2
CapitalPress.com
Friday, April 22, 2022
People & Places
Using microbes to help sagebrush
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
BOISE Researcher
Leonora Bittleston and her
team at Boise State Uni-
versity are hunting for the
microbes and fungi that
help sagebrush plants thrive
during drought.
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sagebrush and other native
plants and wildlife, and
even reduce
the risk of
catastrophic
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beneficial
microbes that
help
sage-
brush to tol-
Leonora
erate stress Bittleston
better, then it
could lead to better resto-
ration of the sagebrush eco-
system across the Sagebrush
Steppe that covers much of
the West, said Bittleston, an
assistant professor at Boise
State.
Were trying to encour-
age the right type of micro
organisms that can help
the plant in stressful condi-
tions, she said.
Sagebrush, a nurse
plant that helps native
grasses and other plant spe-
cies to become established,
can itself be hard to re-estab-
lish, Bittleston said. Many
transplants dont survive
much past a year.
If we were able to
improve restoration success
for sagebrush, it could lead
to a healthier overall ecosys-
tem, she said.
Once they are identi-
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microbes could be collected
and cultured to create larger
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LEONORA
BITTLESTON
Occupation: Assistant
professor, Boise State
University Department of
Biological Sciences
John C. Kelly/BSU
Leonora Bittleston at work in the foothills northwest of Boise.
populations. The microbes
in turn could be added to
sagebrush seedlings before
planting, increasing the sur-
vival rate.
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RXW ZKLFK PLJKW EH EHQH¿-
cial, Bittleston said.
She and students have
spent about a year tak-
ing samples in the foothills
northwest of Boise.
They sampled healthy
sagebrush
leaves
that
showed no sign of disease.
That boosts the odds the
microbes and fungi are ben-
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VLEOHWKH\KDYHQRH൵HFWRQ
the plant the researchers are
studying.
During last years espe-
cially hot summer in Boise,
our plants all survived,
Bittleston said. But they are
mature adult plants.
It is likely seedlings or
more vulnerable plants died
in the heat wave, she said.
The heat also enabled the
researchers to explore how
the microbial communities
fared.
Bittleston
said
the
researchers have found fungi
that are mostly yeasts, a sin-
gle-cell form of fungi. Many
of the yeasts are also found
in other dry environments.
Some of these yeasts
have substantial melanin,
which provides ultraviolet
protection.
We know it helps fungi.
We dont know if it helps
the host plant, a topic of
continued study, Bittleston
said.
Next steps include pro-
cessing samples, analyz-
ing data, extracting DNA,
DNA-sequencing microbial
communities and exploring
correlations with weather
variables. The team is look-
ing at how the presence of
particular microbes cor-
relates with weather station
data on a sites temperature,
humidity, precipitation and
other measures. DNA-se-
quenced microbial com-
munities also are studied in
relation to weather data.
Researchers are also
studying how seedlings are
D൵HFWHG E\ DGGLQJ D ZKROH
community of microbes ver-
sus a single microbe.
A doctoral candidate is
introducing microbial com-
munities in growth cham-
bers to determine if they
help the sagebrush plant
grow, or tolerate drought.
Our ability to look at
microbes through DNA
sequencing has increased a
lot in recent years, as has our
appreciation of their impor-
tance beyond just being
Education: B.S., mo-
lecular environmental
biology, University of
California-Berkeley, 2007;
Ph.D., organismic and
evolutionary biology,
Harvard University, 2016;
postdoctoral fellow, envi-
ronmental microbiology,
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, 2016-19.
Age: 37
Hometown: Santa Cruz,
Calif. Lives in Boise, Idaho.
Family: Husband Dan
Beyer, an engineer and
artist. They have one
child.
Hobbies: Hiking, swim-
ming, cooking, mountain
biking, pottery.
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Carol Ryan Dumas ..............208-860-3898
Boise
pathogens, Bittleston said.
The project is part of the
larger Idaho Genes for Envi-
ronment, Modeling, Mech-
anisms and Mapping
GEM3 project funded
through the National Sci-
ence Foundations Estab-
lished Program to Stimu-
late Competitive Research
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S.I. Livestock Hall of Fame honors inductees
Capital Press
TWIN FALLS, Idaho The
Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of
Fame honored its newest inductees
at its 61st annual banquet on Tues-
day evening at the Turf Club.
