2
CapitalPress.com
Friday, May 6, 2022
People & Places
Initiating irrigation goal-dependent
for Oregon vineyard managers
OSU researcher speaks
during 2022 Grape Day
Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher
Anne Long ................. Advertising Director
Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor
Samantha Stinnett .....Circulation Manager
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
CORVALLIS, Ore. —
Deciding when to start irri-
gating vineyards each sea-
son is a question of economic
objectives, says Alec Levin,
an assistant professor of viti-
culture at Oregon State Uni-
versity’s Southern Oregon
Research and Extension
Center.
Everything is a trade-off,
Levin explained. Are grow-
ers trying to maximize their
yields? Or are they willing
to sacrifice some yield for a
bump in quality, and presum-
ably price?
“Initiating irrigation is an
annual management deci-
sion,” Levin said. “That’s
why the question is such an
important one to answer.”
Levin conducted an
experiment last year on three
vineyard sites in the Rogue
Valley of southwest Ore-
gon to provide some clarity
on the subject. He presented
his findings April 26 during
the Oregon Wine Research
Institute’s annual Grape
Day at the OSU campus in
Corvallis.
For his trial, Levin and
his research team chose sites
near Eagle Point, Jackson-
ville and Ashland, each with
differences in elevation, soil
type and available moisture
in the top meter of soil. They
divided each vineyard into
Established 1928
Capital Press Managers
Western
Innovator
Entire contents copyright © 2022
EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
An independent newspaper
published every Friday.
ALEC LEVIN
Age: 36
Hometown: Medford,
Ore.
Occupation: Assistant
professor and viticul-
turist, Oregon State
University.
OSU
Alec Levin has studied how the timing of irrigation impacts the yield and quality of
winegrapes.
rows where irrigation was
applied at different starting
points ranging from as early
as June 1 to as late as Aug.
23.
All grapes received the
same rate of irrigation, and
all were harvested before
the end of September, Levin
said.
The starting dates for each
irrigation treatment were
determined by what is known
as “stem water potential,” or
SWP, a measurement of pres-
sure used to gauge how hard
the vines are working to pull
water from the ground.
Vines work harder in drier
conditions, Levin said, so the
longer irrigation is delayed,
the lower the SWI value,
which is measured in units
known as “bars.”
What they found was the
longer they waited to turn on
water, yields saw a mostly
linear reduction of 14-28%.
Berry size also decreased by
6-25%.
“The longer you wait, the
less yield you’ll have. Full
stop,” Levin said.
However, waiting for cer-
tain periods did produce a
bump in both sugar content
and anthocyanins — com-
pounds that contribute to
wine color. They can influ-
ence a wine’s quality, leading
to a higher potential price.
That is where the trade-
off comes into play, Levin
said. Starting irrigation ear-
lier means growers can max-
imize production, though
waiting could result in
sweeter,
deeper-colored
wines that fetch more money
from consumers.
“If you can get a price
premium for improved qual-
ity, then it might pay to
wait,” Levin summarized.
“If it doesn’t, there is really
no economic incentive to do
so.”
According to Levin’s data,
vines with an SWP of around
minus-7 bars will result in
maximum yields. By delay-
ing irrigation and pushing the
vines to an SWP of minus-10
Education: Bachelor’s
degree in psychology,
University of Michigan,
2008; doctorate in hor-
ticulture and agronomy,
University of Califor-
nia-Davis, 2016.
Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is
published weekly by EO Media Group,
2870 Broadway NE, Salem OR 97303.
Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR,
and at additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: send address changes to
Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR
97308-2048.
To Reach Us
Circulation ...........................800-781-3214
Email ........... Circulation@capitalpress.com
Main line .............................503-364-4431
News Staff
bars, growers can boost sugar
content by 0.2% with a 7%
yield reduction.
Waiting even longer when
the vines have an SWP of
minus-12 bars increases wine
anthoycanins by 13%, with a
yield loss of 15%.
“It’s a decision you must
make for what you are after,”
Levin said.
Levin said his team con-
tinues to study what other
carryover effects the start of
irrigation may have on wine-
grapes, such as the impact
on tannins.
