WHAT: Adams County Research Field Tour

WHEN: 8:30 a.m., Thursday, June 24, 1999

WHERE: Beginning at Ritzville City Park

WHO WILL ATTEND: Eastern Washington dryland wheat growers and ag industry personnel.

PROGRAM DETAILS: At the Don and Doug Wellsandt farm, Jim Cook, WSU, will speak on developments in no-till barley research, Steve Dofing and Bill Schillinger, WSU, will speak on seeding rates for no-till spring wheat, barley and oats; and Chad Shelton, Western Farm Service, will speak on alternative crops.

At the Mark Schoesler farm, Steve Jones, WSU, will speak on perennial wheat.

At the Ron Jirava farm, Jirava, Schillinger and Cook will speak on alternative cropping systems research for dryland.

At the Jerry Knodel farm, Aaron Esser, WSU, will speak on protein management of hard red spring wheat and Kim Kidwell, WSU, will speak on hard red wheat hybrids.

REGISTRATION: Pre-registration required by June 21.

FEE: $15, includes lunch.

SPONSOR: WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.

CONTACT: Cindy Warriner, (509) 659-3214, for registration. Bill Schillinger, (509) 659-0355 for technical questions.

You can make a difference in the marketing and selling of the Pacific Northwest wheat crop. The Pacific Northwest wheat industry is sponsoring the 1999 wheat crop quality survey and the analysis will be performed by the Wheat Marketing Center of Portland, Oregon. The survey is funded by the state wheat commissions of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and U.S. Wheat Associates, whose budgets come from assessment dollars provided by you, the grower. The National Agricultural Statistics Service is coordinating the sampling and collection of the samples.

Between the three states, 625 farmers will be contacted and asked to provide six pounds of new crop wheat from their sample field. Wheat Marketing Center technicians will carry out sample analysis and prepare weekly reports which describe various quality characteristics and end product performance. The weekly reports are distributed worldwide to wheat purchasers. More than 85% of the wheat produced by growers in the Pacific Northwest goes to export markets. Buyers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Phillippines, Pakistan, Egypt and many other countries rely on this information to make their buying decisions.

To make this a successful venture and put your own dollars to work, we need your cooperation on this survey. When your local enumerator comes calling, take a few minutes to select a sample field and agree to collect the sample at harvest time. You can make a difference in the marketing and selling of the Pacific Northwest wheat crop.

The Washington Apple Education Foundation (WAEF) is sponsoring the fourth annual "Year of the Apple" art contest

All Washington state students from preschool through high school during the school year currently coming to a close (1998-99) may enter. Categories include the apple calendar/poster and Christmas cards. Entries in the Christmas card category may incorporate other tree fruit in the design including apples, pears, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches or nectarines. Children are welcome to enter both competitions, but may enter only one design per category.

Children are competing for more than $3,000 in prize money. The grand prize winner will receive $1,000 savings bonds and have their design reproduced into a postersized calendar distributed in the year 2000. Six honorable mention winners will receive $250 in saving bonds.

Entries must be postmarked by August 1. For more details on contest requirements check online at www.waef org or call the WAEF at (509) 925-2202.

WSDA Director Jim Jesernig has approved the allocation of $1.3 million to 38 county and area fairs. A $750 grant was also approved for the Seattle 4-H Urban Fair. The allocations were recommended by the Washington State Fairs Commission, whose members visit and evaluate the fairs. said Jesernig, "Funds are going out a little later than usual this year but we're still well in advance of most of the county fairs, which run between July and September." The delay in makng allocations was due to the need to wait for the legislature and the governor to finalize the state budget The budget, signed into law by Governor Locke on May 14, provided $6 million to the Fair Fund to assist ag fairs and youth shows this year and the next 2 years.

The University of Idaho's search for a dean of the College of Agriculture has been extended by a committee composed of representatives from the university and agricultural groups.

"The committee chose to continue to recruit and evaluate candidates to find the strongest possible leadership for the College of Agriculture for the 21st Century," said Charles Hatch, committee chairman and dean of the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Sciences.

The search committee plans to have the new dean in place before the new academic year begins in August, Hatch said.

A joint field day for the USDA-ARS / WSU Palouse Conservation Field Station and WSU Spillman Agronomy Farm near Pullman, Wash., will be held on July 8, 1999.

Eleven research programs will be highlighted during field tours at the two research farms.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. at the Palouse Conservation Field Station, located 1.5 miles north of Pullman on State Highway 27, then a half mile west on the Albion Road. Tours will be from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

A hosted lunch will be served at noon at the Spillman Agronomy Farm, two miles south of Pullman on Johnson Road. Afternoon field tours at Spillman will be from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.

Research tour topics at the Palouse Conservation Field Station include: Crop choices and management strategies for direct seeding into heavy residues. Tillage and residue management effects on jointed goatgrass establishment. Transgenic biocontrol of soil-borne root diseases. Managing soil pH under direct seeding. Management effects on soil microbes, soil carbon and global climate change.

Afternoon tour topics at Spillman will feature new crop breeding developments in winter and spring varieties of wheat, barley, pea, and lentil, and spring chickpea.

Credits have been requested for state pesticide applicator recertification and Certified Crop Adviser continuing education. For more information on the field day, contact Steve Dofing at 509-335-5831or e-mail: dofing@wsu.edu or Roger Veseth at 208-885-6386 or e-mail: rveseth@uidaho.edu.

Joe Brown, son of Doug and Tera Brown, 1105 Fidalge St., Sedro Woolley, and Cathleen Brown at 2319 Kristi Place, Ferndale, was elected president of the Washington State FFA at the organization's 69th state convention on the Washington State University campus in mid-May. Brown is from Ferndale High School. 

Others elected were: 

Abigail Kammerzell, vice president, daughter of Tom Kammerzell and Barb Schluneger, 3202 McNeilly Road, Colfax.  Kammerzell is also on this year's Colfax parliamentary procedure's team, which took first place in the state convention and will represent Washington at the national convention in October at Louisville, Ky.

Emily Hyland, treasurer, daughter of Bill and Gail Hyland, P.O. Box 718 Leavenworth.

Desiree Cordas, Sentinel, daughter of Denise and Tom Briggs, 5307 S. Vista Drive, East Sumner. Cordas has been the Sumner High School Chapter reporter and treasurer and took second place in the state FFA agriculture sales and marketing competition.

Amanda McKinley, reporter, daughter of Dan and Krista McKinley, P.O. Box 144, Waitsburg. McKinley has been the Waitsburg Chapter secretary and District VI Vice President.

Atiya Palmer, secretary, daughter of Rose and Madison Palmer, 610 S. Silverlake Ave., Medical Lake. She has been chapter and district president.

About 35 officer candidates competed for the six officer positions. Interviewing, testing and voting occupied three days.

More than 3,000 FFA members, chapter advisors and guests attended the 69th Washington State FFA Convention, which ended Sunday, May 16.

"Next Sunday Mrs. Vinson will be soloist for the morning service. The pastor will then speak on 'It's a Terrible Experience'."