April 2005

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WSU Launches Drought Alert Web Site By Dennis Brown, Washington State University Washington State University has launched a Web site to help Northwest citizens deal with the region's deepening drought. "Drought Alert provides a variety of information on the drought and how citizens can conserve water and otherwise cope with impacts of the drought," said Rich Koenig, WSU Extension soils specialist. Koenig is WSU's representative on the Washington state Executive Water Emergency Committee. On Thursday, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire authorized the Washington Department of Ecology to declare a statewide drought emergency based on the extremely low snow pack in the mountains and record-low flows that are being seen in many of the state's rivers. The WSU Web site will provide links to experts in agriculture, agricultural water policy, economic impacts of drought, landscape and gardens, home water conservation and related topics. The site also will have extensive links to other Washington state and federal agencies responding to the drought. What Really Is Sustainability? By Susan Allen, Food Forethought Foundation Will someone please clarify what constitutes sustainability? Of course I know that "sustainability" is currently the "it" word of the decade and I am more than aware that when "sustainability" is used in the same breath as agriculture it can make farming issues all warm and fuzzy and especially palatable for the metropolitan crowd."Sustainability" commonly accompanies dialog pertaining to the environment. The "S" word can pop up routinely in discussions regarding U.N. relief work or economic development in third world countries. It appears magically each day on my computer screen in headlines like, "GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY" or "LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY." Listen closely and you will hear celebrities like Bono frequently pepper their conversation with the word. In my quest to comprehend sustainability, my first stop was Webster's Dictionary where it was defined as; "relating to or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged, or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods." The word became vogue in the nineties, where it was initially introduced at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, from there it was quickly picked up and used by environmentalists and governments. Others have described sustainability as "about living, working and ordering society in ways which are environmentally "sustainable", encouraging reduction of pollution, re-use of resources, promoting biodiversity etc. The core idea is that "current generations should meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". So who fits the above definitions? I would question if the majority on board the sustainability bandwagon do! Practicing recycling and refraining from using commercial chemicals while admirable, does not automatically make you a card-carrying member of the "sustainability" club. Sustaining in itself denotes a durational effort that includes time. This is where I believe many fall short. The fact that House and Garden magazine featured Mary Jane Butters' five acre farm in Moscow, Idaho's wheat growing region, the Palouse, as a prime example of "sustainable" agriculture, while calling the thousands of acres of wheat surrounding it a "monoculture of chemically nurtured wheat" puzzled me. Ms Butters has been farming (what most of us would consider an oversized garden) for a mere 16 years. Will her farm continue to be productive for another twenty, fifty or even one hundred? A more fitting description of sustainability is found in the thousands of acres of wheat that surrounds her mini-farm. For over a hundred years, the Palouse region has abundantly produced some of the highest quality wheat in the world, financially sustaining the local community while nutritionally sustaining an international one. The ability of soil that has been turned for generations to continue to yield even more per acre today is evidence that resources are not depleted. So who is the real sustainable farmer? The April issue of Food and Wine Magazine called Steve Ells founder of the successful Chipotle restaurant chain a "huge advocate of sustainable farming" because he uses "humanely raised pork" as one of his ingredients. The ranchers I know treat their livestock "humanly" yet would fail to meet his criteria for "sustainability" because Mr. Ells purportedly purchases products only from "small family farms". When did "small" become a component of sustainability? Mr. Ells, better known as the "margarita mogul" does not champion "small" when it comes to his own business ventures. He did not find it politically correct to own one "small" family diner; rather he basks in the success of owning one of the nation's fastest growing restaurant chains. Ironically, when a farmer or rancher has built a lucrative large operation, the media demonizes them. Somehow I doubt Arnold or Bono will ever use the word "sustainability" in the same breath with the traditional wheat farmers of the Palouse, but maybe now you and I will. Winston Churchill once said, "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." Let us not stumble over "perceived" truth being spoon fed to us by a biased media, rather let's make a united effort to acknowledge the farmers and ranchers that practice true sustainability. Conference Promotes Direct Marketing As Key To Small Acreage Producers' Future By Bill Loftus, University of Idaho While market forces are forcing many agricultural producers to get bigger to survive, small farms are increasing in number and economic importance as well. The two-day small farm conference, "Making the Local Connection: Direct Marketing in the Inland Northwest," on the University of Idaho campus, attracted nearly 70 small-acreage