OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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The North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) serves growers in the North Willamette Valley area with research and educational programs that focus on the region's most important crop systems.
Our mission is to conduct horticultural crops research and to extend new knowledge to the horticultural industries and communities, particularly in the Willamette Valley. The location, just 20 miles south of Portland, provides growers with convenient access to research findings and Extension Service educational programs.
Research is aimed at producing better quality crops at lower costs, and with reduced environmental impact. Often the quality or form of a product must be changed to meet the demands of domestic or foreign customers. Growers must change varieties and learn to grow what the market demands.
Agriculture is Oregon's leading industry. Farming and its support industries account for 11% of the employment in the Portland metropolitan area. We seek to keep agriculture healthy and growing. Because of the highly competitive nature of farming, other regions will try to gain a larger share of the Oregon market. This means we must continue to test and adapt new crops and production systems to keep Oregon competitive.
The Youth Tractor Certification Course is a 22-hour program designed to teach safety as it relates to driving and managing farm implements. It offers both classroom and hands-on tractor driving experiences, for youth ages 14-17 who are interested in summer employment opportunities in the upcoming agricultural season.
Courses are made available through partnerships with OSU Extension, Clackamas County 4-H and local farmers.
The BEAV Plant Health Scouting Program uses unmanned aerial vehicles to assess the health of plants and crops from the air.
According to panelist Nik Wiman, Oregon State University Extension hazelnut specialist, several economic and environmental factors have changed the landscape of this tree that grows in the U.S. almost exclusively in Oregon’s Willamette...