growers.
“Everybody gets on the same page:
We want this product, this is what
we’ve got to do,” Peachey said.
Other projects
However, Peachey’s work isn’t
limited to studying herbicides.
For example, he’s also conducted a
long-range project on the possibility of
using ground beetles to reduce weed
seeds in the soil.
While ground beetles will consume
such seeds, they’re unfortunately more
focused on devouring such sources of
protein as slug eggs and earthworms.
“There’s a lot of stuff they’d rather
eat,” Peachey said.
Another research project involved
planting cover crop seeds among the
main crop before it gets harvested.
Cover crops prevent erosion and
crowd out weeds, but they can be
tricky to establish during the moist
autumn season, when fields can be too
wet for machinery.
Peachey demonstrated that cover
crops can successfully be inter-seeded
even among highly competitive crops,
such as corn, with a planter that has
three feet of clearance.
Mechanical innovations for weed
control are also taking place, such as
the robotic cultivator that Peachey
and several farmers recently tested on
squash and other local crops.
The “Robovator” takes images of
crops and weeds as it passes through
Though he grew up on a small farm
in Pennsylvania, Peachey initially
wanted to pursue a higher education in
electrical engineering.
However, a project involving time-
lapse photography of weed emergence
rekindled his interest in agriculture.
Peachey initially worked in the
nonprofit field, helping farmers in
Bangladesh recover from a major
famine.
He then returned to Oregon State
University, his alma mater, to conduct
applied research, such as the weed
studies needed by seed and processed
vegetable farmers.
Weeds are never a stagnant research
subject, since new species are always
moving in while old ones find ways to
adapt to herbicides.
“You can always count on weeds,
taxes and concrete cracking,” Peachey
said.
Teenagers team up to start hay business
By CRAIG REED
For the Capital Press
LOOKINGGLASS, Ore.
— While working hard at
bucking hay last summer,
Lucas Saylor and Ryland
O’Toole noticed a need in
neighboring fields.
Those properties weren’t
getting mowed, raked and
baled. Although only 14
years old at the time, the two
saw a business opportunity
— turning fields of grass
into hay bales for sale.
So now at age 15, they
set themselves up with an
informal business during
the 2021 hay season. With
money saved from last sum-
mer’s work, Ryland pur-
chased a used mower and
Lucas bought a used rake.
They borrowed a tractor
from Lucas’ family and a
baler from Ryland’s family
and went to work.
The two soon-to-be high
school sophomores mowed,
raked, baled and hauled hay
from five fields, ranging
from 1 to 15 acres, in central
Douglas County.
Craig Reed/For the Capital Press
Ryland O’Toole, left, and Lucas Saylor spent several
weeks earlier this summer in hay fields, mowing, baling
and hauling hay. The two teenagers started a hay busi-
ness to turn grass fields in Douglas County, Ore., into
hay bales.
“It was a joint effort by
both of us to come up with a
plan to do this,” said Ryland
of their informal S&O Cus-
tom Haying operation.
“We saw a need out
there,” Lucas said.
Both teenagers took a
tractor driving and safety
class through Linn-Ben-
ton Community College in
Albany, Ore. They earned
permits to drive farm equip-
ment on rural roads. When
needed, they got driving
and mechanical help from
Ryland’s grandfather, Terry
Fluetsch, and from Lucas’
father, Jason Saylor. Those
men also had flatbed trailers
that were used to haul the hay
equipment and then to haul
the bales out of the field and
into barns.
Lucas and Ryland helped
put up hay from their fami-
lies’ fields, earning the right
to borrow equipment to work
in other fields. They had to
buy the fuel and twine and
pay for any repairs, if needed.
“They have things to
learn, but they have the ini-
tiative,” Fluetsch said. “I’ve
been self-employed and
Lucas’ dad is self-employed.
They kind of want to fol-
low in the footsteps of their
elders.”
All of their produc-
tion was in two-tie, 50- to
60-pound grass bales. On
one job, they got 75% of
the bales and the property
owner got the other 25%.
On their other jobs, they got
60% of the bales and the
owner 40%.
Ryland said the hay yield
was not as great as past years
due to the lack of rainfall and
earlier than normal heat, but
the partners will earn enough
to help buy better equip-
ment for future hay seasons.
