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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 2015)
Page 6 East OreJonian/Hermiston Herald FARM FAIR NoYember 1 4A with 3hil Hamm Hermiston station director and plant patholoJist talks about the past few decades of aJ research stakeholders haYe done eYerythinJ to make this station what is today, and it isn¶t Must Jrowers but others in the aJricultural sector and beyond. There is hardly a buildinJ out here that doesn¶t haYe a plaque that recoJnizes and thanks those who haYe contributed to make it happen. One could suJJest that those in aJriculture should support the station ... Wait, I thought you said and they do. But our area is you were going to retire. driYen by irriJated aJricul What gives? ture. Simple as that, and for I did retire, sort of, three that reason there likely isn¶t and a half years on April 1. a business in the reJion that +oZ ¿ttinJ, JiYen Zhat has isn¶t tied to aJriculture in happened since. Actually I some way. relinquished my tenure and EnouJh of the soap bo[ EeJan a parttime position ² we haYe new buildinJs, with OSU and stayed on piYots, of¿ce space, of¿ce as director of HAREC. remodels, equipment, HoweYer, JiYen the ¿nancial infrastructure updates, cash to situation in the state durinJ support our base budJet, folks that time, there were no who loan us equipment and funds aYailaEle to replace the operators. The list Joes on plant patholoJy position I and on. I know OSU belieYes had held oYer years. So ... they own this facility, but I Must Nept doinJ what I had in reality the Jrowers haYe Eeen doinJ. It wasn¶t Eecause shown their ownership is so I liNed what I did ² thouJh many ways oYer the years. that was certainly true. It was EO file photo Well, it is humblinJ. I haYe about why the position was Phil Hamm, at right, is the station director for the Hermiston Agricultural Reasearch and Extention Center. literally made a call or two in established in the ¿rst place The addition to the main of¿ce buildinJ to add four the past when I needed to replace a pump and had the amount and my commitment to our stakeholders, HAREC and OSU. of¿ce spaces. JiYen as easy as that. We are talkinJ thousands of dollars. This position was one of the critical positions at HAREC, Update of irriJation infrastructure. Since I haYe been the director of this station, I am certain that like they all are, and without this e[pertise aYailable to ResidinJ most buildinJs with Yinyl sidinJ so that they at least $1 million has been contributed and none of that for our stakeholders then we Must would not be doinJ our Mob. wouldn¶t need to be painted. research support. Research fundinJ was in addition. I can¶t %esides, after plus years with OSU, I am truly a belieYer • Update of all three residences on HAREC to make them stress enouJh the size of or importance of the partnership in what we do and, besides, these folks are my friends. I more µliYable.¶ we at HAREC haYe with stakeholders of all kinds whether wouldn¶t leaYe without haYinJ some way to back¿ll the • Construction of a parkinJ JaraJe. they Jrow somethinJ or not. The people we work with are patholoJy position. • Construction of a storaJe facility for the plant patholoJy truly the most JiYinJ, supportiYe and nicest people you could proJram. ¿nd anywhere. Why would anyone want to leaYe that kind of In your time as director, how have you seen HAREC • Update to technoloJy to allow all piYots to be controlled situation. It Joes back to why I haYen¶t fully retired. change? by a handheld deYice. So many thinJs haYe chanJed in the 1 years I haYe • )iber optic line to proYide better Internet serYice. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen used for serYed as director. I will share with you those chanJes the • Wireless and/or hard wire access and phones in all fertilizer? ones I remember, but not before JiYinJ the credit where buildinJs where people work. Not sure if it quali¿es as a fertilizer or not, but when we credit is due. These chanJes couldn¶t haYe been done or • New farm equipment ... tractors and implements. had some hail damaJe back in the µs at least one Jrower happen without the tremendous support from our stake There are likely more, but need to moYe on to the ne[t applied molasses to the plants to help them recoYer. No holders and haYinJ the best staff anywhere. question ... reason to suspect that would help, but when you