Meet the Team - Olea Project

The Olea Project Team is collaborative group within OSU Extension. We are a diversified group of faculty, extension coordinators, researchers, and students. We share a passion for this unique growing region and it’s thriving small farm community!

Javier Fernandez-SalvadoR (Principle investigator; Up-potting trial)

Javier Fernandez-Salvador is an Assistant Professor of Practice at Oregon State University who joined the OSU Small Farms Program in May 2016 with his main focus being on organic and conventional production systems of pastures, specialty grains, berries and other agronomic and horticultural crops as well as farm food safety and organic regulatory compliance.

NEil bell (cultivar evaluation trial)

Neil Bell has overseen the Community Horticulture program in Marion County and Polk County since 2000, which includes the Master Gardener program. His research interests revolve around evaluations of landscape plants for drought tolerance and cold hardiness in western Oregon, under the name Northwest Plant Evaluations, a collaboration with Heather Stoven and Dr. Lloyd Nackley. The long-term goal of this is to identify a palette of shrubs suitable for use in low-input un-irrigated landscapes in the region.

Heather Stoven (Propagation Trial)

Heather Stoven is the Community Horticulturalist and Small Farms Extension Agent for Yamhill County. Her position is housed in McMinnville and she oversees the Master Gardener program, community horticulture and small farms. Her strengths include pest management, plant problem diagnosis, greenhouse growing and nursery crops.

Victoria Binning (Agriculture Program Coordinator)

Victoria Binning is the Agriculture Program Coordinator for Marion County Extension Service. She is excited to work with both the Small Farms program and Community Horticulture. Her diverse background is in sustainable agriculture, children’s garden education, fisheries management, and wine.

Tessa Barker (Graduate RESEARCH ASSISTANT)

Tessa Barker is a graduate student in the Department of Crop and Soil Science at Oregon State University. She joined the Small Farms team in the fall of 2017, and has worked on containerized strawberry transplants and field trials for organic fresh market strawberry production. Her current focus is assisting with the Olea olive research project. Tessa is originally from Marion County, and has spent time working and volunteering at small farms across the Willamette Valley.

Logan Hailey, Website Design

Website design courtesy of Logan Hailey.