Wednesday, October 19, 2016
OFF PAGE ONE
RESEARCH: Scott Lukas wants to expand production markets for new crops
Page 8A
East Oregonian
Continued from 1A
Qin, who goes by “Ray,”
joined HAREC in September
and has already started to
develop specialized water
and fertilizer “recipes” for
new potato varieties devel-
oped at the station.
“I’m focused on how
to improve yield directly,”
Qin said. “Not only yield,
but also the income of every
farmer.”
As the new station agron-
omist at HAREC, Qin knows
he has big shoes to ill. He
replaces Don Horneck, who
spent 15 years with OSU
before he died unexpectedly
in 2014. Qin said he’s heard
stories about Horneck, and
his lab is even located in the
new Don Horneck Memorial
Building.
“He was a very successful
scientist here,” Qin said. “I
hope I can do something to
ill that gap.”
Qin said he is already
getting strong support from
growers around Hermiston.
He will be joined by his wife
and two sons, who are still in
California, before the end of
the year.
Scott Lukas
While Qin’s focus is
primarily on ield crops,
including potatoes, Scott
Lukas has been hired
to research high-value
specialty crops as HAREC’s
new horticulturist.
Lukas also arrived in
September, and takes over
for the retired George
Clough. Already, Lukas
sees the Columbia Basin
as a potential landing spot
for niche products affected
by the extreme drought in
California — things like
almonds, tree nuts and more
vegetables.
“This is a really unique
growing
environment,”
Lukas said. “A lot of crops
that are grown in California
that are struggling could ind
a new home up here.”
It will be Lukas’ job to
igure out how farmers can
adopt those commodities
and work them into their
own farms. His research will
look into what kind of fertil-
izers would be needed, and
managing weeds while at the
same time using resources
eficiently.
“The growers here seem
progressive, and are really
embracing new production
Contributed photo
Staff photo by George Plaven
Angie Treadwell is the SNAP-Ed Program Director for
Umatilla and Morrow counties with Oregon State
University Extension Service.
techniques,” Lukas said. “I’d
like to expand the current
production markets for new
crops in the area.”
Lukas, 35, comes to
Hermiston from Hawaii,
where he earned his
doctorate in crop production
systems from the University
of Hawaii at Manoa. His
position breaks down to
roughly 70 percent research
and 25 percent extension.
Primarily, Lukas said he
intends to do a lot of ield
research and trials.
Lukas said he will have
a better idea of what those
projects look like by next
growing season. He is
intrigued by the commercial
potential for berries in
Hermiston, especially blue-
berries. He is also working
with Clive Kaiser, OSU’s
extension horticulturist in
Milton-Freewater, on an
experiment involving wild
huckleberries.
“That could be a nice
niche,” Lukas said.
Angie Treadwell
Not all staff at HAREC
are scientists. Angie Tread-
well, the SNAP-Ed Program
coordinator for Umatilla and
Morrow counties, provides
outreach to help individuals
and families make better
choices with their grocery
budgets.
SNAP, which stands for
the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, is the
largest federal program
to combat hunger among
low-income
individuals.
Treadwell spent several
days last week working with
second- and fourth-graders
at
Sunset
Elementary
in Hermiston, and A.C.
Houghton Elementary in
Irrigon.
“I love teaching cooking
classes with the kids,”
Treadwell said. “We like to
touch, taste and smell.”
Treadwell is not new to
the job, but just set up a new
ofice at HAREC in August.
She also works out of the
OSU Extension Ofice at
Blue Mountain Community
College in Pendleton.
Prior to coming to OSU
last year, Treadwell spent 17
years with Umatilla-Morrow
Head Start, and served as
nutrition services director
for the Woman, Infants
and Children Program.
Treadwell still partners with
Umatilla-Morrow
Head
Start on “Cooking Matters”
classes, where they teach
families how to make nutri-
tious meals.
“That’s really about
teaching people to plan
ahead for nutritious meals,
and give them some of the
technical skills on how to
prepare those foods,” she
said.
Treadwell also leads the
“Walk with Ease” classes,
aimed at emphasizing phys-
ical activity and improving
overall health.
While her job isn’t
directly tied in to the research
done at HAREC, Treadwell
said there are beneits to her
working alongside scientists
in the same building.
“I feel it’s all interre-
lated,” she said. “It’s my job
to take that research to the
public in a way that people
can understand it.”
Anna Browne arrived at
the Hermiston Agricul-
tural Research and Ex-
tension Center in July as
the assistant professor in
charge of 4-H and Latino
outreach.
Anna Browne
OSU Extension has
created an entirely new
position aimed at promoting
4-H and college readiness
directly to the Hispanic
populations of Umatilla and
Morrow counties.
Anna Browne, a former
ifth- and sixth-grade teacher
at Windy River Elementary
in Boardman, took over the
job in July, helping to ill
a much-needed gap for the
school districts.
Approximately half of
students are Hispanic in the
Hermiston School District,
and about 55 percent in the
Morrow County School
District, according to the
Oregon Department of
Education. Browne works
with those students and their
families through a six-week
college and career readiness
program called “Juntos”
(meaning “together” in
Spanish), which teaches
them how to make attending
college a goal, and how to
apply for inancial aid.
“There are just a lot more
barriers for Hispanic high
school students, especially
if they are irst-generation
students to go to college,”
she said.
Browne, who is bilingual,
teaches the classes in Spanish
and recently completed her
second session at Riverside
Junior-Senior
High
in
Boardman. Nineteen fami-
lies have now completed the
course.