are lookinJ O., where to start" :e haYe or soon will haYe 1 at nearly a complete loss, one miJht try Must about anythinJ, centerpiYot irriJation systems on HAREC. There were only What potential farming breakthrough has you most like in this case. four before I started. The newest one is a Yariable rate piYot excited? that allows us to control the turninJ on and off of indiYidual Good question. I could discuss the new information What’s something grown locally you think might no]]les. Essentially all were Jifts. This has proYided us with cominJ from the crops entomoloJy proJram or the infor surprise you? tremendous opportunity to ful¿ll our mission, to proYide mation about fertility that the aJronomy proJram proYided How about a list? In the Columbia Basin the followinJ new research base information to our stakeholders. We or the opportunity of new potato lines with increased are Jrown commercially ... how many were you aware of haYe two new screenhouses that allow us to Jrow plants disease resistance, hiJher yields or hiJher nutritional Yalue, artichoke, adzuki bean, black eyed peas, celery, chestnuts, in soil as if they are JrowinJ in the ¿eld, thouJh protected cominJ from the work of our biochemist, potato breeder edamame, okra, peanut, spearmint, or thinJs I¶Ye neYer heard by a screen that either keeps insects in or insects out of the or plant patholoJist or the siJni¿cant work cominJ from of such as aprium, aruJula, bok choi, burdock and celeraic. plantinJs. This has allowed the deYelopment of siJni¿cant efforts related to ecosystem serYices. All are important new information. breakthrouJhs. How big was the biggest watermelon you’ve ever seen? I don¶t haYe the time to relay the importance of each new It isn¶t about biJ, but about quality. Remember, it is chanJe, so here is the list Any unusual superstitions or good luck charms you’ve accurate to say that we Jrow the best sweetest watermelons HirinJ a new crop entomoloJist. seen farmers try? than anywhere else ² anywhere ² due to our area haYinJ all HirinJ a new plant patholoJist. While I am sure they haYe some Must like the rest of the riJht enYironmental, water and soil conditions. California HirinJ a new potato breeder. us, what they Yalue most is research information JiYen the or Arizona or anywhere else for that matter haYe nothinJ oYer %uildinJ a new research lab for the potato breeder. amount of money they inYest each year. Consider what they us. We haYe it oYer them. That is true for a lot of other crops Construction of two new Jreenhouses for the potato Jo throuJh At any time, they could lose their entire crop to as well. breeder. hail or an early freeze, they could lose their water system in Construction of the 'on Horneck 0emorial %uildinJ. the middle of a heat waYe, or the price of what they Jrow Why should people — not just farmers — attend the Construction of a pesticide storaJe facility that protects could decline oYerniJht. If I was a Jrower, I would be on Farm Fair? the safety of our staff. my knees prayinJ eYery niJht and haYe a Jood bottle of There is a lot to be learned, and lots of fellowship with Construction of the kilowatt solar array that saYes somethinJ to help me sleep fellow folks who liYe in the reJion. 3lus, the added bonus of us about , per year. free food The remoYal of the federal reYersionary clause to the How have local growers stepped up to support the title of the land associated with HAREC. experiment station? The soontobestarted 3recision IrriJated AJ facility Where do I start? This station is what it is because of belonJinJ to %0CC, but this is a cooperatiYe effort with two thinJs we haYe the best stakeholders that can be found OSU. anywhere and we haYe the best staff. Simple as that. The RemodelinJ the main of¿ce buildinJ. Phil Hamm is a plant pathologist, professor emeritus at Oregon State University and station director of the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center. The East Oregonian recently caught up with Hamm for a Q&A in advance of the 42nd annual Hermiston Farm Fair. STOP BY OUR BOOTH! 830 N. 1st St., Hermiston 541-567-8528 Open Mon-Fri 8-5 • Sat 9-5 Heppner 541-676-9481 • Pendleton 541-276-1571 www.lesschwab.com HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Stop By Our Booth At The 42nd Annual Hermiston Farm Fair! Jared Robbins – 541-656-8869 ELMER'S IRRIGATION, INC. 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