farmers, advocates, educators and others to review strategies to market directly to consumers. It was held March 18-19. "We are asking, 'What can we do to remove the barriers to create more opportunities for direct marketing,'" said Colette DePhelps, executive director of Rural Roots, a regional organization devoted to sustainable and community-based agriculture. According to the 2002 Agricultural Census, the number of Idaho farms less than 50 acres increased by 5 percent between 1997 and 2002, DePhelps noted. Totaling 12,310, these small farms account for 49 percent of Idaho's farms. The focus on marketing reflected the nature of small-acreage farming, which requires a close link to consumers, said Cinda Williams, UI sustainable agricultural program coordinator at Moscow. "That is how most of the small-acreage producers are going to make a living, by selling directly to consumers; that way they can capture the best price by avoiding the middleman," Williams said. "I thought we had some provocative discussions. We brought together some new people who haven't been to our past conferences and introduced them to some successful small-acreage producers who shared their direct marketing expertise," she added. James B. "Ding" Johnson, UI Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences Department head, said small farms and sustainable agriculture are key components of the college's educational and research mission. Efforts statewide are intended to help small-acreage producers play their role in the state's agricultural economy that has large-scale production agriculture as its backbone. The conference was sponsored by the University of Idaho, Rural Roots and Washington State University with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Much of the conference was devoted to exploring how small-acreage farmers can enhance their financial returns by learning from the successful experiences of others. The range of opportunities for small-acreage farmers is expanding, Rural Roots' DePhelps said. Rising consumer demand for fresh, local produce is reflected in the growing number of farm direct sales to restaurants and the increasing number of farmers markets throughout Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Jennifer Hall, Spokane County Small Farm Program coordinator for Washington State University Extension, explored the nature of supplying meat and produce for restaurants. "There's a lot of risk if you're making an obligation to a restaurant," Hall said. The weather and other uncontrollable problems could impact produce supply. Keys to surmounting these issues are excellent farm planning and clear communication between growers and restaurant chefs. "Treat the relationship for what it is &endash; a business relationship," Hall advised. The point is that selling high quality meat and produce to restaurants can be financially rewarding. Rural Roots, which organized in 1997 and now counts some 220 members, recently merged with the Idaho Organic Alliance, which organized in 1989. "I really see the growth in agricultural leadership, mainly small acreage farmers and ranchers, making a difference in how small farm issues are addressed," she added. The expansion of organizations representing and serving small-acreage producers over the last eight years reflects the growth in numbers of small farms and economic opportunities available to producers wanting to direct market their products. Henning Sehmsdorf, a keynote speaker who operates S&S Homestead Farm on Lopez Island in Washington's Puget Sound, described how his family's 50-acre farm is successful because it feeds his family and produces a cash surplus. The farm is a closed system where the plants and animals and people all sustain each other. Essentially everything needed on the farm is produced there with the exception of vehicle fuel and a few other products. He and his wife, Elizabeth Simpson, hope their farm can serve as a model for others. The farm provides healthy food for the family and for customers, and a healthy lifestyle that can serve as a model for a healthier society. Sehmsdorf maintained that shifting agriculture back toward small farms could help both consumers and farmers. Noti, Ore.-farmer Aaron Silverman talked about a different sort of self-reliance with collaborative businesses, Greener Pastures Poultry and Creative Growers. Both collaborations rely on formal or informal partnerships with other growers to provide produce and poultry for the restaurant market. There are benefits and downsides to collaborative ventures, Silverman said. "The first thing to do is to ask yourself, 'Do I really need other people to make this work?' " he said. In the case of both the produce and the poultry businesses he operates, the answer was yes. Farmers who want to supply restaurants also need to be innovative, and resilient, Silverman said. "Restaurants are a tough market. Product has to be excellent in taste and appearance and fit in with what the restaurants are doing." How To Reduce Mosquito Breeding Areas On Your Property By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Oregon was one of the last states in the nation to report the presence of West Nile Virus. The mosquito-borne disease was confirmed last year in eight of Oregon's counties and, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the final tally for 2004 showed detections of the virus in 32 horses, 23 birds, and five humans. Reducing mosquito breeding sites on your property may help control the spread of the disease, some scientists say. In the yard, check for and eliminate any source of stagnant water, the habitat where mosquitoes breed. Old tires, clogged gutters, wading pools, wheelbarrows, birdbaths, tarps, flower pot saucers, pet water dishes, and watering cans are sources of stagnant water. A good rule of thumb is: Wherever water can stand for more than four days is a potential breeding site for mosquitoes. Local