Farm-Direct Sales Brimming in Mid-Valley

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  1

July-August 2024

Volume 44, Issue 4

Extending Knowledge and Changing Lives in Linn and Benton Counties

Non-Prot Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit #115

Albany, OR

By Mitch Lies,

GROWING Editor

Four years ago, with the

Covid pandemic raging, small

farmer Eliza Mason of Monroe,

Oregon, found herself shut off

from her primary sales outlet.

“We had been selling at

farmers’ markets and those

shut down,” she said. “So,

we ﬁgured out that we could

market at our own farm and

have a farmstand.”

Today, Mason and her

partner, orin Nielson,

operate Lilliputopia, a small

farm store in Monroe that

carries a variety of locally

grown and crafted items and

provides a healthy sales outlet

for their own farm production.

To the east of Monroe,

small farmers Pete and Jan

Boucut of Sunﬂower Hill Farm

in Lebanon have also found a

niche in selling direct to the

public. e couple sell their

fruit and produce at a small

store they have erected on their

farm, drawing customers from

Lebanon, Brownsville, and

other local communities within

easy driving distance.

“One of the reasons we

started doing this was to

provide fresh fruits and

vegetables to our customers,”

said Jan Boucut. “Plus, we

enjoy interacting with people.

ey are getting experiences

here that they wouldn’t get in a

grocery store.”

Sunﬂower Hill Farm and

Lilliputopia are two of the many

small farms in Linn and Benton

counties that are a part of what

is becoming an increasingly

prominent sector of Oregon

agriculture, the farm-direct

experience.

“Small farms are trying

to ﬁgure out how to be

economically viable,” said

Melissa Fery of the Linn,

Benton, and Lane counties

Small Farms Extension

program, which supports small

farmers through education and

other programs. “And they

know that means collecting as

much money as they can. And

that means selling directly to

consumers.”

Once the Norm

Selling direct to consumers,

Fery pointed out, was once

the norm in agriculture.

With the introduction

of the refrigerator, and

more speciﬁcally the mass

production of refrigerators

in 1918, those farm-direct

sales have long been replaced

by grocery-store sales. And,

while the convenience factor

of shopping in a grocery store

is undeniable, there has been

something lost in the process,

Fery said.

“When people go to a

grocery store, they pick out

their bell pepper and off they

go, maybe not even considering

where that pepper was grown

or how far it was shipped to

be there,” Fery said. “It’s very

different when customers are

meeting with a farmer directly

at a farm or at a farmers’

market, and they get to see the

person who grew that product.

Maybe there is an exchange of

information about how they

grew it or what other crops

they grow or why they farm. I

mean, there is a dialogue that

could provide education about

farming to the customer.

“And when farmers are able

to educate their customers

and share information about

the practices they use to grow

food and why they farm, that’s

beneﬁcial to helping bridge

the urban-rural divide and the

conﬂict that might come out of

it,” Fery said.

Local farm-direct marketers

also help create community,

Fery said, given that most

farm-direct sales are made

to people living within 50

miles of a farm. “ey are not

visitors from far away that

come and maybe just pick

some blueberries and continue

on their road trip,” Fery said.

“ey are people that are in

contact with the farmer more

frequently. So, it is a way to

build community or build that

stable customer base.”

Also, most farm-direct

customers return again and

again, according to Teagan

Moran, Extension small farms

coordinator for Benton, Lane,

and Linn counties. “We have

learned that when buyers have

access to the farm, they tend to

become more loyal customers,

returning season after season to

support that farm. is return-

customer model cuts back on

the time farmers need to spend

trying to ﬁnd buyers for their

farm products.”

Although they account for

less than 2 percent of total farm

sales, small farms, deﬁned

by the U.S. Department of

Agriculture as those having

less than $350,000 in gross

farm income, make up around

90 percent of the farms in

the U.S. In 2020, according

to the National Agricultural

Statistics Service, small farmers

produced and sold $9 billion of

local edible food commodities

directly to consumers,

retailers, institutions, and

intermediaries, an increase of 3

percent from 2015.

Farm-Direct Sales Brimming in Mid-Valley

Continued on Page 2

Photo by Audrey Comerford

Eliza Mason at her farm store in Monroe is among many small farmers in Linn and Benton counties

who sell direct to the public.

2  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

Who We Are

e Oregon State University Extension oﬃces in Linn County and Benton

County oﬀer practical, lifelong learning experiences. We sponsor conferences,

workshops, demonstrations, tours, and short courses. We recruit, train and

manage volunteers who assist us with community outreach and education.

Our Extension faculty and volunteers answer questions and give advice

by phone, in person, through e-mail, and on our Websites. We provide

brochures and ﬂyers with speciﬁc information on a variety of subjects. We

are funded by a cooperative partnership between Oregon State University,

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and our local counties.

Oﬃce locations and hours

e Benton County oﬃce is located at 4077 SW Research Way in Corvallis.

Oﬃce hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Telephone: 541-

713-5000. http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton.

e Linn County oﬃce is located at 33630 McFarland Rd (on the corner

of Old Highway 34 and McFarland Road), in Tangent. Oﬃce hours are

from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Phone 541-967-3871.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn.

Program Staﬀ Phone Numbers

Linn County 4-H Youth Development Andrea Leao 541-730-3534

Linn County 4-H Youth Development Vacant 541-730-3469

Benton County 4-H Youth Development

and Benton County Liaison Carolyn Ashton 541-713-5004

Benton County 4-H Youth Development Elli Korthuis 541-713-5015

Field Crops* Christy Tanner 541-730-3537

Livestock & Forages* Shelby Filley 541-672-4461

Dairy* Jenifer Cruickshank 971-600-1222

Small Farms* Melissa Fery 541-730-3538

Small Farms* Teagan Moran 541-713-5011

Small Farms* Todd Anderson 541-713-5007

Small Farms & Forestry* Crystal Kelso 541-730-3539

Tree Fruit and Small Fruit Erica Chernoh 541-344-1709

Small Farms & Groundwater Education* Chrissy Lucas 541-713-5009

Community Horticulture* Otillia Schreuder 541-730-3471

Forestry, Natural Resources* Lorelle Sherman 541-713-5016

Regional Fire Specialist* Kayla Bordelon 541-730-3543

FCH & SNAP Ed* Tina Dodge 541-730-3541

FCH Jennie Gilbert 541-730-3531

SNAP Ed* Iris Carrera 5417135005

SNAP Ed* Vacant 541-730-3535

EFNEP & LatinX* Diana Camacho Figueroa 541-730-3542

* Multi-county assignment

Administration and program support serving Linn County

Oﬃce specialist Laurie Gibson 541-248-1088

Oﬃce specialist Jody Hill 541-967-3871

Oﬃce manager & Linn County Liaison Michele Webster 541-248-1087

Administration and program support serving Benton County

Oﬃce specialist Kelly Cotter 541-713-5000

Oﬃce manager Liz McGovern 541-713-5000

Oﬃce specialist Nicole Mason-Martin 541-713-5000

Regional Director Richard Riggs 541-967-3871

GROWING editor Mitch Lies 541-967-3871

Oregon State University Extension Service oﬀers educational programs,

activities and materials without discrimination based on race, color,

religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status,

disability, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran status. Oregon State

University Extension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Reasonable

accommodations to persons with physical or mental disabilities will

be provided. Please notify the Extension oﬃce ﬁve working days prior

to the event you are interested in attending to request reasonable

accommodations.

Continued from Page 1

Farm-Direct Sales Brimming in Mid-Valley

Farmers’ Markets

Many farm-direct marketers in Linn and Benton

counties start by securing a table or space at one of

the local farmers’ markets, choosing from markets in

Corvallis, Albany, Sweet Home and Lebanon.

Multiple farmstands also operate in the two counties,

many of which are listed on the Fresh and Local Guide

for Benton and Linn Counties, which can be accessed

by going to https://beav.es/cVt. Local farm-direct

marketers also are listed through Travel Oregon on the

Mid-Willamette Valley Food Trail website.

Small farms also sell directly to consumers through

community supported agriculture, or CSA, a model

of farm-direct sales where consumers pick up fresh

produce from farms on a regular basis over the course

of a growing season.

“e CSA model continues to be a model that small

farmers are exploring, in part because they can start

small, get a handful of people to go in on it, and then

build from there,” Fery said.

And u-pick remains a popular option for selling

direct to consumers. “ere are a lot of opportunities

for u-pick in Linn and Benton counties,” Fery said. “We

have a lot of u-pick blueberry operations, for example,

and there is really nothing that compares to the taste

of fresh berries that come right from the farm. ey are

pretty amazing when it comes to ﬂavor.”

Strawberries, cherries, peaches, pears and apples

also are available for u-pick or farm-direct sales in the

mid-valley. And a diverse mix of vegetables are grown

and sold locally, including broccoli, cauliﬂower, snap

peas, green beans, tomatoes and storage crops, like

pumpkins and winter squash that are available in the

fall.

And many growers have invested in tunnels that

can increase the length of a growing season, providing

consumers access to fresh, local produce in spring

and fall months, as well as the peak summer growing

season.

“You’ll be able to ﬁnd tomatoes in the market

much earlier than when they might ripen at home, for

example, because of the season-extension methods

using high tunnels,” Fery said.

Looking back in time, Fery noted that historically,

most people either grew what they ate or bought it

directly from another farmer. While the recent embrace

of farm-direct sales doesn’t capture that, in its own

way, it is helping steer society back to the farm, and

growers and consumers alike are beneﬁting.

Congratulations to our 2024 4-H/FFA t-shirt contest

winner MATTHEW ENNIS! This is the second year

that we’ve had youth enter their original designs –

and this year we had close to 50 entries. Matthew’s

design will be put on t-shirts, which all 4-H and FFA

youth and leaders will be wearing during fair.

All entries were displayed in the OSU Extension

oce hallway. A big thank you to all youth that

participated and to No Dinx and Knife River for their

support.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  3

Groundwater

Protection Education

Chrissy Lucas

541-713-5009

chrissy.lucas@

oregonstate.edu

Welcome Summer Interns

e Groundwater Program is excited to have FOUR

interns joining us from June through September. Elias,

Jackie, Zoe, and Elsa. Learn more about Jackie and Elias

now, and Elsa and Zoe in our next issue.

Elias Stroock is a Senior at Oregon State University

studying Environmental Science with a specialization in

GIS. “I have enjoyed learning about water quality from a

human geography point of view and am excited to learn

how to educate these topics in public health.”

