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FARM
FAIR
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The till
is gone
Soil scientist
Stewart Wuest
gestures to
the varying
heights off
wheat growth
in a test plot
at Colum-
bia Plateau
Conservation
Research Cen-
ter outside of
Mission.
EO fi le photo
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big rain of the fall, which this year didn’t come until late
October. That’s one less month to raise an early stand of
wheat before winter arrives.
Every drop of rain is precious for wheat farmers in arid
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Eastern Oregon.
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Switching to no-till farming could help make the most
question of which is better: get your crop seeded early, or
of limited moisture while increasing yield, according to one
soil scientist with the federal Agricultural Research Service. wait for rain and have more moisture later on in the fall.”
Wuest said growers are gradually beginning to
Stewart Wuest, researcher with the Columbia Plateau
experiment more with no-till and
Conservation Research Center in
reduced till. He wants people who
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attend his presentation to take away an
no-till and reduced till farming during
understanding of what the practice has
a presentation Thursday, Dec. 3 at the
to offer.
42nd annual Hermiston Farm Fair.
“I’d like them to understand it’s
By leaving more plant residue on
worth their effort to minimize till and
the soil surface, Wuest said water
live with more residue at the surface. It
has a better chance to soak into the
will be a big payoff,” he said.
ground before it is lost to evaporation.
Wuest is the lead researcher on the
Reducing tillage also protects against
no-till project in Pendleton, which
erosion, maintaining nutrient-rich soil
this year had its neck on the chopping
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block as funding was uncertain. The
Wuest will present data from his
Columbia Plateau Conservation
project that shows reduced till has a
— Stewart Wuest, Research Center was proposed to have
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soil research scientist its budget slashed by nearly half as
when drought has hit farmers hard in
money would be re-routed to other
Umatilla and Morrow counties.
initiatives in the ARS.
“It looks like it’s helping yields
Recently, station director Dan Long said the situation
measurably,” Wuest said. “How much will depend year to
appears to have been resolved in the budget deal recently
year.”
passed by Congress. He said lobbying from the Oregon
Three straight years of below-average rainfall is taking
Wheat Growers League, as well as support from Democratic
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Sens. Ron Wyden, Jeff
Statistics Service reports Umatilla and Morrow county
Merkley and Republican
growers harvested 17.816 million bushels of winter wheat
Rep. Greg Walden, helped
in 2014, down from 21.7 million bushels in 2012. Farmers
to protect funding for the
anticipated yields could be down by as much as half this
center.
year.
Wuest’s presentation
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is scheduled for 8 a.m. at
said, because they are able retain the most water to offset
the Farm Fair, during the
drought-related stress.
morning cereal session
“Where you’re doing less tillage leaves more residue on
WKHVXUIDFHDQGWKRVHUDLQVZLOOEHPRUHEHQH¿FLDO´KHVDLG on the main stage at the
Hermiston Conference
The challenge is in the timing of planting season for
Center.
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———
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Contact George Plaven
stored underground and plant earlier in the fall — ideally in
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
September.
com or 541-966-0825.
By GEORGE PLAVEN
EO Media Group
That’s the question of
which is better: get
your crop seeded
early or wait for rain
and have more mois-
ture later in the fall.”
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