vector control districts can offer advice and assistance (see below for access to office locations). If you have a pond or other water feature, a relatively new "least toxic" mosquito control method is now easily available in many garden centers. These are called mosquito disks or dunks, explained Amy Dreves, entomologist at Oregon State University. Mosquito disks are little doughnut-shaped, time-release rings that can be floated in a pond or water feature. They slowly release B.t.i. (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), a soil bacteria tested and found lethal only to mosquito larvae, black flies and fungus gnats. B.t.i. is active over a 30-day period. All other organisms should be unaffected. To discourage mosquitoes the first course of action should be to eliminate standing water, said Dreves. But in a backyard pond, birdbath, ditch, tree hole, unused swimming pool, flower pot, rain barrel or garden water feature situation, B.t.i. mosquito disks are a less toxic alternative to killing mosquitoes with most other insecticides. Like other strains of B.t., B.t.i. acts as a stomach poison, damaging cells in the mid-gut of mosquito larvae that have eaten the spores. B.t.i. crystals dissolve in the intestine of susceptible insect larvae. They paralyze the cells in the gut, interfering with normal digestion and triggering the insect to stop feeding. B.t.i. spores can then invade other insect tissue, multiplying in the insect's blood, until the insect dies. Studies show that B.t.i. acts quickly &endash; in experiments, a moderate to high concentration killed half the mosquito larvae within 15 minutes and finished off the remainder after about an hour. B.t. pesticides are unlike many of the more broad-spectrum pesticides, in that they only kill certain groups of insects. Michigan State University researchers tested B.t.i. over a three-year period in the field and laboratory for possible impacts on "non-target organisms," other aquatic organisms besides mosquitoes, black flies and fungus gnats. They observed no negative impacts on other aquatic insects including stoneflies, mayflies, dragonflies, caddis flies or other aquatic flies such as crane flies. As with all pesticides, it is imperative that users follow label instructions carefully. There are different strains of B.t., each with specific toxicity to particular types of insects. Besides B.t.i., there are B.t. aizawai (B.t.a.), used against wax moth larvae in honeycombs and B.t. kurstaki (B.t.k.) controls various types of moths and butterflies, including the gypsy moth and cabbage looper. A newer strain, B.t. san diego, is effective against certain beetle species and the boll weevil. To be effective, B.t. must be eaten by insects during their feeding stage of development, when they are larvae. B.t. is ineffective against adult insects. If you are outdoors a lot, you may be tempted to douse yourself with DEET, a potent and popular insect repellent, to protect against disease-carrying mosquitoes. But DEET can pose health risks, so make sure to follow label instructions, advise OSU toxicologists. Infected wild birds are the source of West Nile Virus. Mosquitoes bite infected birds, then may transmit the infection to horses and humans. The disease does not transmit from horse to horse or human to human. A bite by an infected mosquito is the only known route of transmission. If you want to learn more about West Nile Virus and how to prevent it, Oregon State University offers informative websites with links and more details, including: The Lane County office of the OSU Extension Service's website at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/documents/WestNileVirus3-04revised31604_000.pdf OSU's National Pesticide Information Center (funded by the U.S. EPA) is an on-line resource guide for both West Nile Virus and the use of DEET, with a national perspective at: http://npic.orst.edu Or, call 1-800-858-7378. The Oregon Department of Human Services offers WNV information for Oregon, including a link to county vector control contact information at: http://www.dhs.state.or.us/publichealth/acd/wnile/index.cfm Stumped By A Stump? From HomeWise, A University of Idaho Publication Finally, you've cut down that overgrown, hazardous, diseased or simply obnoxious tree in your yard. But unless you destroy the stump, too, that tree could come back to haunt you. Many deciduous trees&emdash;including poplar, willow and aspen&emdash;sprout from the stump or roots after the top has been cut, says Yvonne Barkley, University of Idaho associate Extension forester. To make sure the tree is entirely dead and will not send up sprouts, apply an herbicide that's specifically labeled for tree-killing to the stump right after you've cut the tree. Be aware, however, that a stump-killer can destroy trees of the same species within 30 to 40 feet of the target tree. That's because the roots of these trees may have become co-mingled with the roots of the tree you took down. "These trees may essentially have become one large organism," Barkley says. "If you apply herbicide to the stump of one of them, the herbicide will translocate through the shared root system and kill the rest of the trees, too." Products that are simply advertised as "aids" to decomposition don't work well in our dry climate, Barkley says. "Woody material takes a very long time to decompose naturally in Idaho, and these products really do not noticeably speed up the process." You can try digging a stump out&emdash;Barkley calls it a "guaranteed way" to get rid of a tree&emdash;but because stump-digging can be both time-consuming and painful, having a professional tree service grind the stump for you is an option worth considering. Alternatively, plan to keep the stump as part of your landscape. Use it as a rustic chair, saw it into a sculpture, set a flower-filled pot or a birdbath on top of it, or let it be an outdoor stage for your theatrical kids or grandkids.