Jackie Ruff is a 3rd year undergrad studying

Environmental Science and Education at OSU. “My

favorite hobbies are hiking and making bracelets! I am

so excited to meet so many new people this summer and

help teach about groundwater!”

Did you know there are

possible contaminants in your

well water that you cannot

see, taste, or smell? Municipal

water is regulated by the EPA

so consumers can be quite

conﬁdent that the quality of the

water coming from their tap is

suﬃcient. However, well water

does not face such stringent

regulations and contamination

testing often only occurs when

the well is ﬁrst installed or in

some locations when property

ownership changes.

It is so important that well

water users understand when

and how to monitor their water

quality and the associated

beneﬁts of doing so. Proper

maintenance and monitoring

of your septic systems ensures

proper treatment of the eﬄuent

and a longer life of the system.

Learn steps to protect

the health of your family,

neighbors and animals, your

property investment, and

the safety of groundwater

resources during these FREE

in-person classes and webinars.

Choose the session you want

to attend. Make sure to double

check if a session is in person

or through Zoom. Zoom links

are traditionally sent the day

before the session. Multiple

selections are allowed.

• July30WEBINAR,Living

with your septic system -

noon to 1:15 p.m.

• July31WEBINAR,Living

with your water well - noon

to 1:15 p.m.

• August6WEBINAR,Living

with your water well &

septic system - 5:30-7:30

p.m.

• August11WEBINAR,Living

with your water well &

septic system - 1-3 p.m.

• August21WEBINAR,Living

with your water well - noon

to 1:15 p.m.

• August22WEBINAR,Living

with your septic system -

noon to 1:15 p.m.

• September12INPERSON,

OSU Extension Service

Oﬃce, Newport - Living

with your well and septic

system–6-8p.m.

• September15WEBINAR,

Living with your water well

& septic system - 1-3 p.m.

qiT (case sensitive)

Registration for webinars

is required to receive the

zoom link ahead of time.

For additional questions you

can email Chrissy.Lucas@

oregonstate.edu or leave a

message at 541-713-5009.

Living With Your Water Well & Septic System

Summer Class Schedule

e OSU Extension Service

will be offering free nitrate

screenings in selected locations

across the southern Willamette

Valley this summer. A water

quality educator will be on

site at all of the clinics. Clinics

will be held at the following

locations and times.

• July7-PhilomathFarmers

Market: at Philomath

Community Library,

Philomath, from 11 a.m.-3

p.m.

• July11-BrownsvilleFarmers

Market: at Park Ave. & N

Main St., Brownsville, from

3-7 p.m.

• July17-TasteofTriCounty:

at Greenwood St. & W 5th

Ave., Junction City, from 3-7

p.m.

• July20-CorvallisFarmers

Market: at NW 1st St.,

Corvallis, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

• July25-LebanonFarmers

Market: at Rt 20 & Grant St.,

Lebanon,from2-6p.m.

• August1-Harrisburg

Summer Sounds: at

Harrisburg gazebo on the

riverfront, starting at

5:30 p.m,

• August13-Sweet

Home Farmers

Market: at 1141 12th

Ave., Sweet Home,

from2-6p.m.

• September14-Albany

Farmers Market: at SW

Ellsworth St. & SW 4th Ave.,

Albany, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

A portion of the Southern

Willamette Valley has been

designated as a Groundwater

Management Area by the

Department of Environmental

Quality due to elevated

nitrate in well water. While

it is especially important for

households with pregnant

women or newborns to test

for nitrate because of a rare

type of blue-baby syndrome,

all homes with private wells

should be aware of their nitrate

level.

For your free nitrate

screening, bring about

1/2 cup of untreated

well water in a

clean, water-tight

container. You may

either wait for your

results (the test takes

5 to 10 minutes if the

well water clinic is not busy)

or drop off your container with

your contact information and

we will mail your results and

recycle your container.

Visit http://wellwater.

oregonstate.edu for more

scheduled workshops and

free nitrate screening clinics.

Summer interns will be all

over the Willamette Valley

this summer hosting clinics. If

you are interested in hosting

a neighborhood screening on

your driveway, please reach out

to Chrissy.lucas@oregonstate.

edu

Community Nitrate Screening Clinics

Elias Stroock Jackie Ru

4  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

By Jennie Gilbert

By now you have

planted your garden and

are thinking about what

kinds of delicious things

you want to preserve. Well,

maybe not, but let’s just

say this article puts that

idea in your head. ere

are a few things to consider

when you are preparing

to start your home

preservation projects.

Get those pressure

canner gauges tested! is

is something that should

be done yearly, or any

time your canner lid has

been dropped or banged

around. If you use a three-

piece weighted gauge or

have an All-American

canner, you do not need

to test the gauge. ese

canners use the weight and

steam from the pressure

to let you know they are

at the correct pressure.

For more information

about this, Presto has

information online and so

does All-American. Presto

does sell the three-piece

weighted gauge for about

$16ontheirwebsite.We

recommend you do not buy

canner replacement pieces

or weights on Amazon as

many have been advertised

as brand name, but they

are not and do not ﬁt the

canners.

I have sung the praises

of the domed lid steam

canner in previous

columns, but I can’t say it

enough. e time you will

save by not water bathing,

and the quality of the

product you are making is

so outstanding. Salsa stays

crunchy, pickles aren’t

over cooked and mushy.

No need for pickle crisp!

ere is the traditional

aluminum domed lid steam

canner, which I’ve used on

both coil top and glass top

stoves, and now there’s

an induction domed lid

steam canner which is

stainless steel and works

on all surfaces. e domed

lid canner can be used for

any items that can be water

bathed under 45 mins. e

steam canner only holds

enough water for 45 mins

or less of steam and you

cannot stop to reﬁll it.

Always use a safe lab-

tested recipe. So many

times, we get calls asking

about Grandma’s salsa

or Aunt Ida’s beans, and

many times these recipes

are unsafe because of

one thing or another. It’s

very likely we can ﬁnd a

similar recipe that is safe

to replace these. So be

careful before you use an

old family recipe and check

resources to ﬁnd a safe

similar recipe that won’t be

dangerous to those who eat

it. Safe resources include

Ball books 2015 or after,

So easy to Preserve, USDA

Guide to Home Canning,

any recipes from Extension

service or university .edu

websites. ere are many

publications available

through OSU Extension’s

website - visit catalog.

extension.oregonstate.

edu. Search by topic under

Home food preservation.

Our canning resource

hotline will be open full

time starting July 8th

through October 11th,

from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each

weekday, but you can

call any time. e line

is currently monitored

several times per week.

800-354-7319.

Make sure to check out

the list of upcoming food

preservation classes in Linn

and Benton counties on

these pages.

Happy Preserving!

Family and Community

Health

Tina Dodge

541-730-3541

tina.dodge@

oregonstate.edu

Jennie Gilbert

541-730-3531

jennifer.gilbert@

oregonstate.edu

Prepping for Canning Season

Foods naturally high in acid — most fruits, pickles

and salsas — can be processed in a steam canner.

Steam canners require less water, but processing

time is limited.

All American canners use weights to measure

pressure. There is a gauge on the lid, but it acts

as a guide to know when pressure is at zero after

the canning process is done. This gauge does not

require testing.

Presto canner with a dial gauge. You can buy a 3-piece weighted gauge set from Presto.com and

convert your dial gauge canner to a weighted gauge canner. Weighted gauge canners do not need to

be tested.

Photos Provided

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  5

It’s never too late or early

for eating healthy to make a

difference. A healthy

eating routine is

important at

every age and

stage of life.

Make every

bite count with

foods that are

full of nutrients.

Explore www.foodhero.

org and www.myplate.gov

for targeted information for

older adults.

Snacking can help you

meet your nutritional

needs and feel energetic

throughout the day. When

deciding on a snack,

choose foods that are full

of nutrients and without

too much salt, sugar, or

saturated fat. Try a snack

from one food group or

combine food groups to

build more satisfying

snacks. Enjoy a serving

that is ﬁlling but that

doesn’t interfere with

your mealtime appetite.

Take a look at the ideas

below and be creative!

Tips for Snacking

Build your own: Make

your own snack mix with

unsalted nuts and add-

ins such as unsweetened

whole-grain cereal, raisins

or other dried fruit and

plain popcorn.

Prep ahead: Rinse and

cut up fresh vegetables

and portion them into

containers so they are ready

when you are. Try freezing

your favorite smoothie into

single portion cups to thaw

when you’re ready.

Keep healthy options

handy: Try planning for

snacks when you plan your

meals. Post a list of snacks

in your kitchen and keep

nutritious snacks easy to

see.

Bring your own: Keep up

with your snack schedule

even when away from

home. Try packing a few

snacks in a bag or small

cooler before you leave.

Food Hero for Older Adults:

SNACKS

Include physical activity

breaks each day by moving

in ways that you enjoy

and that t into your daily

routine. Where it begins

Physical Activity breaks

are one or two minutes

of moving that make you

breathe harder and get your heart pumping. They can include

all sorts of activities such as routine chores, tasks, hobbies, and

exercises. You can think of these short breaks as physical activity

snacks!

6  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

Photo by otilliA sChreuder

Elza Records

541-730-3471

elizabeth.records@

oregonstate.edu

Community

Horticulture

ByDonald Lyons, Linn

County Master Gardener

Volunteer

You’ve heard of urban

legends. is essay is more

about rural legends, common

gardening practices that are

just plain wrong. Here goes:

• Coffeegroundsareacidic

and can be used to lower

the pH of your soil. False:

After brewing, coffee

grounds are close to

neutral,between6.5and

6.8.Coffeegroundscan

be added to your compost

pile but should not be more

than 20 percent of any

compost added to plants.

More than that and you

run the risk of killing your

plants. Caffeine residues

can suppress germination

and slow the growth of

some plants.

• Watering on hot sunny

days will burn the plants

because water droplets

magnify the sun’s rays.

False: Wet foliage is not

susceptible to sunburn; it

often rains in the summer

and plants love it. Water

plants any time they are

showing signs of stress.

However, it is best to water

early in the day so that

soil can dry out before

nightfall. Dry soil deters

snails and slugs.

• When you plant a tree or

shrub, add amendments

to the soil. False: When

you add amendments

to a planting hole, the

roots may stay within

the amended soil and not

grow into the native soil.

If amendments are needed

due to very poor soil

conditions, add them in a

wide area and not just in

the planting hole.