The inductees were Guy and
Sherry Colyer, Larry Hayhurst, Don
and Patricia Pickett and John Reit-
sma (posthumously).
The Colyers operate Colyer Her-
eford and Angus in Bruneau, which
consists of 300 registered Hereford
cows and 75 replacement heifers.
They have been producing embryo
transfer calves since 1983, and 90% of
WKHLUFDOIFURSLVWKHUHVXOWRIDUWL¿FLDO
insemination or embryo transplant.
The Colyers have produced the
world record-selling Hereford bull,
and four of their Hereford bulls have
been two-time champions at the
Denver Stock Show.
Guy Colyer was awarded the U.S.
Livestock Industry Leader of the
Year for 2017 by the National West-
ern Stock Show. He has represented
The newest inductees to the Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of Fame
at the inductee banquet in Twin Falls on April 12. From left are Larry
Hayhurst, Sherry and Guy Colyer, Don and Patricia Pickett and John
Reitsma9s children Dirk Reitsma, Heidi Jarvis and Sean Mallett (accept-
ing the award for their father posthumously).
the Hereford breed in many capac-
ities including serving on the board
of the American Hereford Associa-
tion. The operation was recognized
as the U.S. Senate Small Business of
the Month for March 2018, and the
family has been active in Hereford
youth programs.
Hayhurst served as a brand
inspector with the Idaho State Brand
Department for 27 years and was
appointed state brand inspector in
1991, overseeing as many as 25,000
registered brands. During his tenure,
he served a term as president of the
Western State Livestock Investiga-
tion Association and as president of
WKH,QWHUQDWLRQDO/LYHVWRFN,GHQWL¿-
cation Association.
Don Pickett operates Pickett
Ranch and Sheep Company, head-
quartered in Oakley, with his two
brothers, David and Doug. In addi-
tion to the sheep operation, the fam-
ily runs cattle in Idaho, Utah and
Nevada and farms in areas around
Oakley, Kenyon and Murtaugh.
Pickett also maintained a law
practice for many years and was
noted as a Lawyer of Distinction in
agricultural law by the National Law
Journal. He has served as chairman
of the Idaho State Animal Damage
Control Board and chairman of the
Idaho Sheep and Goat Health Board.
He has also served on the boards of
Water District 140, the Southwest
Irrigation District and the Oakley
Canal Company.
Reitsma, now deceased, immi-
grated from the Netherlands to Cal-
ifornia in 1967 at the age of 19 and
worked in the agriculture indus-
try. In 1984, he moved to Jerome
DQGVWDUWHGWKH¿UVWRIPDQ\GDLULHV
including organic. Along the way,
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Idaho, put robotic milkers on one of
his dairies and started other business
ventures.
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News: Contact the main ooce
Oregon Ag Fest returns to state fairgrounds April 23-24
Oregon Ag Fest returns on
Saturday and Sunday, April
23-24, with a heaping help-
ing of fun and upclose expe-
riences aimed at introducing
children and their parents to
the world of agriculture.
The 35th edition of Ag
)HVW NLFNV R൵ 6DWXUGD\ IURP
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and wraps
up Sunday from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Children 12 and under
will be admitted for free.
Admission is $9 for ages 13
and over. Parking is free.
Our goal is to help kids
gain a better understanding of
the importance of agriculture
to Oregons rural landscape,
and to emphasize that most
food starts on a farm some-
where and in Oregon were
lucky enough to grow over
200 varieties of crops, Leah
Rue, Oregon Ag Fest chair,
said in a statement. We are
really proud that a large part of
Ag Fests family appeal is that
it is very inexpensive to attend
and almost everything inside
the event is completely free.
Ag Fest 2022 starts at
8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. on Sat-
urday, April 23, with an
old-fashioned
ranch-style
breakfast. Hotcakes, siz-
zling ham on the grill, Ore-
gon-grown fruit toppings,
scrambled eggs, juice, cof-
fee and milk will be prepared
by Linn County 4-H groups.
Cost is $8 for adults, and chil-
dren under 3 years are free.
Proceeds from the breakfast
provide scholarships for 4-H
camp and leader training.
There will be plenty to do
and see at this years event.
All activities center around
locally grown products, which
allows families to celebrate the
wonderful and diverse world
of Oregon agriculture. The
family fun includes:
Meet Nosey the cow,
goats, rabbits, pigs and other
farm animals.
