A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
FARM
continued from Page A1
testify in front of the Ways
and Means committee, and
I realized, they’re not my
stakeholders. They’re my
friends.”
Hamm retired from
research about seven years
ago, but since then has been
at the experiment station
part-time as an administrator.
Hamm said the posi-
tion at the experiment sta-
tion was brand new when
he arrived in 1980 — he
applied for it after several
years as a research assistant
in forest pathology at OSU.
During that time he’d also
gotten a graduate degree in
plant pathology.
When he applied for
the position in Hermiston,
Hamm said that role hadn’t
existed at the station before,
but some local growers had
gone to the state legislature
and got the position secured.
Though most of his
research has focused on
potatoes, Hamm said the
diversity of crops in the
Columbia Basin has lent
variety to his research, as
well.
“We worked on lots of
diseases with other crops —
lima beans, onions, carrots,
corn,” he said.
His colleagues noted his
knack for developing rela-
tionships with both growers
and other researchers.
“Extension means com-
munication,” said Silvia
Rondon, an OSU professor
and extension entomologist.
“I’ve seen very few people
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2018
FROM A1
STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY
Phil Hamm, director of the Hermiston Agricultural Research
& Extension Center, chats with another participant on Nov. 28
at the Hermiston Farm Fair. Hamm announced he will retire
this summer.
within the extension service
who can convey information
like him.”
Ken Frost, an assistant
professor of plant pathology,
said Hamm’s support for
researchers has been a help
to all staff.
“He’s worked really hard
to promote OSU extension,
and also help out growers,”
he said. “He’s done a lot to
foster the relationships with
growers in the region.”
Hamm said those rela-
tionships took time and
effort.
“When I first came here,
I was the new guy — peo-
ple didn’t know about me, I
didn’t know about them.”
So he began going to visit
growers and look for issues
with potatoes, as well as
other crops. He began rec-
ognizing issues that some of
the growers didn’t recognize
they had.
“They just lived with
them,” he said.
Once he started visiting
farms and developing those
relationships — plus show-
ing what the research station
could offer — he said the
calls came in quickly.
Over the years, he and
his team have worked with
growers around the region,
researching diseases in pota-
toes and other crops in the
area.
He added that his role is
not to “think out loud.”
“My role is not to give
out ideas. My role is to give
out research-based informa-
tion,” he said.
There were solutions that
have remained elusive —
dealing with ergot, a fun-
gal disease in grass seed,
is a problem Hamm said is
still largely unsolved — but
he said he felt good about
the progress he and his
team made on several prob-
lems with potatoes and other
crops.
“We’ve provided new
information to growers about
how they could use (our
research) to reduce and com-
pletely manage diseases,” he
said.
Though he’s been a staple
at the experiment station for
nearly 30 years, many com-
munity members might rec-
ognize Hamm from other
areas.
He’s a board member for
several community organi-
zations, like the Blue Moun-
tain Community College
Foundation and the Umatilla
Electric Cooperative.
“I’ve still got lots of
things to keep me busy,” he
said.
He plans to stay in Herm-
iston, where he will continue
to serve with local groups, as
well as hunt and fish in his
free time.
“Maybe more importantly
than anything, I have grand-
kids that live right next to
me,” he said. “If they’re not
moving, I’m not moving.”
Hamm said that while
he won’t be working in the
industry, he looks forward
to continued growth and
change in local agriculture.
“We have over 204 differ-
ent crop types in the Colum-
bia Basin,” he said. “That’s
going to continue to change
as growers look for things
that provide them a greater
return on investment.”
He said he expects to
see major changes as hemp
becomes
more
widely
grown.
“It’s still a federally reg-
ulated material, but that’s
going to change,” he said.
“We’ll always be a potato
area, but hemp might turn
out to be a huge new oppor-
tunity with huge potential
returns.”
LIGHTS
Continued from Page A1
have torn up the driveway.
“Since it started life as a
Christmas tree, if it needed
to be taken out anyway, we
thought it would be nice to
end its life as a Christmas
tree,” he said.
Barron said his mother
has passed away since
planting the tree all those
years ago, but she was a
longtime Hermiston resi-
dent and would have been
proud to see the tree giving
enjoyment to so many peo-
ple in the community.
“It will be nice to see it
decorated as a Christmas
tree again,” he said.
Thursday’s tree-light-
ing ceremony will begin
with live entertainment
by the Hermiston High
School jazz choir and jazz
band at about 5:30 p.m. on
Northeast Second Street
between Main Street and
Gladys Avenue.
Opening remarks and
the arrival of Santa Claus
will begin at 6 p.m., and
the tree will be lit at about
6:15 p.m. Everyone is
invited to stay after and get
pictures with Santa, ride
in a horse-drawn buggy,
enjoy concessions and
shop First Thursday deals
at downtown merchants
who are extending their
hours to 7 p.m. or later.
Gems Cheer will also per-
form at 7 p.m.
Parks and recreation
director Larry Fetter said
there will be heaters and
portable fire pits set up
around the festival street
and Santa will be in a more
spacious location this year
on the north side of the
tree.
“It will be quite fes-
tive,” he said.
Fetter said the tree will
be decked out in new,
brighter lights this year.
The street will also look
more polished as this is the
first Christmas since the
city completed the festival
street this summer.
“It’s the first time using
the festival street now that
it’s had the makeover, and
I can already tell you the
electricity situation is way
better,” he said.
After the celebration
Thursday, a light show
with music will be avail-
able at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7
p.m. Monday through Fri-
day until Christmas. Fet-
ter said there will be three
songs the first week and
a new song will be added
each week.
The festival street will
be the site of another cel-
ebration on New Year’s
Eve. Some details are still
being worked out, but the
city will host a New Year’s
Eve bash on Dec. 31 from
9 p.m. to midnight with
fireworks and entertain-
ment by classic rock and
pop band The Shades.
The city is also hosting
Pancakes with Santa on
Dec. 22 from 9-11:30 a.m.
at the Hermiston Commu-
nity Center. Seating is lim-
ited and tickets ($8 for
children ages 2-15, $10 for
ages 16 and older or $30
for a family of four) will
be sold at the community
center until Dec. 19.
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