• Add a layer of gravel in

the bottom of a pot to

improve drainage. False:

e opposite happens.

e container should be

ﬁlled with well-draining

potting soil. Water does

not move easily from ﬁner

texture materials to layers

of coarser materials. All

containers need drainage

holes.

• Epsom salts will prevent

blossom end rot in

tomatoes. False: Blossom

end rot is caused by a

calcium deﬁciency. Epsom

salts contain magnesium

but no calcium. Most

soils contain suﬃcient

calcium. Plants only take

up calcium through water.

Inconsistent watering is

the main cause of blossom

end rot.

• If a pesticide is labeled

organic or natural it must

be less toxic. False: Organic

and Synthetic pesticides

toxicity is determined

using the same standards.

Pesticides are labeled

DANGER, WARNING, or

CAUTION. Danger is the

most toxic, Caution is

least. Before using any

pesticide, consider other

options ﬁrst. When using a

chemical, always start with

the least toxic.

• Coveringatree’spruning

cut with pruning paint

helps to protect the wound.

False: Painting over

wounds invites rot. Trees

have their own built-in

repair system that allows

wounds to seal over.

When pruning use sharp

clean tools and use proper

pruning cuts.

• Your garden always wants

more organic matter added

to the soil. False: Adding

organic matter to the soil

can help improve soil

structure and promote

long-term plant health,

but the ideal amount of

organic matter is 5-8

percent. Too much organic

material probably means

your plants are getting too

much phosphorus which

may stunt growth. Having

your soil analyzed will

answer this question for

you. Master Gardeners

can furnish you with a list

of Analytical labs serving

Oregon.

• Tree roots extend only as

far as the drip line. False:

Most trees extend their

roots farther than the

drip line. Red maples, for

example, extend three

times farther than the drip

line. If planting under or

around a tree be aware of

the root area.

• Use Dawn dish detergent

to make your own

insecticidal soap. False:

Dish “soap” is a detergent

and while it does repel

aphids, et al, it can easily

destroy the plant’s cuticle

or protective outermost

layer. Even commercial

insecticidal soap can

injure plants — follow the

directions.

• Green potatoes are deathly

poisonous. False: It would

take at least ﬁve pounds

of green potatoes to make

you sick. Potatoes are in

the nightshade family

which includes some toxic

members. e toxin is

solanine which is found

in the green parts of

nightshade plants and in

tubers exposed to light.

e FDA recommends

peeling or cutting away the

green parts, just to be on

the safe side, but the rest of

the potato is just ﬁne.

• Don’t use pressure

treated wood in raised

beds. False: In decades

past, arsenic was used in

wood preservatives, but

currently copper azole is

used which does not leach

into soil. However, do not

use railroad ties to make

raised beds for food crops.

ese rural myths about

gardening were taken

from OSU Extension’s

10 Minute University,

available online. ere are

many more myths that I’ll

share at another time. All

of the myths mentioned

here have been carefully

studied and debunked. Got

a gardening question? Ask

a Master Gardener!

Debunking Gardening Myths

Otillia Schreuder

541-730-3471

otillia.schreuder@

oregonstate.edu

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  7

Recommendations are not necessarily applicable to all

areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local

Extension oﬃce.

e Oregon State University Extension Service

encourages sustainable gardening practices.

We emphasize preventive pest management over reactive

pest control. Identify and monitor problems before acting

and opt for the least toxic approach that will remedy

the problem. Favor biological control agents (predators,

parasitoids) over chemical controls.

JULY

Maintenance and cleanup

• Ifyouwantagreenlawn,waterfrequentlyduringperiods

of heat and drought stress. Irrigate a quarter inch four to

six times per week from June through August. Measure

your water use by placing an empty tuna can where your

irrigation water lands.

• Moundsoiluparoundthebaseofyourpotatoplants.

Gather and eat a few “new” potatoes from each hill when

plants begin to ﬂower.

• Toreduceevaporation,watervegetableandower

gardens in the early morning. Water the soil rather than

leaves to reduce disease. Water deeply and infrequently to

encourage root growth.

• Paycarefulattentiontowateringandfeedinghanging

baskets of ﬂowers or vegetable plantings during extended

periods of hot weather.

• Weedandfertilizerhubarbandasparagusbeds.Amulch

of compost or rotted cow manure works well as fertilizer.

Water deeply to develop crowns for next year.

• Mulchwithpaper,plastic,sawdust,etc.toconservesoil

moisture.

• Staketall-growingoweringplantssuchasdelphinium,

hollyhocks, and lupine. Stake tomatoes as necessary.

• Makecompostoflawnclippingsandgardenplantsthat

are ready to be recycled. Do not use clippings if lawn has

been treated with herbicide, including “weed-and-feed”

products. Do not compost diseased plants unless you

are using the “hot compost” method (120 degrees to 150

degrees F).

Planting and propagation

• Beets,bushbeans,carrots,cauliower,broccoli,lettuce,

kale and peas planted in midsummer provide fall and

winter crops. Get more tips on what to plant now in Fall

and Winter Vegetable Gardening in the Paciﬁc Northwest.

• Digspringbulbswhentopshavedieddown;divideand

store or replant.

Pest monitoring and management

Use chemical controls only when necessary and only after

thoroughly reading the pesticide label. Consider cultural

controls ﬁrst, then physical and biological controls. Choose

the least-toxic options (insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils,

botanical insecticides, and organic and synthetic pesticides),

and use them judiciously.

• Controlhollyhockrustbysanitation,pickingaffected

leaves, or spraying with a registered fungicide. Read and

follow label directions.

• Watchforcutwormdamageingarden.InJuly,climbing

cutworms become a problem and large portions of

foliage will begin to disappear on established plants. Use

barriers, remove by hand, use beneﬁcial nematodes when

soil temperature is above 55 degrees F, or spray with Bt-k

according to label directions.

• LateJuly:Begintomonitorforearlyandlateblighton

tomatoes. Correct by pruning for air circulation, picking

off affected leaves, and/or treat with approved fungicide.

See this article for more information on common tomato

problems.

• Placetrapstocatchadultapplemaggoties.Youcanuse

pheromone traps to monitor presence of pests.

• July10:Spraylberttreesforlbertworm,asnecessary.

• July10-15:Spraypeachandprunetreesforpeachtree

borer and peach twig borer, as necessary.

• July17-23:irdsprayforcodlingmothinappleandpear

trees, as necessary.

• Coverblueberrybusheswithnettingtokeepbirdsfrom

eating the entire crop.

• Monitorcamellias,hollyandmapletreesforscaleinsects.

Treat if necessary.

• Monitorrhododendronsforadultrootweevils.Look

for fresh evidence of feeding (notching). Try sticky

trap products on plant trunks to trap adult weevils.

Manage root weevils with beneﬁcial nematodes (if soil

temperature is above 55 degrees F). If root weevils are

a consistent problem, consider removing plants and

choosing resistant varieties.

• Spidermitescanbecomeaproblemonornamental

plants, vegetables and fruit plants during hot, dry

weather. Watch for dusty-looking foliage, loss of color

and the presence of tiny mites. Wash infested areas with

water or spray with appropriate pesticides. For more

information visit the PNW Insect Management Handbook

Landscape Pests - Spider Mites.

• Continuemonitoringraspberry,blackberry,blueberry,

cherry and other plants that produce soft fruits and

berries for spotted wing drosophila. If the ﬂies are

present, use an integrated and least-toxic approach to

manage the pests. Learn how to monitor for drosophila

ﬂies and larval infestations in fruit.

• Checkleafyvegetablesforcaterpillars.Remove

caterpillars as they appear. Use Bt-k, if necessary.

• Removecankeredlimbsfromfruitandnuttreesfor

control of diseases such as apple anthracnose and

bacterial canker of stone fruit. Sterilize tools before each

new cut.

AUGUST

Planning

• eoptimaltimeforestablishinganewlawnisAugust

through mid-September.

• Dampwoodtermitesbeginyinglatethismonth.Make

sure your home is free of wet wood or places where wood

and soil are in contact.

Maintenance and clean up

• Makecompostoutoflawnclippingsandgardenplants

that are ready to be recycled. Don’t use clippings if the

lawn has been treated with herbicide, including “weed-

and-feed” products. Don’t compost diseased plants unless

you are using the “hot compost” method (120 degrees to

150 degrees Fahrenheit).

• Fertilizecucumbers,summersquashandbroccolito

maintain production while you continue harvesting.

• Cleanandfertilizestrawberrybeds.

• Usemulchtoprotectornamentalsandgardenplantsfrom

hot weather damage. If needed, provide temporary shade,

especially for recent plantings.

• Camelliasneeddeepwateringtodevelopowerbudsfor

next spring.

• Pruneraspberries,boysenberriesandothercaneberries

after harvest. Check raspberries for holes made by crown

borers, near the soil line, at the base of the plant. Remove

infested wood before adults emerge (approximately mid-

August).

• Monitorgardenirrigationcloselysocropsand

ornamentals don’t dry out.

• Ifyouwantyourlawntostaygreen,you’llhavetowater

frequently during periods of heat and drought stress.

Irrigate 0.25 inches four to six times per week from June

through August. Measure your water use by placing an

empty tuna can where your irrigation water lands.

• Prunecherrytreesbeforefallrainsbegintoallow

callusing in dry weather. is will minimize the spread of

bacterial canker.

• WesternOregon:Pruneoutdeadfruitingcanesintrailing

blackberries and train new primocanes prior the to end of

the month.

Planting and Propagation

• Plantwintercovercropsinvacantspaceinthevegetable

garden

• Plantwinterkale,Brusselssprouts,turnips,parsnips,

parsley and Chinese cabbage.

• WesternOregon:Mid-summerplantingofpeas;use

enation-virus-resistant varieties. Plant fall crops of

cabbage, cauliﬂower and broccoli.

• Westernvalleys,Portland,Roseburg,Medford:Plant

cauliﬂower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, turnips

and parsnips.

Pest monitoring and management

• Removecankeredlimbsfromfruitandnuttreesfor

control of diseases such as apple anthracnose and

bacterial canker of stone fruit. Sterilize tools before each

new cut.

• Checkapplemaggottraps;spraytreeifneeded.

• Controlyellowjacketsandwaspswithtrapsandluresas

necessary. Keep in mind they are beneﬁcial insects and

help control pest insects in the home garden.

• Firstweek:Ifnecessary,sprayforwalnuthusky.

• Firstweek:Ifnecessary,secondsprayforpeachtree

borer and/or peach twig borer.