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas ..............208-860-3898
Boise
Brad Carlson .......................208-914-8264
Western Washington
Don Jenkins .........................360-722-6975
Eastern Washington
Matthew Weaver ................509-688-9923
Oregon
George Plaven ....................406-560-1655
Mateusz Perkowski .............800-882-6789
Sierra Dawn McClain ..........503-506-8011
Designer
Randy Wrighthouse .............800-882-6789
To Place Classified Ads
Woman rescued after falling in outhouse trying to get phone
Associated Press
QUILCENE,
Wash.—
A woman who accidentally
dropped her cellphone into
the hole of an outhouse in a
national forest and fell in while
trying to retrieve it had to be
rescued by firefighters in Wash-
ington state.
Brinnon Fire Department
Chief Tim Manly said the
Getty Images woman, who was at the top of
A Washington state woman was rescued from Mount Walker in the Olym-
an outhouse after she fell in while retrieving her pic National Forest northwest
cell phone, fire department officials said.
of Seattle, had been using her
phone when it fell into the toi-
let recently, the Kitsap Sun
reported.
Manly said she disassem-
bled the toilet seat and used dog
leashes to try and get the phone
and eventually used the leashes
to tie herself off as she reached
for it. That effort failed and she
fell into the toilet headfirst.
“They didn’t work very well
and in she went,” Manly said.
The woman was alone and
tried to get out for 10 to 15 min-
utes. Reunited with her phone,
she called 911, Manly said.
Responding
firefighters
passed her blocks to stand on
to reach a harness, which they
used to pull her out of the vault.
The Brinnon Fire Department
said the woman said she was
uninjured.
She was washed down and
“strongly encouraged to seek
medical attention after being
exposed to human waste, but
she only wanted to leave,” the
department said.
“I’ve been doing this for
40 years, and that was a first,”
Manly said.
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related
events on www.capitalpress.com
or by email to newsroom@capital-
press.com.
WEDNESDAY
MAY 11
Forest Cultivated Shiitake
Mushroom Production: 2:30-
6:30 p.m. 78th St. Heritage Farm,
1919 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver,
Wash. This two-session course on
forest-cultivated shiitake mush-
room production. The second ses-
sion is June 9. Contact: justin.
odea@wsu.edu Website: https://
bit.ly/39fet8t
WEDNESDAY-
THURSDAY
MAY 11-12
Animal Agriculture Alliance
Stakeholder Summit: Intercon-
tinental at the Plaza, Kansas City,
Mo. The summit will share insights
into advocacy and consumer and
activist trends. Website: https://ani-
malagalliance.org/
THURSDAY-
SATURDAY
MAY 12-14
92nd Washington FFA Con-
vention: Location to be deter-
mined. Join us for the live, in-per-
son 92nd Washington FFA
Convention. Website: https://www.
washingtonffa.org/
SATURDAY
MAY 14
Agricultural Pesticide Col-
lection Event: There will be a free
Agricultural Pesticide Collection
Event on May 14 in Clackamas,
Ore. This is an opportunity for for-
est landowners, farmers and other
commercial and institutional pes-
ticide users to search out their
barns, sheds, and basements for
old, restricted or unusable pes-
ticides. Participation is free and
anonymous, but participants must
pre-register for an appointment.
Pre-register for the event by May 1
at https://conservationdistrict.org/.
WEDNESDAY
MAY 18
NRCS-WA Local Work Group
Meeting for Puget Sound
(online): 7 p.m. Producers from
Thurston, Kitsap, Mason, Pierce,
King counties and conservation
districts are invited to participate.
