Serving Northwest Oregon
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.
Updated Summer 2021 Office Closure Information-please read!
News & Events
Our Mission
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.
NWREC Overview Video
Tractor Safety Course
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.
BEAV Plant Health Scouting Program
The BEAV Plant Health Scouting Program uses unmanned aerial vehicles to assess the health of plants and crops from the air.
Catch up on news at NWREC
Down on the Farm Newsletter-Summer 2021 edition
Bernadine Strik Berry Specialist Retires
Sustainable Farm Agrivoltaic Project
The annual Harvest Dinner at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora, Oregon has been a tradition for the past ten years. The event brings together our faculty and staff, OSU campus administrators, plus our research partners, community stakeholders and elected officials throughout the region. The Harvest Dinner is our celebration of agriculture, the work we all do to support our farmers and to help them solve problems and address issues—so they can provide us with the food and fiber we need and want.
Top Story
NWREC receives portion of major gift for infrastructure upgrades
A major gift by Northwest Farm Credit Services (NWFCS) will direct $250,000 to the North Willamette Research and Extension Center to complete a...