• Firstweek:Ifnecessary,secondsprayoflberttreesfor

ﬁlbertworm.

• Checkforrootweevilsinornamentalshrubsandowers;

codling moth and spider mite in apple trees; scale insects

in camellias, holly and maples. Treat as necessary.

• Watchforcornearwormonearlycorn.Treatasneeded.

• Formitecontrolonornamentalsandmostvegetables,

hose off foliage, spray with approved miticide if

necessary.

• Checkleafyvegetablesforcaterpillars.Pickoff

caterpillars as they appear. Use Bt-k, if necessary.

• Continuemonitoringpeaches,plums,prunes,gs,fall-

bearing raspberries and strawberries, and other plants

that produce soft fruits and berries for Spotted Wing

Drosophila. If SWD are present, use an integrated and

least toxic approach to manage the pests.

• WillametteValley:Cornmayneedprotectionfrom

earworm. Spray new silks with appropriate pesticides if

necessary.

• Coastalandwesternvalleys:Spraypotatoesandtomatoes

for early and late blight.

Trade-name products and services are mentioned as

illustrations only. is does not mean that the Oregon

State University Extension Service endorses these

products and services or intends to discriminate against

products and services not mentioned.

July-August Gardening Calendar for Western Oregon

8  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

e Master Gardeners of

Linn and Benton Counties

are out in the communities

this summer to educate

and answer your gardening

questions. Following is a

fairly complete list of all of

the Master Gardener clinic

table events. For more

information about any of the

events listed, contact your

local Extension oﬃce.

July

3 Millersburg Farmers

Market - 3030

Alexander Ln NE,

Millersburg, 4-7 p.m.

4 Brownsville Farmers

Market – corner

of Park & N Main

streets, 3-7 p.m.

9 Sweet Home Farmers

Market – 1141 12th

Ave,2-6p.m.

11 Lebanon Farmers

Market – Corner of

Main & Grant Streets,

2-6p.m.

15 Oak Creek Open

House – Oak Creek

Center for Urban

Horticulture, 11 a.m.-

1 p.m. Free event

presented by Benton

County Master

Gardeners.

17 Insect Education

Summer Program

- Albany Public

Library, 5-7 p.m.

Free event. Presented

by Linn County

Master Gardeners.

18 Brownsville Farmers

Market – corner

of Park & N Main

streets, 3-7 p.m.

18-20 Demonstration

Garden at the Linn

CountyFair,noon-6

p.m. Presented by

Linn County Master

Gardeners

20 2024 Grand Kinetic

Challenge – Benton

County Fairgrounds,

9:30 a.m.-noon, Free

event. Presented

by Benton County

Master Gardeners.

20 Albany Farmers

Market – Corner of

SW Ellsworth and 4th

Ave, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

23 Sweet Home Farmers

Market – 1141 12th

Ave,2-6p.m.

23 Insect Education

Summer Program

- Albany Public

Library, 5-7 p.m.

Free event. Presented

by Linn County

Master Gardeners.

25 Lebanon Farmers

Market – Corner of

Main & Grant Streets,

2-6p.m.

27 Corvallis Farmers

Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

27 Fall & Winter

Gardening –

Willamette Park

Community Garden,

10-11:30 a.m. Free

event presented

by Benton County

Master Gardeners.

27 Monthly Gardening

Q&As at the Lebanon

Senior Center, 80

Tangent Street,

Lebanon, 10-11:30

a.m. Free event

presented by Linn

County Master

Gardeners

31-8/3 Demonstration

Garden at the Benton

County Fair, 4-8

p.m. (July 31-Aug

2) & noon-8 p.m.on

Aug 3. Presented

by Benton County

Master Gardeners.

August

1 Brownsville Farmers

Market – corner

of Park & N Main

streets, 3-7 p.m.

3 Junction City

Plant Clinic at

B&I Hardware

and Rental, 120

W6thAvenue,10

a.m.-1 p.m. Free

event presented

by Linn County

Master Gardeners

in partnership with

Lane County Master

Gardeners.

6 SweetHomeFarmers

Market – 1141 12th

Ave,2-6p.m.

7 Millersburg Farmers

Market - 3030

Alexander Ln NE,

Millersburg, 4-7 p.m.

8 Lebanon Farmers

Market – Corner of

Main & Grant Streets,

2-6p.m.

15 Brownsville Farmers

Market – corner

of Park & N Main

streets, 3-7 p.m.

17 Albany Farmers

Market – Corner of

SW Ellsworth and 4th

Ave, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

17 Monthly Gardening

Q&As at the Lebanon

Senior Center, 80

Tangent Street,

Lebanon, 10-11:30

a.m. Free event

presented by Linn

County Master

Gardeners.

20 Sweet Home Farmers

Market – 1141 12th

Ave,2-6p.m.

22 Lebanon Farmers

Market – Corner of

Main & Grant Streets,

2-6p.m.

23 Insect Education

Summer Program

- Albany Public

Library, 5-7 p.m.

Free event. Presented

by Linn County

Master Gardeners.

27 Insect Education

Summer Kids

Program - Albany

PublicLibrary,4-6

p.m. Free event.

Presented by Linn

County Master

Gardeners.

28 Corvallis Farmers

Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

29 Brownsville Farmers

Market – corner

of Park & N Main

streets, 3-7 p.m.

September

7 Master Your Garden

– Brownsville

Community Garden,

10 a.m.-4 p.m. is

day-long event will

cover a variety of

gardening topics.

Watch for more

details to follow.

Presented by Linn

County Master

Gardeners.

Master Gardeners are here to help

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  9

Photo Provided by linn sWCd

By Kevin Seifert,

Linn Soil and Water

Conservation District

Weeds can tell you a lot

about the condition of your

soil. Not only that, weeds,

when composted, help

improve the soil by releasing

into it the very minerals and

elements it needs.

Weeds are pioneers. ey

are opportunistic plants

that take root on disturbed

or bare ground where the

soil is too poor to support

other kinds of growth. ey

thrive in these areas because

they are adapted, with deep

taproots or root nodules,

to bring up or ﬁx from the

air the exact minerals and

nutrients in which the soil is

deﬁcient.

In addition to

concentrating elements

and minerals into their

structures, many weeds

have extensive root systems

which, as they decay, leave

channels for drainage, and

help build rich organic

matter. Some weeds can also

absorb excess salt from the

soil.

Mainly weeds can show

us health conditions or

issues in soils. istles can

be a bane to our pastures

in Western Oregon. ey

are a good indicator of soil

compaction though. Areas

of over grazing or grazing

when it’s too wet can lead

to patches of thistles. Some

of these can be beneﬁcial to

wildlife in the form of seeds

or pollen, but mainly they

reduce proﬁtability in our

pastures and lead to ﬁnancial

pain as well as the physical

pain of removing them.

Take for example Canada

thistle. Canada thistle

generally spreads from ﬁeld

to ﬁeld in contaminated

crop seed or forage. Within

a Canada thistle population,

some seed remains in the

ﬂower head or falls at the

base of the plant, but once

established, seed is the least

of your worries. Roots are

the most important means

of propagation. Canada

thistle has an extensive

underground root system

that may penetrate the soil

to a depth of 10 feet or more

and grow laterally 12 to 15

feet per year. Root buds

occur randomly along the

roots and initiate new shoots

whenever environmental

conditions are favorable.

Root segments as small

as0.6inchcaninitiate

shoot growth and become

established.

istles propagate well

in compacted soils where

other plants can’t grow.

Managing our pastures to

limit compaction can help

us manage our thistle.

Use of herbicides, frost

tillage, and controlling seed

production by mowing

before seed heads become

viable are all ways to

manage and eliminate

thistle. istle eradication

should be considered a 3-5

year process. e following

measures have proven

effective to prevent thistle

establishment in pastures

and temporary grassland:

• Avoidexcessivegrazing

as it favors compaction

and insuﬃcient soil cover

and as a result, thistle

establishment.

• Iftheinfestationisonly

in its early stages with

a few isolated plants,

the thistles can be

removed manually, if the

procedure is repeated

several times during the

season.

• Frequentgrazingby

sheep, goats, or donkeys,

followed by mowing

of the remaining plant

material, can contain

- if not deplete - the

roots reserves. Donkeys,

ponies, sheep and goats

eat the ﬂower buds and

thus help reduce the

thistle population.

• Adequatefertilization

optimizes grass growth

and increases its ability to

outgrow thistles.

Bare patches in out

pastures can become an

issue for soil erosion, but

remember that the best

way to control weeds is

with a healthy stand of

desirable plants. Use weeds

as indicators of ways we

should manage our pastures

and ﬁelds. Sour Dock is

an indicator of low soil

PH. Horsetail thrush is an

indicator of water-logged

soils. Mulleins is an indicator

of low fertility. Keeping soil

tests and records of ﬁelds

and pastures can help us

improve proﬁtability and

soil health. Working to limit

unwanted weeds is part of

increasing your land value

and bolstering your farm

enterprise.

Weeds Show Us Soil Health

Linn Soil and Water

Conservation District

Kevin Seifert

541-926-2483

www.linnswcd.org

Canada thistle on a compacted eld border in Linn County

Photo Credit linn sWCd

10  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

Photos by hoPe stePhens

Commercial Agriculture

Small Farms

Melissa Fery

541-730-3538

melissa.fery@

oregonstate.edu

Crystal Kelso

541-730-3539

crystal.kelso@

oregonstate.edu

Todd Anderson

541-713-5007

todd.anderson@

oregonstate.edu

Teagan Moran

541-713-5011

teagan.moran@

oregonstate.edu

You’re invited to join us

at our Dry Farm Program

ﬁeld sites to engage with

this year’s research. is is

your chance to see, taste,

feel and discuss dry farming

in Oregon. Field days are

free to attend and RSVP is

required as space is limited.

To learn more and sign up

go to https://smallfarms.

oregonstate.edu/

smallfarms/dry-farming

August 5, 4-7p.m. Dry

Farmed Forages at Lewis

Brown Farm, Corvallis

Oregon. Featured Projects:

Warm season grasses and

legumes for forage and

cover crops. Combined with

winter cereal cover crops

and pulses ﬁeld day.

August 14, 5-7p.m. Dry

Farming Field Day at Oak

Creek Center for Urban

Horticulture, Corvallis,

Oregon. Featured projects:

Melon and cucumber-melon

dry farmed variety trial and

tasting; perennial sunﬂower,

legume and oilseed crops;

dry farmed ﬂowers; till

vs. no till in dry farming

context; intercropping

diverse legumes with

sorghum and corn.