ID Pasture Clearing House Links Those Who Need Pasture With Those Who Have It By Marlene Fritz, University of Idaho With rangeland grazing threatened by drought this year, Idahoans who will have pasture available for rent can use a University of Idaho web site to make contact with Idahoans who are looking for alternatives to rangeland this season. "Things are not looking too shiny in relation to rangeland grazing this summer," says Neil Rimbey, UI Extension range economist in Caldwell. Unless spring rains come, Rimbey says paltry water supplies and parched soils may make it necessary for many ranchers to nourish their livestock with private forage or hay for longer periods of time than they ordinarily would. The web site, www.ag.uidaho.edu/pasture, serves as an electronic clearing house on which owners of private pasture and crop aftermath can list available feeds and owners of livestock can describe their needs. "It essentially sets up a market," says Rimbey. Willing buyers and sellers can scan the listings for possible matches and make their own arrangements. The electronic pasture clearing house was developed in cooperation with the Idaho Cattle Association and includes links to pasture management resources. Producers who don't have home computers can access the clearing house through their county extension office. Clearing Fire-Prone Vegetation Near Your Home Crucial In Drought By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University Property owners in rural or remote forested areas of eastern and western Oregon should be reducing vegetation on their property to lower fire risk later in the season, advises Stephen Fitzgerald, a forestry specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. "It's been dry this winter &endash; really dry for this time of year," warned Fitzgerald. "And it's probably not going to get much better, given the poor winter snow pack." Earlier this month, OSU and U.S. Forest Service bio-climatologists projected that the drought severity in the Pacific Northwest will only get worse in the coming months and reach levels that were generally seen during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Some early spring rain has dampened the soil and raised local streams, but hasn't significantly changed the outlook for summer. "Rural and remote homes, especially those that are in or adjacent to forest and rangelands, are at higher risk for wildfire than city dwellings," said Fitzgerald. Having local fire protection does not guarantee safety from wild fire. "Don't live under the illusion that fire fighters will be able to extinguish a wildfire before it gets to your home and property," Fitzgerald warned. "Late winter and early spring is a great time to reduce fuels and other fire hazards around homes and property. Think of it as part of your spring clean-up." To lessen the risk of wildfire, Fitzgerald offers a few simple steps to protect homes and property in wooded and rural areas. Most of these tasks can be completed in just one weekend. • Create a "green-belt" &endash; such as a lawn, that is at least 10 to 30 feet wide around homes. • Landscape with fire-resistant plants. • Clean and remove conifer needles and other debris from roofs and gutters. • Prune trees up to eight to 10 feet to eliminate "fuel ladders." The pruning height can be varied so trees are more natural appearing. • Reduce the number of shrubs under trees and in non-irrigated portions of the lot. • Thin trees so that there is about 10 feet between tree crowns; clean up thinning debris. • Consider removing trees up against houses and branches overhanging the roof. If the trees can't be removed&emdash;for sentimental or other reasons&emdash;at least prune the branches so they are not in contact with the side of the house or roof. • Keep firewood stacked 30 feet away and uphill from homes. • Replace a wood shake roof with a fire-resistant roof as soon as possible or when most feasible. "One of the challenges homeowners encounter when cleaning up their property is what to do with all that debris," said Fitzgerald. Options include burning small piles, chipping the material or bringing the debris to local landfills. Contact local fire departments for burning regulations before striking a match, advises Fitzgerald. Portable chippers can be rented to grind up woody debris. The chipped material can then be spread out on the soil surface beneath your trees, used as landscape mulch or spread on a garden path. Some county landfills offer "free days" for bringing in yard debris. The landfill then chips the material to make large batches of mulch used by public works departments and others. Check with your local county landfill to see if they offer such a program. Think about fire prevention when planning a new home in a forested area, advises Fitzgerald. Use fire-resistant siding and non-combustible composition, tile or metal roofing materials. Limit the amount of deck area because hot embers can ignite wooden decks or use fire-resistant deck material. Build on a level portion of your property when possible (fire burns faster on slopes). Install alternative water (e.g. cistern or pond) sources for firefighters because electric power often fails or is shut off during a fire, making your well and outside faucets unusable. Create