Local Work Group Meetings are a
valuable part of the NRCS plan-
ning process, providing an oppor-
tunity for local land managers to
be part of a collaborative effort to
improve natural resources within
their area. This year’s meeting will
be on Zoom: https://bit.ly/3kjqlIU
Contact: 253-256-6741 or amy.hen-
dershot@usda.gov
Dairy Tech 2022 Conference:
Austin Marriott Downtown, Austin,
Texas. Hosted by the International
Dairy Foods Association and dairy.
com, the conference will focus
on the impact of technology and
innovation in the industry. Web-
site: https://www.idfa.org/events/
dairytech-conference
FRIDAY
MAY 20
NRCS-WA Local Work Group
Meeting for SW Washington
(online): Noon. Producers from
Clark, Underwood (Skamania),
Lewis County, Cowlitz, Pacific, Wah-
kiakum, Grays Harbor counties and
conservation districts are invited
to participate. Local Work Group
Meetings are a valuable part of the
NRCS planning process, providing
an opportunity for local land man-
agers to be part of a collaborative
effort to improve natural resources
within their area. This year’s
meeting is on Zoom: https://bit.
ly/3OGiQtD Contact: 360-557-3282
or bobette.parsons@usda.gov
TUESDAY-
WEDNESDAY
MAY 24-25
Habitat Working for Farm-
ers (online): 8 a.m.-noon. Oregon
Soil and Water Conservation Dis-
tricts and the Oregon IPM Cen-
ter have teamed up to bring you
a virtual conference on practices
Western farmers are currently
using to develop habitats that con-
serve agricultural biodiversity and
their associated benefits. Website:
https://bit.ly/3ifLti9
WEDNESDAY-
THURSDAY
MAY 25-26
Roots of Resilience Grazing
Conference: Pendleton Conven-
tion Center, 1601 Westgate, Pend-
leton, Ore. Dave Pratt, a Ranch-
ing for Profit emeritus, will kick
off the conference Wednesday
morning with “Three Secrets to
Increasing Profit,” how livestock
managers can improve sustain-
ability by improving their finan-
cial bottom line. After lunch, Chris
Schachtschneider, OSU Exten-
sion, will demonstrate low-stress
livestock handling in the Happy
Canyon Arena. Thursday’s events
move north to the Gardena School,
Touchet, Wash., for a presenta-
tion by internationally known soil
health expert Nicole Masters. After
lunch, the conference moves to
Tumac Farms, where there will be
a field practical with Masters. Web-
site: https://rootsofresilience.org/
grazing-conference-2022
THURSDAY
JUNE 2
Sustainable Produce Summit:
1-7:30 p.m. Marriott Desert Springs
Resort, Palm Desert, Calif. The sum-
mit will focus on sustainability.
Website: https://www.events.farm-
journal.com
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
JUNE 3-4
West Coast Produce Expo:
Marriott Desert Springs Resort,
Palm Desert, Calif. The expo will
focus. on marketing and managing
risks. Website: https://www.events.
farmjournal.com
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY
JUNE 8-10
World Pork Expo: Iowa State
Fairgrounds, Des Moines. The
world’s largest pork industry trade
show will feature education, inno-
vation and networking. Website:
https://www.worldpork.org
SUNDAY
JUNE 12
Savor Idaho: 11:30 a.m.-
5:30 p.m. Idaho Botanical Gar-
den, 2355 N. Old Penitentiary
Road, Boise. Idaho Wine Commis-
sion event features wineries, other
exhibitors. Features wine tasting,
activities, food trucks. Attendance
periods from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and
3-5:30 p.m. Website: https://ida-
howines.org/event/savor-idaho/
TUESDAY-FRIDAY
JUNE 14-17
Agriculture Transportation
Coalition Annual Meeting: Greater
Tacoma Convention Center, 1500
Commerce St., Tacoma, Wash. The
largest annual gathering of ag
shippers sourcing and deliver-
ing to foreign markets. Sponsored
by the Agriculture Transportation
Coalition, the principal voice of
agriculture in U.S. transportation
policy. Website: https://agtrans.
org/events/
SUNDAY-TUESDAY
JUNE 26-28
Western Governors’ Asso-
ciation Annual Meeting: Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho. The meeting
will focus on public conversa-
tions about the most significant
issues facing the region. Website:
https://www.westgov.org
JULY 15-31
California State Fair & Food
Festival: Cal Expo, 1600 Exposi-
tion Blvd., Sacramento, Calif. The
California State Fair is dedicated
as a place to celebrate the best
the state has to offer in agricul-
ture, technology, and the diver-
sity of its people, traditions, and
trends that shape the Golden
State’s future. Website: https://cal-
expostatefair.com/
MONDAY-TUESDAY
AUG. 8-9
American Lamb Summit:
Michigan State University and
East Lansing Marriott East Lan-
sing, Mich. The summit will focus
on competitiveness, production
and quality of American lamb.