August 21, 5-7p.m.

Dry Farming Field Day at

OSU Vegetable Research

Farm, Corvallis, Oregon.

Featured projects: Managing

blossom end rot in dry

farmed tomatoes, tomato

tasting; Melon variety trial

and tasting, dry farmed

and deﬁcit irrigation

management; Breeding

grain corn for microbial

symbiosis; Dry farmed

variety trial of cowpea,

sorghum, sesame, and

upland rice.

August 28, 5-7p.m. Dry

Farming Field Day at North

Willamette Research and

Extension Center, Aurora,

Oregon. Touring the melon

research plot at the NWREC

Learning Farm, observing

ﬁve melon varieties that

have been irrigated in four

different ways: dry farmed,

strong deﬁcit, slight deﬁcit,

and grower standard. ere

will also be a hands-on

activity with soil moisture

sensors.

Summer Dry Farm Program

Field Days 2024

You are invited! Please come join us for a summer of regional

small farm tours with a variety of local farmers graciously

opening their farms to the public, and a variety of workshops

providing plenty of learning opportunities. It’s a great

opportunity to connect with like-minded folks who are also

interested in farming and learning, while connecting with OSU

Extension. ere’s something for everyone!

Please contact crystal.k[email protected] or call 541-730-

3539 with any questions or accommodation requests.

Tomato Creations: Sauces & Salsas Workshop

Wednesday, July 10, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. - Junction City. Cost: $35. For

Farmers selling value-added products. Register Here: beav.es/

cDF

4 Wands Farm Tour

Friday,July26,5-7p.m.-Philomath.Cost:$5Scholarships

available. Diversity & Sustainability - Meat Rabbits, Herbs,

Veggies, Eggs. Register Here: https://beav.es/cnV

2024 Mid-Willamette Valley

Summer Farm Tours

Continued on Page 20

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  11

Most everyone is done

with their ﬁrst or only

hay harvest of the year.

But there is more to hay

production, storage, and

use than the initial cut.

Here is my collection of hay

publications. I hope you ﬁnd

them helpful. Free access

to these can be found on

the OSU Extension website

at https://extension.

oregonstate.edu/collection/

forages-hay-pasture-

collection.

If you are planning to

harvest a second cut or want

information on harvesting

next year’s crop, there is an

excellent publication called

Haymaking on the Westside.

Here is the way it starts out.

“Myths and misconceptions

surround hay production

west of the Cascade

Mountains. Among them

are: “Hay cannot be made

on the westside,” “First-

cutting hay is likely not ﬁt

for man nor beast,” “Good

hay cannot be made in May

or June,” and “e only sure

time to make hay is after

July 4.” Unfortunately, these

and other myths continue

to plague successful hay

production in the region.

However, reality indicates

good quality hay can be

produced on the westside

with proper knowledge,

skills, equipment, storage,

and perhaps, a bit of

luck. Aside from luck,

this publication provides

insights on the other issues

of westside hay production.

Hay Fires: Prevention

and Control is another

important article, it’s

from the National Ag

Safety Database and has

information on hay moisture

testing, dangers of walking

on top of haystacks, plus

good tips to share with your

local ﬁre department as well.

Of course, if you are

looking at feeding value

you will want to see articles

on Testing Hay at a Lab for

nutritive value and then

learn about Understanding

Your Forage Test Results

and see how your hay

compares to average hay by

looking at Western Oregon

Hay or the Oregon Forage

Library that explains how

that affects price and how

you feed out the forage.

e economic value of

hay can be found in the

USDA Market Report. Be

sure to compare your hay to

hay you want to purchase

using the USDA Hay Quality

Designations (Supreme,

Premium, Good, Fair,

Utility/Low).

Lastly, you may want

information on feeding

hay. Check out the article

on Matching Hay Quality

with Animal Nutrient

Requirements.

If you need help accessing

these resources, call your

local Extension oﬃce and

they can e-mail direct links

or print and mail copies to

you.

What To Do with All That Hay

Commerical Agriculture

Livestock and Forages

Shelby Filley

541-672-4461

shelby.ﬁlley@

oregonstate.edu

Tim Delbridge, an OSU Extension Economist, is conduc9ng a study of the

economic impact that wolves have had on livestock producers in Oregon. A

key component of this study is an anonymous survey to gather informa9on

on rancher experiences with wolves in diﬀerent grazing loca9ons across the

state. The survey involves marking a pasture loca9on on a map and providing

informa9on on wolf pressure and management costs at that loca9on. The

survey should take only 5 to 10 minutes to complete and can be accessed

here:

OSU Wolf Impact Study: h#ps://arcg.is/vmj0C

It's important that we hear from ranchers that have had diﬀerent experiences with

wolves. This includes those that operate in areas with li:le or no wolf pressure, those

that operate in wolf areas but haven't experienced depreda=on, and those that have

experienced direct wolf a:acks on their livestock. The informa=on gathered through this

survey will only be seen by researchers at Oregon State University. Individual responses

will NOT be singled out or published. Individual or poten=ally iden=fying informa=on will

NEVER be shared with any outside party or government agency. Responses will only be

reported as averages to maintain privacy of individual responses.

If you have ques9ons, or have trouble with the online version of the sur vey,

contact:

Tim Delbridge

Department of Applied Economics

Oregon State University

(541) 737-2511

[email protected]

Grass seed industry tour participants appreciate the

value of straw. Adding supplemental protein makes

this a valuable feed stock for cattle and sheep.

Assessing hay during an OSU Extension program

included visual (leaves, seeds, stems, color) and

olfactory (sweet, musky, sour) evaluations.

Sampling hay using a forage probe borrowed from the

local OSU Extension Service. An electric drill can be

attached to make it easier.

Photos by shelby filley

12  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

Commercial Agriculture

Tree and Small Fruit

Report on Strawberry Season Extension

Research at NWREC

By Erica Chernoh, OSU

Extension Commercial &

Community Horticulture

A two-year trial on season

extension of strawberries

was concluded in November

of 2023. is study evaluated

the growth and production

of day-neutral strawberries

grown under low and

high tunnels to extend the

production season and

improve the viability of

day-neutral strawberries

grown for the fresh market

in Oregon. e experiment

was established at Oregon

State University’s North

Willamette Research

and Extension Center

(NWREC) in the fall of 2021.

Treatments included tunnel

type (low tunnel, high

tunnel, low tunnel under

high tunnel (double tunnel),

and open ﬁeld (control)),

cultivar (‘Albion’ and

‘Seascape’), and planting

season (fall and spring).

Bare-root strawberries

were planted into raised

beds with drip irrigation

in October 2021 and March

2022 using standard day-

neutral plant spacing.

Plants were managed

using organic practices,

industry recommendations,

and IPM methods for pest

management. From May

through November, fruit

was harvested weekly at 75

percent or greater ripeness

and sorted into marketable

fruit and cull.

Results from the two-

year trial demonstrated that

tunnel systems can extend

the harvest season by 9

weeks for double tunnel,

8 weeks for high tunnel,

and 7 weeks for low tunnel,

compared to plants grown in

an open ﬁeld. Low tunnels

produced the highest yields

in 2022, producing 1,013

grams of marketable fruit

per plant compared to high

tunnel, double tunnel, and

open bed (783, 794, and

732 g/plant, respectively).

In the combined two-

year analysis, low tunnel

production produced the

highest marketable yield,

producing on average

810 grams of marketable

fruit per plant per season,

compared to 702 g/plant in

hightunnel,670g/plantin

openbed,and667g/plantin

double tunnel. Furthermore,

over the two-year trial, open

beds produced signiﬁcantly

more culled fruit compared

to low tunnel, high tunnel,

and double tunnel (319,

295, 225, 223 g/plant,

respectively). ‘Albion’

performed better in the

summer and fall, producing

higher yields, larger berries,

and higher sugar content

than ‘Seascape,’ indicating it

would be a better cultivar to

extend the harvest into the

fall months.

Cost is a major factor for

many growers. Our 2019-

2020 low tunnel season

extension trial showed that

low tunnels can be built for

acostof$42to$156/100-

foot row, depending on

the selection of materials.

For more on building low

tunnels, refer to OSU

Extension publication EM

9333, Low Tunnels for

Season Extension in Oregon:

Design, Construction and

Costs (https://extension.

oregonstate.edu/catalog/

pub/em-9333-low-tunnels-

season-extension-oregon-

design-construction-

costs). High tunnels cost

signiﬁcantly more than low

tunnels, with our 100’ x

40’tunnelcosting$6,872

total. is included the high

tunnel frame, construction

materials,6-milplastic,roll-

up sides, and shade cloth.

e cost for this system is

$1,718/100-foot row, though

the tunnel could easily

accommodate an additional

two rows or more in a

commercial setting, bringing

down the cost per 100-foot

row to $1,145 or less.

While low tunnels

produced higher yields

and more marketable

fruit compared to high

tunnel and open bed,

low tunnels need to be

manually ventilated during

the fall and spring seasons

to manage temperature

and humidity inside the

tunnels. Low tunnels may

be better suited for small

scale growers who are able

to manage the tunnels daily.

While high tunnels have a

higher cost, they can cover

multiple rows and are easier

to ventilate which reduces

the labor needed to manage

the temperature inside

the tunnels. e sides of

high tunnels can be rolled

up or opened during the

summer months to increase

ventilation, and a shade

cloth should be used when

temperatures inside the

tunnel are above 85°F. High

tunnel production would

beneﬁt small, medium, and

large-scale growers.

e strawberry industry

in Oregon has traditionally

produced June-bearing

cultivars for the processed

market, however market

dynamics have changed

in recent years, and with

ever-increasing consumer

demand and grower interest

in fresh strawberries,

there is a need to explore

alternative production

practices for day-neutral

strawberries that can be

adapted to Oregon’s climate

and growing conditions.

is trial explored season

extension techniques that

can be easily adopted by

small, medium, and large-

scale farms. e results of

this trial showed that tunnel

treatments averaged 10-15

percent more marketable

fruit compared to plants

grown in an open ﬁeld, and

extended the harvest season

by 7-9 weeks, providing

growers an opportunity

to harvest and sell a crop

outside the traditional

season.