adequate access to your property for fire-fighting equipment to enter and exit easily. Check with your local fire protection district for entrance/exit (ingress/egress) standards. Don't forget to display reflective address numbers where your driveway meets the street. Most local fire departments have reflective address signs available. For more information on wildfire prevention, Fitzgerald suggests these websites: Firewise Home Page: http://www.firewise.org/ Oregon Department of Forestry: http://www.odf.state.or.us/ (Click on "Fire in the Forest") Colorado State Forestry Service: http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CSFS/homefire.html Fire-Resistant Plant List for Oregon: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/emergency/FireResPlants.pdf Contact rural fire protection district offices for fire-related information and burning regulations. Local field offices of the Oregon Department of Forestry and local county offices of the OSU Extension Service can also help provide additional information or help direct you to other sources of information. Drought Tolerant Perennials Produce Color Thru Fall By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University To keep a colorful and low maintenance flower garden through the summer and fall, it is best and easiest to grow water-efficient summer and fall-blooming perennials. The time to plant these is now, in the spring, so they have time to get established before their blooming season. Oregon State University Extension Service horticulturists recommend the following summer and fall blooming perennial flowers for sunny areas. These need a minimum of watering, once they are established: • Yarrow (Achillea): These hardy fragrant plants have finely divided fern-like leaves with flat topped clusters of white, pink, red or yellow flowers. There are low growing and taller varieties. Excellent for drying. • Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa): This milkweed relative, native to the Great Plains, sends up bright orange flowers on three-foot stems in mid-summer. Butterflies love it. • Coreopsis: A relative of the sunflower, with bright yellow flowers. These two- to three-foot high plants will give a show of color throughout the summer. • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea): Big purple daisy-like flowers with purple centers and drooping purple flowers, also native to the prairies. Clumps of coneflowers grow from four to five feet high and lower from late summer into early autumn. • Globe thistle (Echinops): With steel blue globe-shaped flowers, this gray-green prickly perennial blooms from mid-summer into fall. It makes excellent cut flowers. • Blanket Flower (Gaillardia): Also a member of the sunflower family, with gray-green foliage and brilliant yellow flowers, banded with red, maroon or orange. Easy to sow from seed, they often self-sow. Blooms summer into fall. • Gayfeather or blazing star (Liatris): Tall lavender spikes bloom from narrow grasslike clumps of leaves. Grows two to three feet tall and makes an excellent cut flower. Another butterfly favorite. Blooms in summer. • Flax (Linum): These sky-blue cup shaped flowers only last a day, but will keep blooming for a month or more. Wispy, narrow leafed stems grow to two feet in clumps. Easy to grow from seed. Blooms late spring to summer. • Penstemon: Native to dry rocky areas to the high mountain meadows of the west, the many types of penstemons have showy tubular blossoms in red, purples to blues. Species range from sprawling mats to uprights to shrubs. • Evening primrose (Oenothera): Native to desert regions, these plants produce fragrant white, yellow or pink evening-blooming flowers which die back after blooming. They need little care. For shadier areas, try these drought tolerant perennials: • Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus): Clumps of broad, strap-shaped leaves send up lovely blue or white round clusters of flowers. Loves to be watered, but can tolerate drought. It has heavy roots for water storage. • Corydalis lutea: this delicate looking, yellow flowered perennial is a close relative of bleeding heart. As "tough as nails." Can take moist or dry soil, sun or shade. Reseeds itself readily. Blooms from May until the first hard frost. • Mexican daisy (Erigeron): Sprawling or trailing evergreen with white, red or pink daisy-like flowers. Blooms continuously for months. Self sows and tolerates sun or shade. Very drought tolerant. • Thyme: Perennial mat formers or shrubby species. Good for ground cover. Has small leaves. Small light-colored flowers bloom in summer. Grows best in sun or light shade. Common thyme is fragrant herb that can also be used as low edge plant. The OSU Extension Service offers a publication, "Water-efficient Landscape Plants" to help you choose, plant and grow drought tolerant plants in your home garden. This 27-page circular lists characteristics of more than 270 water-efficient annuals, bulbs, groundcovers, perennials, shrubs, trees and vines. Information provided includes: cold hardiness, plant size, flowering time, as well as notes about particular characteristics, such as aromatic foliage or suitability for use as a cut flower. The authors, Neil Bell, Ann Marie VanDerZanden and Linda McMahan, are all OSU horticulturists. Their intent is to help gardeners consider all of the factors that affect plants in their yards-including temperature, frost occurrence, rainfall distribution, wind, humidity and sunlight. They emphasize the importance of proper soil preparation prior to planting. For more information on "Water-efficient Landscape Plants," EC 1546, visit our on-line catalog. Our publications and video catalog at: http://eesc.oregonstate.