Academic Report of College of Agricultural Sciences

• ER Jackman Program supports OSU student research The ER Jackman Foundation provides $99,000 each year for student clubs, research, and internships. For example, Khiem Lam, a Vietnamese-American BRR student, received funding to study the relationship between the human microbiome and cervical cancer. Juliana Masseloux, (Fisheries and Wildlife) received funding to research the conflict of wildlife and urban development in East Africa.

• HAREC collaborates with Blue Mountain Community College Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center is the site of a new, bond-funded research and teaching facility, being built in collaboration with Blue Mountain Community College.

• International internships supports student learning The Global Experiences Fund has provided $12,883 of support to 13 students participating in international internships over the past two years.

• Exploring World Agriculture Program offers international experience Each year, the EWA program focuses on food systems and natural resources in different parts of the world. In 2014, 10 students immersed themselves in the agricultural industry and economy of Italy.

• AgSci sponsors the new International Agriculture Club The club, which is open to all OSU students interested in international agriculture and food production, hosted the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences, USA National Summit Meeting.

• OSU helps install 20,000 weather stations across Africa   John Selker is working with Dutch partners to install hydro-meteorological sensing stations across Africa to provide critical data for farmers accessible by cell phone.

• OSU study finds widespread pesticide risks in Africa In a recent study led by Paul Jepson, director of OSU’s Integrated Plant Protection Center, researchers surveyed crop production in five African countries, and found a number of health and environmental concerns due to inefficient pesticide usage. The researchers are sharing their findings in an effort to educate the farmers on safe and sustainable application practices.

• Ecological Engineering students take their design to Ghana BEE seniors spent a year designing a system for small-scale aquaculture in developing countries. Ganti Murthy will help two students implement successful designs in Africa, with support OSU’s AquaFish Innovation Lab.

• OSU’s Plant Breeding Programs provide much of the research and development for the state’s signature crops. In 2014, improved varieties of wheat, barley, hazelnuts, tomatoes, and ornamental shrubs were among the new releases from the college’s plant breeding programs.
• OSU seaweed makes international headlines: AgSci researchers have developed a commercially viable strain of dulse, a fast-growing, highly nutritious seaweed, that incidentally, can be sautéed to taste like bacon. The story was picked up by more than 1,000 news outlets globally, building momentum for culinary seaweed as a new industry for coastal Oregon. In January, dulse was recognized as a “specialty crop” by USDA, which has led to new grants to fund further research.
• Oyster farming improved through genetics: Chris Langdon (Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station) continues his research to help protect Oregon’s $70 million oyster industry by breeding oysters that are more resistant to increasingly acidic oceans.
• Hazelnut industry thrives, thanks to OSU research OSU researcher Shawn Mehlenbacher continues to breed new varieties of hazelnuts that are resistant to disease. Oregon grows 99% of the nation’s hazelnut output—a $129 million industry. New plantings are increasing at a rate of 10%, or 300 new acres a year of OSU-bred varieties. OSU plans to license Wepster, the newest hazelnut variety, for a royalty of 50 cents per tree.

• Pendleton scouts barley growth: AgSci plant geneticist Pat Hayes is testing 44 different lines of fall-planted barley to offer wheat growers an option for crop rotation.
• AgSci research continues to partner with Oregon wine industry, providing much of the R&D that has helped grow the industry from a handful of iconoclastic entrepreneurs to more than 400 wineries and an annual economic impact approaching $3 billion.
• Research at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center and experimental plots near campus continue to provide important R&D for the rapidly growing organic blueberry industry, which increased from 2 percent of Oregon’s blueberry market to 20 percent in the past 8 years.
• Extension teaches Oregonians to raise honey bees: AgSci faculty have developed curricula for Extension’s new Oregon Master Beekeeper Program. Nearly 500 people have enrolled since 2012, learning to harvest honey, treat for diseases, and help colonies survive the winter. The total value of colonies maintained by participants is estimated to reach $7 million in the next 5 years.
• OSU helps Oregon’s artisan cheese industry grow: Lisbeth Goddik (Food Science and Technology) provides training for Oregon’s artisan cheese industry, which grew from just two operations in 1999 to twenty in 2013.
• OSU studies Camelina as a drought crop: Researchers at Malheur Experiment Station are studying Camelina as a source of income for farmers during drought years. Camelina, a source of omega-3 fatty acids and an alternative jet fuel, requires little nitrogen or irrigation.

• OSU center assesses impact of national policies: The new Center for Agricultural and Environmental Policy helps decision makers make sense of complex policies such as the Farm Bill, and assess the impacts such policies have on agricultural economies, rural economies, and the environment. JunJie Wu is thedirector of the center and editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.
• New center establishes endowment in first year: In its first full year, the Center for Small Farms and Community Food Systems established an endowment and raised $230,000 for specific projects through grants, gifts, foundations, and private donations.
• OSU supports fast-growing local meat industry: Lauren Gwin, a food systems specialist,helps ranchers assess economic viability and navigate regulations for small-scale meat production. Gwin co-founded the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network, which now has over 1,000 members.

• Branch Experiment Stations (BES) open doors to their communities: AgSci’s 11 branch experiment stations hosted more than 50 Field Days, open houses, and community events in 2014, engaging communities across Oregon with issues of environmental quality, life sciences, and rural economics.
• BES Experiential Learning Initiative offers hands-on education: Nine branch stations now offer learning experiences to students working with faculty mentors in fields ranging from entomology in agroecosystems to product development at the Food Innovation Center. In addition, internship programs at North Willamette and several other stations offer research experience to high school students.

In a recent study led by Paul Jepson, director of OSU’s Integrated Plant Protection Center, researchers surveyed crop production in five African countries, and found a number of health and environmental concerns due to inefficient pesticide usage. The researchers are sharing their findings in an effort to educate the farmers on safe and sustainable application practices.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/release/2014/02/osu-finds-widespread-pesticide-risks-west-africa

In 2014, improved varieties of wheat, barley, hazelnuts, tomatoes, and ornamental shrubs were among the new releases from the college’s plant breeding programs.

http://plantbreeding.oregonstate.edu/

John Selker is working with Dutch partners to install hydro-meteorological sensing stations across Africa to provide critical data for farmers accessible by cell phone.

http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/heatosu/case-studies/trans-african-hydro-meteorological-observatory/

BEE seniors spent a year designing a system for small-scale aquaculture in developing countries. Ganti Murthy will help two students implement successful designs in Africa, with support OSU’s AquaFish Innovation Lab.

http://www.dailybarometer.com/news/group-balances-engineering-with-nature/article_56edaaa2-fddf-11e4-8ddd-7f517d418f66.html

Research at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center and experimental plots near campus continue to provide important R&D for the rapidly growing organic blueberry industry, which increased from 2 percent of Oregon’s blueberry market to 20 percent in the past 8 years.