Erica Chernoh

541-344-1709

erica.chernoh@

oregonstate.edu

Strawberry season extension trial at NWREC. From left to right strawberries grown in a high tunnel,

low tunnel, Day-neutral strawberries grown in season extension trial. Photo credit Cora Bobo-Shisler,

OSU Extension

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  13

Commerical Agriculture

Field Crops

Christy Tanner

541-730-3537

christy.tanner@

oregonstate.edu

General Management

• Useharvestseasontoscoutforvoleactivityandtake

advantage of baiting opportunities over the summer.

• Makesureseedmoistureisacceptableforstorage:

below 12 percent for grass seed, and below 14 percent

for grain.

• Continuetoscoutspringwheatandspring-planted

grasses for cereal leaf beetle.

• Testyoursoilafterharvesttobeginyourplansforfall

nutrient/lime applications. Use a lime requirement

test to determine how much lime is needed. Lime

rate recommendations are now available for the

Sikora Buffer test and SMP buffer test at: https://

beav.es/3rB

Grass

• Scoutformoths(sodwebworm,cutworm,

armyworm) during and after harvest and determine

if you should plan for control of eggs and small

caterpillars on fall regrowth or new seedlings.

• Decideyourbestoptionforpost-harvestresidue

management. Both full straw load and baling have

pros and cons, and can result in successful grass

seed yields. Take into account nutrient removal, fuel

cost, and price for bales. See recent OSU grass seed

production residue management guide: https://beav.

es/ZYn

• Besuretosubmitmodiedlandhistoryapplications

before working any ground.

Wheat

• Avoidsproutdamageinwheatbynotdelaying

harvest. Art Deco and Biancor are the earliest

maturing, followed by Goetze.

• Reduceproblemswithtemperature,airow,and

moisture by storing grain levelled rather than in

peaked piles.

Mint

• NitrogenapplicationsshouldtaperoffinearlyJulyto

reduce potential leaching losses.

• Scouteldsforcaterpillarsandeabeetles.

• Anewwebapp(https://beav.es/qbu)isavailableto

optimize timing of Vantacor applications for control

of mint root borer, loopers and variegated cutworms.

Spray at mint root borer peak ﬂight for the best

control of these pests with one application.

South Valley Field Crop

Notes for July-August

Palmer amaranth is an

extremely diﬃcult-to-

control weed that is a serious

challenge for farmers in

many areas of the United

States. is weed is not yet

established in Oregon. Last

summer, a single palmer

amaranth plant was found

on a roadside in Marion

County, Oregon, and

several plants were found in

Malheur County in eastern

Oregon.

Palmer

amaranth

has

developed

resistance

to nine

different

herbicide

modes of

action,

making it

very hard

to kill. If

palmer

amaranth

becomes

established

in Oregon

it is likely

to become

a major

problem

for farmers

of many

different

crops.

Waterhemp

is another

problem

weed that

is closely

related to

palmer

amaranth,

and it is also

very good

at developing resistance to

herbicides. Water hemp has

not been found in Oregon

yet.

I encourage everyone

to keep watch for these

weeds. See the fact sheet

on this page for photos and

descriptions. Here are the

steps you should take if you

ﬁnd a plant that you think

might be palmer amaranth

or waterhemp:

• Donotlettheplantgoto

seed!

• Handpulltheplantand

search the surrounding

area for other plants.

• ContactyourCounty

Extension oﬃce or

report the ﬁnding to

the Oregon Department

of Agriculture Noxious

Weeds Program.

• Monitorthelocation

for new plants through

at least the following

growing season.

Watch Out for Palmer Amaranth This Summer

Palmer amaranth

Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson

Invasive Weed Identication

Guide - Palmer Amaranth

and Waterhemp

Key Descriptors:

• Elongated seed head

- up to 24” long

• Non-wavy, diamond-

shaped leaves

• Petioles longer than

leaf blades

• Smooth stem -

thinner than Redroot

pigweed

• Poinsettia-like leaf

whorl

• Single plants

can be more

branched whereas

monocultures tend

to be single shoots

• Documented

resistance to HRAC

Groups 2, 3, 4, 5, 9,

10, 14, 15, 27

Please report sightings to:

ID: Dr. Albert Adjesiwor, University of Idaho; 208.490.3623; aadjesiwor@uidaho.edu

OR: Dr. Joel Felix, Oregon State University; 208.739.2675; [email protected]

ID/OR: Clarke Alder, Amalgamated Sugar; 208.989.7400; [email protected]

14  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

By Kayla Bordelon

When we reﬂect on past

wildﬁres, we’re often talking

about the ones that go wrong,

such as the devastating Labor

Day Fires of 2020. Out of the

headlines and much more

common, however, are the

ones that go right. When

they go right, we might not

hear about them at all. For

example, last August 24th

(2023), a barrage of 1,500

lightning strikes lit up the

coast range and ignited over

50 ﬁres, a dozen of which

were in western Benton

County. Oregon Department

of Forestry, the Siuslaw

National Forest, and local

partners extinguished those

ignitions within hours or a

few days, and it’s likely you

never heard a word about it.

What is the value in telling

stories about the ﬁres that go

right? First, we can learn from

our successes at least as much

as we learn when things don’t

go as we planned. We can

ask: what communication,

coordination, and

combination of resources

helped ﬁreﬁghters succeed?

e answers to those

questions help us prepare for

the next time. Telling stories

about effective ﬁre response

can also shed light on the

inner workings of the ﬁre

response structure, which

may seem opaque to residents

who are watching the smoke

plumes from their homes and

wondering what is happening

on the front lines.

On June 3rd, I had the

privilege to help organize

an opportunity to reﬂect on

another ﬁre that went right:

the 2023 Wiley Creek Fire.

More than 35 community

members and 20 ﬁre

responders and managers

gathered at the Sweet Home

High School auditorium to

tell the story of the ﬁre and

reﬂect on what was learned,

facilitated by Shannon

Richardson of the South

Santiam Watershed Council.

Twelve representatives from

the Willamette National

Forest, Oregon Department

of Forestry, Sweet Home Fire

District, Oregon State Fire

Marshal, Cascade Timber

Company, and Giustina

Resources shared their

perspectives on the ﬁre

response and how they all

worked together to control

a ﬁre that had signiﬁcant

potential to burn private

lands, timber, and even move

towards the town of Sweet

Home. What they shared

sheds light on how long-term

collaboration, public-private

partnerships, and personal

trust for each other helped

each organization bring

their strengths to the table

and collectively succeed

at keeping the ﬁre small

and minimizing negative

outcomes.

Following is the story in

words and images:

Forestry and

Natural Resources

Kayla Bordelon

541-730-3543

kayla.bordelon@

oregonstate.edu

A Look Back at Successes as

Fire Season Approaches

Crystal Kelso

541-730-3539

crystal.kelso@

oregonstate.edu

Lorelle Sherman

541-713-5016

lorelle sherman@

oregonstate.edu

Oregon forestry and agriculture oﬃcials are asking

Oregonians to familiarize themselves with another

invasive pest, this time one that poses a threat to our

native oak trees. e Mediterranean oak borer (MOB)

tunnels beneath a tree’s bark, carrying a fungus that

grows within the tree and which the beetles feed on. Our

native oaks are already under stress due to drought which

makes them especially susceptible to this oak wilt causing

fungal pathogen. e Oregon Department of Agriculture

(ODA) has initiated a trapping effort to monitor MOB

populations by placing traps with lures on private and

public landowners property who have native oak trees.

ese traps are checked every 2 weeks and the data

reported to ODA. You can help prevent the spread of MOB

by not moving oak wood unless it has been heat treated,

inspecting oak trees for round exit holes, and burning,

burying, or heat treating any infested wood. Report all

suspected MOB infestations to [email protected] or

503-986-4636.

For more information https://www.oregon.gov/

oda/shared/Documents/Publications/IPPM/Pest.Alert.

Mediterranean.oak.borer%20(2023).pdf

Mediterranean Oak

Borer (MOB)

On August 7, 2023, the Wiley Creek Fire was rst

spotted less than ten miles from Sweet Home.

With very dry fuels and hot, windy weather

conditions, the stage was set for a potentially

serious blaze. Fire managers were also aware

that the thick forest conditions and steep, rugged

terrain would make access to the re especially

challenging. Nikki Swanson, the Sweet Home

District Ranger for the Willamette National

Forest, reected on the gravity of the situation

when she rst got the call: “I knew immediately

that a re in this area had high potential for

negative outcomes. We were going to have to

use all tools at our disposal to get the re under

control as quickly as possible.” Swanson promptly

ordered federal air resources and soon residents

could see helicopters and planes dropping

retardant and water on the burgeoning re.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  15

The Wiley Creek Fire

was fully contained

by the end of August

and the impacts of

the 245-acre re were

mostly conned to the

block of federal land

where the re started.

Thanks to the swift and

coordinated response

from collaborators, we

were able to avert a

disaster last year. Those

that helped tell the story

at the June 3rd event say

that it was the trusted

personal relationships

that they have with each

other, the ways that land

managers and timber

companies were willing

to share responsibility,

and everyone’s commitment to protecting local communities and values that made this re a

success. As we look toward to the upcoming wildre season, it’s encouraging to know that this

collaborative network of local re responders is ready to respond, together.

Meanwhile, ground access was very

dicult. Both Cascade Timber Company

(CTC) and Giustina Resources had high-

value timber neighboring the wildre,

which was burning on a small block of old

growth forest in the Willamette National

Forest. When Joe Schaefer from CTC drove

out there, he realized that access to the

western side of the re was impeded by

an old bridge that wouldn’t be able to hold

the weight of heavy equipment. Within 48

hours, CTC was able to contract with a local

company to install a pre-fabricated bridge—

something that typically takes months to

complete. By the time the cement had dried,

a line of reghting equipment had formed

on the other side, waiting to cross.

At the same time, Giustina Resources was on the top of the

ridge building dozer line to hold the re and reduce potential

impact to private timber land. The ground was so steep that

they improvised a system sending a dozer down the face of

the ridge on a chain, as shown in the picture. Can you imagine

being that dozer operator?

About two days into the re, a less gripping

but equally heroic feat took place in the

administration of the re. The same east

wind event that ignited the Wiley Creek

Fire had ignited many other res on Forest

Service land across the region, and federal

air resources were becoming increasingly

challenging to acquire. Nikki Swanson,

USFS, and Chad Calderwood, of Oregon

Department of Forestry (ODF), made the

decision to transfer “ownership” of the re

from the USFS to ODF. What this meant

was that ODF was taking on the nancial

responsibility for a signicant re, and

they’d be able to order local resources to

quickly take the place of the federal ones

that were tied up in other parts of the

state. This action allowed re responders to

sustain their aggressive attack on the re.