Browne
also
helps
younger Hispanic students
to become involved in 4-H,
which she said can help
Staff photo by George Plaven
Christina Hagerty joined the Columbia Basin Agricul-
tural Research Center in September as the station’s
new plant pathologist.
“I’m really going to make the focus as
much as possible on winter wheat.”
— Christina Hagerty, plant pathologist at Columbia
Basin Agricultural Research Center
them to develop leadership
skills and give them another
positive experience they can
add to their future college
applications.
“There’s really a tremen-
dous amount of leadership
development that can come
out of 4-H,” Browne said.
Browne is based at
HAREC, and can be reached
at 541-567-8321.
Christina Hagerty
For Christina Hagerty,
coming over to the Columbia
Basin Agricultural Research
Center was her dream job.
Hagerty, 28, takes over for
Dick Smiley as the station’s
plant pathologist. Smiley had
spent nearly 30 years in the
position before he retired in
2014.
Now, Hagerty said she
hopes to take the program
in a new direction while
continuing to build on the
work Smiley accomplished
over the course of three
decades.
“I’m really going to make
the focus as much as possible
on winter wheat,” Hagerty
said.
It took two tries for
Hagerty to join the CBARC
team. She initially applied
for the job a year ago, while
she was still working on
her doctorate at OSU in
Corvallis.
Hagerty didn’t get the
job — but neither did anyone
else. She applied again
earlier this year, landing an
interview in March. She
was hired a month later, on
the condition she inish her
degree.
Hagerty wrapped up
school in July, and moved to
Pendleton from Corvallis in
September with her husband,
Ryan Graebner.
“It was the perfect way
to inish my Ph.D,” Hagerty
said. “It was nice to have this
to look forward to.”
Fighting back against
soil-borne diseases, such as
crown rot and wheat mosaic
virus, are on Hagerty’s radar.
She already has ield trials
underway, including one
project funded by the Oregon
Wheat Commission.
Wheat mosaic virus can
cause severe stunting of the
crop if it isn’t kept under
control. As part of her trial,
Hagerty is trying to mix and
match different wheat vari-
eties, which together could
keep the disease at bay.
Hagerty said she is also
looking forward to meeting
with growers and learning
more about their needs.
“I want to know the top
issues they’re struggling
with on their farms, and ideas
about research that needs to
be completed,” she said.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
IRRIGATION: Only Westland Irrigation District patrons are allowed to vote
Continued from 1A
follow some different rules
— irst, the position does not
appear on the regular mail-in
ballot. Voting will be done
in person, on Election Day,
at the district ofices, 77096
Highway 207, Echo.
Only district patrons are
allowed to vote, whether
they are Oregon residents or
not. If a farm has multiple
owners, they are allowed to
vote only once.
Finally, voting is weighted
in the district by land owner-
ship. That means, for anyone
with up to 40 acres, they are
allowed one vote. Anyone
with at least 40 acres, but
no more than 160 acres, gets
two votes, and anyone with
more than 160 acres gets
three votes.
Polls are open from 7 a.m.
to 8 p.m. on Election Day,
Nov. 8.
Even though Parks is
suing Westland, District
Manager Mike Wick said
there is nothing legally
preventing her from running
for the board.
“The district has to remain
neutral for all the candidates,”
Wick said.
Parks was not able to
discuss the lawsuit directly,
but said she feels patrons are
looking for more transpar-
ency from the district board.
“With a lot of the patrons,
it’s been a blind trust,” she
said.
Sharkey, who owns the
South Ranch in Hermiston,
has served on the Westland
board since mid-2014,
when he inished the term
of former member Frank
Mueller. Mueller is now also
listed as a plaintiff in the
current lawsuit, which was
iled earlier this year.
The litigation has changed
the entire dynamic of board
meetings, Sharkey said.
Conversations that were
once open and informal
have become much more
restricted, which has led some
neighbors to feel the board
isn’t being forthcoming.
Despite that, Sharkey
said he wanted to run again
to help settle the turmoil
and continue pursuing more
irrigation water for everyone.
To do that, the board is circu-
lating subscriptions for the
Central Project, which would
capitalize on mitigated irriga-
tion water from the Columbia
River.
“This is the irst time in
40-plus years we’ve been
able to tie in to the Columbia
River,” Sharkey said. “If we
don’t do it now, it will prob-
ably never happen.”
Sharkey said he has a
working knowledge of what
needs to be done, and how to
get there. The current board
has been very proactive in
trying to get the most irriga-
tion water for all patrons, he
said, though the lawsuit has
muddied the situation.
“There are a lot of people
unhappy with the litigation,
along with the cost and
outcome of it,” he said.
Parks said that, while she
recognizes the hard work of
the current board, she would
add a new perspective to
represent the whole district.
“Nothing is going to be
accomplished with all the
ighting,” she said. “We all
want the same thing.”
Another seat on the
Westland board is also up
for election this year, and
will see a new face. Jordan
Bennett will take over
for Mike Taylor, who has
decided not to run for the
seat again. Bennett is related
to Doug and Don Bennett,
who are listed as plaintiffs in
the lawsuit, though Jordan is
not speciically mentioned in
the ilings.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
For more information, call 1-800-962-2819
2x3 EXAMPLE
Celebrate your loved ones in our
We are so
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VETERANS DAY TRIBUTE
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We are
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Joe
proud and
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Cheryl
for
serving
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and those who are currently serving
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and ideals. They make us proud to
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Staff Sergeant
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in the East Oregonian on Nov. 11, 2016. There is NO CHARGE to
be included. Bring us or send in photos of servicemen, servicewomen
or veterans, along with the information in the form to the right, by
November 1.
Thank you for
your service!
Love Evelyn,
Joe and
Cheryl
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