Watch a llama show.
Race a mini pedal tractor.
Watch chicks hatch.
See a sheep get a
haircut.
Listen to live music and
enjoy family entertainment.
Plant seedlings.
Ride a pony.
See logging
demonstrations.
Take a horse-drawn
wagon ride.
Watch dog-herding
demonstrations.
Visit garden and craft
booths.
Watch cooking demon-
strations and taste local foods.
Oregon Ag Fest is spon-
sored in part by Oregon Farm
Bureau, Tillamook, Wilco,
Oregon Dairy Women, Ore-
gon Department of Agriculture
and Oregon Women for Agri-
culture, among many others.
$J )HVW LV D QRQSUR¿W
501©(3) volunteer organiza-
tion dedicated to educating
the public about the impor-
tance of agriculture. For more
information go to www.orag-
fest.com.
or news staf member closest to you,
send the information to
newsroom@capitalpress.com
or mail it to <Newsroom,= c/o Capital Press.
Include a contact telephone number.
Letters to the Editor: Send your
comments on agriculture-related public
issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or
mail your letter to <Opinion,= c/o Capital
Press. Letters should be limited to
300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday.
Capital Press ag media
CapitalPress.com
FarmSeller.com
MarketPlace.capitalpress.com
facebook.com/CapitalPress
facebook.com/FarmSeller
twitter.com/CapitalPress
youtube.com/CapitalPressvideo
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com
or by email to newsroom@capital-
press.com.
THROUGH SUNDAY
MAY 1
2022 Wooden Shoe Tulip Fes-
tival: Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm,
33814 S. Meridian Road, Woodburn,
Ore. Experience the beauty of 40
acres of tulips and over 200 acres
of outdoor space and activities this
spring. We are again ofering tick-
ets online only this year to minimize
crowds and allow for more time to
enjoy our oelds. Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat-
urday-Sunday. Website: https://bit.
ly/36o2wMD
THROUGH APRIL 24
Spring Fair: Washington State
Fairgrounds, 110 9th Ave. SW, Puy-
allup,Wash. Celebrate spring at the
fair and all things agriculture. Web-
site: https://www.thefair.com
Northwest Cherry Festival:
The Dalles, Ore., festival is set in the
spectacular Columbia River Gorge
and showcases the area9s deep agri-
cultural heritage and Western roots.
Phone: 541-296-2231 Website:
https://thedalleschamber.com
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
APRIL 23-24
California Antique Equip-
ment Show: 10 a.m. International
Agri-Center, 4500 Laspina St., Tulare,
Calif. The show will showcase
antique tractors, trucks and engines
and will include vendors and activi-
ties such as a tractor pull, hay-buck-
ing contest and tractor driving.
Website: https://www.antiquefarm-
show.com
Oregon Ag Fest:
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday;
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Oregon
State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St.
NE, Salem, Ore. 97301. The goal of
Oregon Ag Fest is to provide an
experience for the whole family
that is educational and fun. And,
we keep it afordable! Kids age 12
and under are free; others are $9.
Parking is free. Website: https://
oragfest.com/
SUNDAY APRIL 24
Farm Workers of Treasure Val-
ley 4 A Celebration for Earth
Day: 2-6 p.m. Treasure Valley Com-
munity College parking lot, 650
College Blvd., Ontario, Ore. This
bilingual event will bring the com-
munity together to beneot food
chain workers, including farm work-
ers, processing plant workers and
their families. Free meals, live music,
children9s activities, food boxes,
information on pesticide safety and
growing gardens, as well as vacci-
nation and booster opportunities.
There will also be 20 organizations
with other information and free-
bies in addition to a rane. Website:
www.pesticide.org/earthday2022
Markets .................................................10
TUESDAY APRIL 26
Opinion ...................................................6
Variable Density Thinning
Workshop: 6-8 p.m. Seaquest State
Park, 3030 Spirit Lake Highway, Cas-
tle Rock, Wash. This practice dove-
tails with common small forest
landowner management objectives
like developing wildlife habitat and
enhancing recreation and aesthetic
value of a forest. It can also be a
low-impact form of harvest that
landowners can utilize to meet tax-
based county harvest requirements.
Website: https://forestry.wsu.edu/
sw/events/vdt2022/
Index
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