Photo by Kenny rose, GuistinA resourCes

Photo by Kevin vAnCleAve

Photo Provided

16  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

Photo by Amy PiPer

Come watch our Benton County 4-H horse members compete

at the fair. It runs ursday, July 18–Sunday, July 21 at the

Benton County Fairgrounds beginning at 9:30 a.m. daily. is is

a great place to see 4-H members participate in cow roping, trail,

western and English equitation, dressage, horse psychology,

gymkhana, marketing, and other classes. ere will also be an

Equine Art exhibit, where you can see photography, art, poetry,

and educational posters created by the 4-H members. ere’s

no admission charge for this event. ese members have worked

hard all year and love to have spectators attend!

e Lee Allen Memorial Youth Livestock Auction will be

heldonSaturday,August3rd,3p.m.attheBentonCounty

Fairgrounds with a buyer’s lunch from noon-2:30 p.m.

e 4-H Lee Allen Memorial Youth Livestock Auction,

sponsored by Corvallis Lions Club, is the culmination of a year

of hard work by 4-H youth with their market project animals.

When you purchase an animal at the Lee Allen Memorial Youth

Auction, you are buying prize-winning livestock raised by a 4-H

member. Your purchase helps support individual 4-H members,

it also brings you the highest quality beef, pork, lamb, poultry,

and rabbits for your dining pleasure. e young people in Benton

County 4-H are learning to produce the highest quality food for

your table. Being responsible, engaging in ﬁnancial obligations,

and learning how to manage their own business operations

only scratch the surface of the educational beneﬁts. On a

small scale, however, their costs are higher than commercial

producers. Whether you are an individual/family, business,

or local buyer your support is needed to assist Benton County

4-H youth. For more information please visit: https://www.

bentoncountylivestockauction.com/

2024 Benton County 4-H

Horse Fair

Lee Allen Memorial Youth

Livestock Auction

Wednesday, July 31st -

Saturday, August 3

Benton County Fair

Hours:

Wednesday & ursday

11am – 11p.m.

Friday & Saturday

11am – 11p.m.

Gate Admission:

• Adults(17-59)$10per

day or $30 Season Pass

• Seniors(60+)$8perday

or $24 Senior Season

Pass

• Youth(6-16)$8perday

or $24 Youth Season Pass

• Kids5andunderFREE

all day, every day

• Parking:$5dailyatthe

gate or $15 Season Pass

• CarnivalUnlimitedRides

for one day only: $40 at

the Fair Carnival Ticket

Booths ($30 Advance).

• Foradvancediscounts

go to: https://www.

bentoncountyfair.net/

Discount Days and

Special Events:

Wednesday: Family Fun

Day! Gate Admission is

FREEtokids16andunder

all day

ursday: Senior Day!

Gate admission is FREE to

60+allday

Military Appreciation

Every Day at the Fair! Gate

admission is FREE to all

active, reserve and retired

military and National

Guard when you show

valid military ID at the gate

during ticket purchase.

All concerts and rodeos

are FREE with your fair

admission

Entertainment:

• Vickitheventriloquist

Wednesday,July31,6

p.m.

• Jeffthemagician

Wednesday, July 31 7

p.m.

• Mattthecomedian

Wednesday, Juley 31, 8

p.m

• KurtVanMeter,

ursday, August 1, 7

P.M.

• JesstaJames,ursday,

August 1, 8:30 P.M.

• Remedy,Friday,August

2, 7 P.M.

• ShotofPoison,Friday,

August 2, 8:30 P.M.

• BoomtownSaints,

Saturday, August 3, 7

P.M.

• SawyerBrown,

Saturday, August 3, 8:30

P.M.

Rodeo:

• AllGirlsRodeo,

Wednesday, 7p.m.

• NPRARodeo,ursday

& Friday, 7p.m.

Livestock:

Cattle, swine, goats,

sheep, poultry, rabbits,

cavies, and so much more!

We all love the animals

at the County Fair! Be

sure to visit the livestock

sheds and ask the 4-H

participants about their

animals.

4-H Exhibits:

During fair the 4-H

building houses all of the

non-livestock related 4-H

exhibits including family

and consumer sciences,

arts and science. Be sure

not to miss it!

Willamette Valley Fiddle

Contest –Friday, August 2

- come see Local, State and

National ﬁddlers compete

on the Oak Grove Stage.

ese are just some

of the highlights! For

more information about

the fun to be had at the

2024 Benton County Fair

& Rodeo, visit fair and

rodeo’s website at: http://

www.bentoncountyfair.

net/

4-H Member practicing with her horse in a timed event.

2024 Benton County Fair & Rodeo –

“Country Vibes and Carnival Rides”

Benton County 4-H

Youth Development

Carolyn Ashton

541-713-5000

carolyn.ashton@

oregonstate.edu

Elli Korthuis

541-713-5000

elli.korthuis@

oregonstate.edu

Photo by benton County 4-h

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  17

Twenty Benton County

4-H members of all ages and

skill levels participated in

a photography workshop

series held over the course

of ﬁve months. Each of the

ﬁve workshops had a speciﬁc

topic focus and was followed

by at least one service project

within the community related

to that topic. A couple of these

service projects included

taking portrait photos of the

residents of a local assisted

living facility and creating a

ﬂyer with donation products

needed by the local humane

society for them to use and

share. Several of the youth

also have photos from their

landscape-focused service

project on display at the

William L Finley National

Wildlife Refuge Store and

Headquarters as part of a

gallery for the summer.

Participating youth grew

tremendously in their skill,

understanding of the range

of photography, interest

in creative projects, and

commitment to serving the

community.

e last project that the

4-H members completed was

to photograph silhouettes

of their hands and the 4-H

clover, forming the word

“LOVE”. ese images were

used in the creation of stickers

and bumper stickers. ese

stickers and bumper stickers

are being sold as part of a

fundraiser to cover the cost

of the workshop series. If you

would like to support the 4-H

photography members and

want more information about

these stickers, including how

to purchase them, please see

the online form here: https://

beav.es/pqV

Want to earn a one-day admission pass to the Benton County

Fair? Just volunteer 2 hours of your time during July 31–August 3,

in the 4-H Exhibit building, helping to monitor the 4-H Family

and Consumer Sciences, Arts, and Science exhibits, and answer

questions from the public. We are looking for 2-3 people per shift

beginning at noon until 10 p.m. Please contact the Extension

oﬃce at 541-713-5000 to learn more.

irty-six 4-H members are graduating high school seniors

this year! ese youth have worked extremely hard in both their

academic and 4-H careers, and we are proud of them!

Brandon Baisted, Jenica Baker, Grant Barnes, Jezreal Beaver,

Riven Benson, Benjamin Black, Zelda Cardon, Hallie Dapp,

Tanner Dowless, Taylor De Jong, Hannah DeVries, Lukas Dunn,

Alexa Eckhold, Della Gratsinger, Madison Gray, Gwen Hamilton,

Aiden Hanamoto, Chloe Hendrickson, Marissa Hogan, Ginevra

Lauzzana, Rebecca Lorain, Aleaha Miller, Miranda Moyer, Emma

Oliver, Jacob Peters, Kathryn Rowley, Mikayla Smith, Hayden

Spaulding, Sylvia Stokes, Lorelei Schell, Ava eurer, Marshall

Morrison, Matilyn Richardson, Clark Riddle, Madison Shipley,

and Lillian Wheeler.

Congratulations, graduates! We wish you all the best as you

move forward into the next chapter of your lives.

e Benton County 4-H

program hosted a Beef

Project Clinic on Saturday,

June 1, and a Sheep Clinic

on Sunday June 23rd where

members and their families

learned about nutrition &

feed, ﬁtting, bio-security,

and then were able to learn

about and practice their

showmanship skills.

During this time when several animal diseases and viruses

have made headlines, it is critical to learn and practice

biosecurity measures. Some practices are speciﬁc to a species, but

the following are general for all species.

• Quarantineanimals(neworreturning)fromanytraveland

events. As some diseases and viruses have longer incubation

periods, two weeks to a month are standard quarantine times.

• Ifanimalsshowsignsofsickness,movethemtoarestricted

zone away from other animals. Care for them last during

chores and change clothes and boots between healthy and sick

animals.

• Keepfacilitiesclean.isdoesn’tjustapplytocagesandpens,

but also to equipment and vehicles. Tires on vehicles should

be cleaned and disinfected if you have traveled to other farms,

shows, or places where animals are kept.

• Reduceandcontrolmigratorybirdsandrodentsentering

domestic animal zones as they can carry and spread diseases.

• Bevigilantwithyouranimals.Understandwhatsignsof

disease look like for your species and watch for any changes

in behavior, looks, and any sudden deaths. Contact your local

veterinarian, Extension oﬃce, or USDA veterinarian hotline

(1-866-536-7593).Foranyreportswithwildbirds,contact

theOregonDepartmentofFishandWildlife(1-866-968-

2600).

Not only do these practices protect the animals we care for,

but they can also prevent the spread of a wide range of illnesses

to other animals and humans. As some diseases and viruses are

transferable to humans, it isn’t just your animals that will beneﬁt

from high biosecurity standards.

Volunteers needed at Fair

in the 4-H Exhibit Building

Applying Animal Biosecurity

Benton County and Linn County Extension programs may oer opportunities

that are only open to the residents of their respective counties.Please

check with your county Extension Oce if you have any questions about

participation eligibility for specic programs.

Bumper stickers created by 4-H members that are available for purchase as a

fundraiser for the 4-H program.

4-H Members Learning Service

Through Photography

Congratulations Benton County

4-H Graduating Seniors!

Animal Science Clinics

Members

learn to

capture

landscape

images

Photo And imAGe by benton County 4-h

Members received hands-on education

with their project animals.

Photo by benton County 4-h

18  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

Linn County 4-H

Youth Development

Andrea Leao

541-730-3534

andrea.leao@

oregonstate.edu

Dear Buyers, Exhibitors,

Leaders and Advisors,

Parents, and Volunteers:

It has come to our

attention that we have

more market animals

than ever before for the

2024 Linn County Youth

Livestock Auction. While

this is a good problem to

have as we see more and

more youth wanting to

learn about animal science

projects, this also means

there are more lots to sell

at the annual livestock

auction. To try to keep the

auction length manageable,

it has been voted on by the

auction committee to sell

approximately 300 lots of

animals. To achieve this goal

there will be a portion of

the bottom placing animals

in each class that will be in

pen lots. We will not be pen

lotting any cattle. e goal

of these changes is to make

the event as successful as

possible for the buyers and

exhibitors. We feel that pen

lotting is the best way to

make that happen. e sale

order for 2024 will be Goats,

Rabbits, Beef, Chickens,

Lambs, Turkeys, and Swine.