Website: https://www.lambre-
sourcecenter.com
SATURDAY
OCT. 1
Free Waste Pesticide Collec-
tion Event in White City: Rogue
Transfer and Recycling, 8001 Table
Rock Road, White City, Ore. The
Oregon Department of Agricul-
ture through the Pesticide Stew-
ardship Partnership is sponsoring
a Free Waste Pesticide Collec-
tion Event. This event is an oppor-
tunity for landowners, farmers
and other commercial pesti-
cide users to rid storage facili-
ties of unwanted or unused pes-
ticide products. Contact: Kathryn
Rifenburg, 971-600-5073, kathryn.
rifenburg@oda.oregon.gov Reg-
istration for this event is required
by Sept. 16. Website: https://bit.
ly/3FIoyFE
SATURDAY
OCT. 15
Free Waste Pesticide Collec-
tion Event in Roseburg: Douglas
County Fairgrounds, 2110 Frear St.,
Roseburg, Ore. The Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture through the
Pesticide Stewardship Partnership
is sponsoring a Free Waste Pesti-
cide Collection Event. This event
is an opportunity for landown-
ers, farmers and other commercial
pesticide users to rid storage facil-
ities of unwanted or unused pes-
ticide products. Contact: Kathryn
Rifenburg, 971-600-5073, kathryn.
rifenburg@oda.oregon.gov Regis-
tration for this event is required by
Sept. 16.
TUESDAY
OCT. 18
FIRA USA Agricultural Robot-
ics and Technology Forum: Fresno
Convention Center, Fresno, Calif.
The forum focuses on problem solv-
ing, decision making and planning
for agricultural robotics. Website:
https://www.fira.usa@fira-agtech.
com
SATURDAY
OCT. 22
Free Waste Pesticide Collec-
tion Event in Madras: Jefferson
County Fairgrounds, 2110 Frear St.,
Madras, Ore. The Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture through the
Pesticide Stewardship Partnership
is sponsoring a Free Waste Pesti-
cide Collection Event. This event
is an opportunity for landown-
ers, farmers and other commercial
pesticide users to rid storage facil-
ities of unwanted or unused pes-
ticide products. Contact: Kathryn
Rifenburg, 971-600-5073, kathryn.
rifenburg@oda.oregon.gov Regis-
tration for this event is required by
Sept. 16.
TUESDAY-
WEDNESDAY
DEC. 6-7
Western Governors’ Associa-
tion Winter Meeting: Phoenix, Ariz.
The meeting will focus on public
conversations about the most sig-
nificant issues facing the region.
Website: https://www.westgov.org
Telephone (toll free) ............800-882-6789
Online ............................CapitalPress.com
Subscriptions
Mail rates paid in advance
Easy Pay U.S. $4 /month
(direct withdrawal from bank
or credit card account)
1 year U.S. ...........................................$ 65
2 years U.S. ........................................$115
1 year Canada.....................................$230
1 year other countries ...........call for quote
1 year Internet only.............................$ 52
Visa and Mastercard accepted
To get information published
Mailing address:
Capital Press
P.O. Box 2048
Salem, OR 97308-2048
News: Contact the main office
or news staff 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
Index
Markets .................................................14
Opinion ...................................................7
CORRECTION
Last week’s cover story
about Cunningham Sheep
Co. misstated that the
family has land in Umatilla
County and parts of Morrow
and La Grande counties. It
should have said Umatilla,
Morrow and Union coun-
ties. La Grande is the county
seat of Union County.
The Capital Press regrets
the error.
Correction policy
Accuracy is important to Capital Press
staff and to our readers.
If you see a misstatement, omission or
factual error in a headline, story or photo
caption, please call the Capital Press news
department at 503-364-4431, or send
email to newsroom@capitalpress.com.
We want to publish corrections
to set the record straight.