They already sold some of
their share of the hay and
have more that they’ll sell
through the fall and winter.
The partners were asked
this year to work a field that
was expected to yield 50
tons of hay, but they turned
it down because they didn’t
feel they had the right equip-
ment for such a big job.
Their goal is to obtain equip-
ment that can handle bigger
jobs.
“It’s a challenge,” Ryland
said. “There’s a new chal-
lenge every day at work,
but we’ve got good peo-
ple around us, helping us
with the experience. That’s
huge.”
Fluetsch and Jason Say-
lor, who both operate and
maintain heavy equipment
in their professions, have
been the mentors for the two
teens.
Lucas admitted, “We
couldn’t have done this
without them. When we
broke down and didn’t know
what to do, we needed them
and they helped us.”
“They showed us the
right way,” Ryland said.
TUESDAY AUG. 17
Show, the biggest green industry
trade show in the West, is produced
by the Oregon Association of Nurs-
eries, a trade organization that rep-
resents and serves the interests of
the ornamental horticulture indus-
try. For more information, go to
www.FarwestShow.com
R-CALF USA 2021 Convention
and Trade Show: Rushmore Plaza
Civic Center, Rapid City, S.D. The con-
vention will feature industry speak-
ers and networking opportunities.
Website: www.rcalfconvention.com
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com
or by email to newsroom@capital-
press.com.
dogs, along with shopping, exhib-
its and food. Website: https://expo.
deschutes.org/
THROUGH SUNDAY
AUG. 1
Internal Auditing for Food
Processors (live online): 1 p.m.
Internal audits allow you to audit
your facility for gaps and compli-
ance. They are an important tool
in the on-going food safety tool-
box for any food manufacturer,
packager, and warehouse and dis-
tribution company. This course is
for those who are new to internal
auditing and those that could use
a refresher course. Cost: $595 Con-
tact Bill Mullane, 208-426-2266,
williammullane@techhelp.org.
Website: https://bit.ly/3xt9APY
Deschutes County Fair and
Rodeo: Deschutes County Fair and
Expo Center, 3800 SW Airport Way,
Redmond, Ore. This year marks
the 101st edition of Central Ore-
gon’s largest event, after COVID-
19 forced the event’s cancellation
in 2020. The theme for the 2021
Fair & Rodeo is “Back in the Sad-
dle.” This year, Fair attendees can
expect an exciting event full of ani-
mals, agriculture, concerts, carni-
val rides, cotton candy and corn
Established 1928
Capital Press Managers
THURSDAY AUG. 5
TUESDAY-THURSDAY
AUG. 10-12
2021 Cattle Industry Conven-
tion & Trade Show: Gaylord Opry-
land Resort, Nashville, Tenn. The
convention will include educational
seminars, exhibits and network-
ing. Website: http://convention.
ncba.org
WEDNESDAY-
THURSDAY
AUG. 11-12
Soil Health Institute Annual
Meeting (virtual): The two-day
event will cover soil health topics
with a lineup of agricultural leaders,
scientists and practitioners. Web-
site: www.soilhealthinstitute.org
Intro to Experimental Statis-
tics. 8:30 a.m. This course will teach
statistical thinking concepts that
are essential to learning from data
and communicating key insights to
your organization, clients, or suppli-
ers. Join Catherine Cantley, exten-
sion professor at the University of
Idaho and TechHelp processing spe-
cialist, as we explore the fundamen-
tals of “storytelling with data” in a
practical industry-based approach.
Website: https://bit.ly/3AF17f3
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY
AUG. 18-20
Farwest Show: Oregon Conven-
tion Center, 777 NE Martin Luther
King Jr. Blvd., Portland. The Farwest
AUG. 20-29
Western Idaho Fair: Expo
Idaho, 5610 Glenwood St., Boise.
Check back later for more informa-
tion. Website: www.idahofair.com
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CORRECTION
Because of a comput-
er-generated error a Page 2
story about invasive jump-
ing worms in last week’s
edition of the Capital Press
was jumbled.
A corrected version is
available online at www.
capitalpress.com.
The Capital Press regrets
the error.
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