What does this mean?

Simply put, the lower

portion of each market class

will be placed with like

animals in their species to

be sold in a lot of 2 animals.

is means that a buyer is

purchasing the entire lot at

one time. Of course, we are

more than happy to split this

between two or more buyers.

e goal here is to reduce the

total auction time, not force a

buyer to purchase more than

they intended.

Here is an example:

Lot 123a is a hog weighing

240lbs. Lot 123b is a hog

weighing265lbs.Abid

of $8.00 per pound for a

total of 505 pounds equals

a total of $4,040.00. is

is the amount the buyer is

responsible for minus the

ﬂoor price if the animals

are sold back. Lot 123a will

receive $1,920 and Lot 123b

will receive $2,120. is

is just as it relates to the

auction sale price. Add-ons

are always applied to the

youth speciﬁed.

Please understand our

Auction Committee did

not make this decision

lightly. ere was great

consideration and lots of

discussion and we feel this

is the best solution to keep

the auction time reasonable

and still sell all eligible

animals. We also realize this

change will come with lots

of questions and concerns as

we navigate this together. We

are here to support everyone

Linn County Youth Livestock Auction, July 20th at Noon

Youth working with their animals and preparing for fair.

Photo Credits to JessiCA dAvis And AndreA leAo

Continued on Page 20

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/linn JULYAUGUST 2024  19

Tuesday, July 16

9 a.m. Poultry; Market, Showmanship, Breeds (Santiam

Bldg)

2 p.m. Meat Goat; Market, Breeds (Sheep/Goat Ring)

5 p.m. Swine; Breeds (Swine Ring)

5 p.m. Beef; Market (Beef Ring)

Wednesday, July 17

9 a.m. Rabbit/Cavy; Market, Showmanship, Breeds

(Santiam Bldg)

9 a.m. Swine; Market (Swine Ring)

9 a.m. Dairy/Pygmy/Fiber Goat Showmanship (Sheep/

Goat Ring)

1 p.m. Meat Goat; Showmanship (Sheep/Goat Ring)

4 p.m. Sheep; Market (Sheep/Goat Ring)

4 p.m. Beef Showmanship (Beef Ring)

Thursday, July 18

9 a.m. Swine; Showmanship (Swine Ring)

9 a.m. Dairy/Pygmy/Fiber Goat Breeds (Sheep/Goat

Ring)

2 p.m. Sheep; Showmanship, Breeds (Sheep/Goat Ring)

3 p.m. Small Animal Costume Contest (Santiam Bldg)

4 p.m. Flower Arranging Contest (Willamette Bldg)

4 p.m. Dairy Cattle; Showmanship, Breeds (Swine Ring)

4 p.m. Beef; Breeds (Beef Ring)

5 p.m. Cloverbud Show and Tell (Santiam Bldg)

Friday, July 19

9 a.m. Open Class Beef Show (Beef Ring)

9 a.m. Open Class Sheep Show (Sheep/Goat Ring)

10 a.m. Small Animal Master Showmanship (Santiam

Bldg)

10 a.m. Cupcake Wars (Willamette Bldg)

3 p.m. FFA Large Animal Master Showmanship (Swine

Ring)

5 p.m. 4-H Large Animal Master Showmanship

(Beef&Sheep/Goat Rings)

6:30p.m. FFAAwardsCeremony(SwineRing)

Saturday, July 20

8:30 a.m. 4-H Award Ceremony (Calapooia)

12 p.m. Market Livestock Auction (Calapooia)

2024 County fair

Schedule

By Jody Hill,

Linn County 4-H

It’s time for the auction

at the Linn County 4H/FFA

fair. e bids are coming in

fast and furious. But after the

excitement and the noise,

it is up to one superstar

to organize all those bids,

collect the money, and

disperse the funds to the

kids. Stacey Lyle, has been

that person for the last ﬁve

years. Her dedication to 4-H

doesn’t end at the auction

though. She is also the Swine

leader for Lacomb Livestock

and teaches more than 25

kids the how’s and whys of

raising pigs. Ag Boosters and

Educational committees also

ﬁll her time.

Stacey credits her

involvement with the

auction to Loyal Burns, the

previous treasurer. She tells

the story of how he “invited”

her to send in her application

for the position. Her

philosophy is that time spent

helping kids learn lessons

that will last a lifetime make

them great adults. She says

“I truly feel that if you aren’t

willing to put in the time

and effort to help make

things grow and be better,

you shouldn’t offer ‘advice.’

I’m not good at keeping my

mouth shut, so I ﬁnd myself

on a lot of committees.”

Stacey has been a part

of 4-H since she was six

years old and continued

participating until she

started FFA in high school.

During her 4-H journey

she did many projects,

including: sewing, rabbits,

poultry, horses, table

setting, and of course, swine.

She knew she wanted to

get back involved in 4-H

when her own children got

old enough. e auction

committee job opportunity

allowed her to do that a little

earlier than expected.

When asked what makes

her passionate about 4-H,

she says that she loves the

fact that there is something

for everyone. “e kids

learn all kinds of skills

from all kinds of projects.

Market projects teach not

only animal husbandry,

but ﬁnancial responsibility,

sales, and marketing.

Breeding animal projects

are long term. It helps them

learn to plan and set goals,

but maybe not see the results

for years to come. Static

exhibits allow kids to show

off their hard work for the

public to see their talent.”

Leadership skills are

important to Stacey. She

says she tries hard to imprint

on all the kids that they are

ambassadors to their way of

life. “It is their responsibility

to teach people that have

never been close to an animal

what we do and why it is

important. I think it is pretty

impressive when a ten-year-

old kid can talk to a group

of adults and other kids to

tell them about their project

and the steps that they have

taken to raise that animal.”

Stacey encourages others

to “put up or shut up.”

She loves people with new

ideas that want to support

these children and their

pursuits. “… I think if we

work together, we can help

create some pretty great

young adults. ere are a lot

of decisions and events that

have to come together in

order to make this wheel go

round. I’m just happy to be a

spoke in the wheel.”

Stacey Lyle Interview

Stacey oers support to a youth during the Linn County 4-H/FFA

Auction.

Photo Credit is Just linn County 4-h

Benton County and Linn County Extension

programs may oer opportunities that

are only open to the residents of their

respective counties.Please check with your

county Extension Oce if you have any

questions about participation eligibility for

specic programs.

20  JULYAUGUST 2024 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/benton

Memb er

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PARTNERS IN GROWTH FOR ALL SEASONS

15 Branches a cross 13 communities in the Willamet te Valley

The weird and wonderful: Sweet Potato

Wednesday, August 14, 5:30-7 p.m. - Corvallis; Cost: $5

Scholarships available. Cultivation, value added products,

pests/disease, & small farm potential. Register Here: https://

beav.es/pSR

Small Farm Summer Pruning

Saturday, August 24, 9-11 a.m. - Corvallis; Cost: $5 Scholarships

available. Follow up on the basics of summer pruning for small

farms. Register Here: https://beav.es/pSD

Blueberry Meadows Farm Tour

ursday, September 12, 10 a.m.-Noon - Corvallis. Cost: $5

Scholarships available. U- Pick Blueberries, 1st year in transition

of ownership. Register Here: https://beav.es/cn9

The Farm Up Lost Creek Farm Tour

ursday, October 3, 10 a.m.-Noon - Eugene. Cost: $5

Scholarships available. Small scale diversiﬁed farm Tour.

Rising Star Farm Tour

Friday,October11,4:30-6:30p.m.-Lebanon.Cost:$5

Scholarships available. Sable Dairy Goats, Cochin Bantam

Chickens, AirBnB Cottage, and an opportunity to see the milking

process. Register Here: https://beav.es/pSa

Continued from Page 10

2024 Mid-Willamette Valley

Summer Farm Tours

By Andrea Leao

National 4-H Conference,

bringing hundreds of 4-H’ers

to the nation’s capital each

spring – is the ﬂagship youth

development opportunity

of USDA, hosted by the

National Institute of Food and

Agriculture (NIFA). is past

April, a delegation of Oregon

4-H members traveled to

Washington DC to attend the

National 4-H Conference.

One of those hardworking

members was Rayanna Morris

representing Linn County

4-H. ese youth not only got

the opportunity to tour some

of our nation’s most popular

and well-known monuments

and landmarks, but they

also had the opportunity to

present to numerous national

agencies that wanted to hear

a youth’s perspective.

Being a delegate at the

National 4-H Conference is

an award trip for the highest

achieving members across

the state. As one of the

chaperones for this trip, it

was an amazing experience

as an adult, too. Watching

300 youth from across the US

and 5 most populated nations

come together and work in

round table groups to answer

questions from national

agencies was impressive.

ese youth spent two full

days in conference rooms

researching and developing

a presentation to give to

their respective agency.

ey developed a 45- minute

presentation and then

answered questions from the

agency afterwards. Some of

the agencies included the

Juvenile Justice Department,

Department of Labor,

Department of Energy, and

the Library Department.

Our Oregon delegates

toured the Capital and had

the opportunity to visit

with staff from our Oregon

Senators and Representatives.

One of the highlights was

learning about the internship

program that is possible

for high school graduates

and college students with

representatives and senators.

is was a great learning

experience for both the youth

and adults. I am so proud

to have been a chaperone of

such an amazing group of

young women.

National 4-H Conference

Photo by CAssi hyde

Visit to Senator Ron Wyden’s Oce. Left to right: Amy, Leanna,

Mako, Jill, Lindsy, Finley, Rayanna, Emersyn, Andrea

Night tour at National

Monuments.

Headed out on our rst day of

touring. Seated, left to right

Rayanna, Linsay. Standing, left

to right Emersyn, Finley, Jill,

Leanna, Mako

Photos by AndreA leAo

Continued from Page 18

Linn County Youth Livestock

Auction, July 20th at Noon

involved and are happy to educate and answer questions as

they come.

Although this is short notice, we hope you will continue

your support of the youth of Linn County and their projects.

ese kids are our future leaders in our communities and

will need to grow and prosper throughout this conception

year as we do as supporters, leaders, advisors and buyers.

Respectfully,

Linn County Livestock Auction Committee