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat shows which publications are available on the Web and which can be ordered as printed publications. Tu-ber Or Not tu-ber: Potatoes Vs. Sweet Potatoes From University of Idaho HomeWise What's the difference between a potato and a sweet potato, the occasional consumer asks. "The only thing they have in common is the word 'potato,'" says Bill Bohl, University of Idaho Extension potato educator in Blackfoot. For starters, the two vegetables are in entirely different plant families. The potatoes we grow in Idaho are a cool-season crop that's in the nightshade, or Solanaceae, family, along with tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Sweet potatoes-a warm-season crop generally grown in places like North Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi-are in the morning glory, or Convolvulaceae, family. Perhaps the most significant difference is that the tuber-the part of the potato that we eat-is actually stem tissue that stores carbohydrates. Sweet potatoes store carbohydrates, too, but their fleshy parts aren't tubers-they're technically roots. UI Potato Center Web Site Primed To Help Growers By Marlene Fritz, University of Idaho Whether they're searching for hot-topic updates, research reports, management tips or cost-of-production estimates, potato growers can find it this growing season on the Web site of the University of Idaho's Idaho Center for Potato Research and Education. After opening the homepage of the Web site at www.ag.uidaho.edu/potato, they'll soon be deep into the latest information on irrigation, pest management, potato breeding, storage, economics and numerous other topics. They can keep tabs on current issues, read featured reports on best management practices and on reducing exposure to drought risk, and find other information that will help them make key decisions as the season progresses. Only a year old, it's already "getting to be a very good Web site for people who are interested in potato research and extension," says center director Mike Thornton of Parma. Site coordinator Bill Bohl, Extension potato educator in Blackfoot, says it "was designed to provide a wealth of information and also to be a portal to other useful sites containing potato information." Users seem to agree: the site has logged 26,000 hits in the past 11 months. Bohl hopes the site will attract even more interest this year. "We're continually working on it and looking for feedback from users," he says. OSU Offers Limited License For New Super Soft Wheat Variety By Peg Herring, Oregon State University Oregon State University is requesting proposals for licensing a new variety of super soft wheat. This is the first time a cereal grain developed by plant breeders at OSU will be released through only one or a few private companies. The exclusive or semi-exclusive license will make it possible to establish identity-preserved production and marketing of the new wheat variety. In the past, OSU-developed wheat varieties have been released through public release or open licenses and the grain was typically sold on the commodity market in mixed lots containing several different varieties. The exclusive licensing process will help this superior wheat to be segregated from other varieties, identified in the marketplace and potentially sold at a premium price. "As we look at the sustainability of agriculture, we need to provide the highest quality product in a way that preserves its identity and value to end users," said Russ Karow, head of OSU's Crop and Soils Department. Known as OR9801757, the new soft white winter wheat variety has notably lower grain protein content and exhibits very soft kernel texture, high break flour yields, large diameter cookies, and high sponge cake volume. The traits of this particular wheat variety may be of considerable value to millers and bakers if its identity can be preserved through the supply chain, according to Karow. "However, without the commitment of private industry to develop markets and to produce, segregate, and deliver identity-preserved grain, we think that the potential economic value of this variety will not be fully realized," Karow said. "If successful, we expect this will lead to other identity-preserved marketing opportunities for OSU wheat varieties with value-added traits," Karow said. "Oregon wheat growers will benefit from increased market demand and the ability to directly market superior quality identity-preserved grain to quality-conscious customers, increasing the economic returns from investments in research and development." The deadline for receipt of license applications is April 1. For more information, contact Craig Sheward, OSU Office of Technology Transfer, 541-737-3439; or email Craig.Sheward@oregonstate.edu

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