A dead sheep found March 25 in Wallowa County was killed by wolves, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A range rider found a dead adult ram in a private pasture in the county’s Upper Swamp Creek area.

The sheep appeared to have been killed that morning, according to an ODFW depredation report. A “significant portion” of the sheep had been eaten, but bite marks and other signs confirmed that wolves were responsible, according to the report. Signals from two GPS collars showed that Imnaha Pack wolves OR-4 and OR-39 were within 500 yards of the carcass site at 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., according to the report.

The Imnaha Pack is a busy one.

On March 9, also on private pasture in the Upper Swamp Creek area, a calf was found dead with all of its internal organs and most of its muscle tissue consumed. Only the skull and hide were intact of what was estimated to be a 500-pound steer. It was estimated to have been killed March 7 or 8. ODFW confirmed the wolf kill based on bite mark size and location, tracks, scat and other kill site evidence, according to a depredation report.

The livestock owner saw two wolves about 400 yards from the carcass, leaving the site. ODFW staff in a plane later in the day saw four members of the Imnaha Pack about 3 miles away.

A calf was found injured in Wallowa County March 16, but ODFW decided coyotes were responsible in that case.

A final Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Boardman, Ore., to Hemingway, Idaho, transmission line won’t be released until later this summer, but at least one potential route shows the Bureau of Land Management is heeding local concerns in Oregon’s Umatilla and Morrow counties.

The BLM updated its preliminary preferred alternative for the 300-mile line, which reflects two major changes sought by the counties: first, the line in Morrow County was shifted onto the west side of Bombing Range Road south of Boardman, onto Navy land as opposed to high-value farms across the road. Second, the alignment was pushed farther south through Umatilla County in order to avoid impacting additional farmland where growers worried the line could take acres of crops out of production.

Tamara Gertsch, national project manager for the BLM, said they are continuing to work with all agencies, including the counties, and haven’t made any final decisions yet. But the preliminary preferred alternative does provide a glimpse into the route analysis so far.

“There’s no such thing as a route without impacts. That’s just the way it is,” Gertsch said. “It’s a balancing act to do the best thing that we can to eliminate most impacts with our cooperating agencies.”

Boardman to Hemingway, proposed by Idaho Power, is a 500-kilovolt line that would run from just outside Boardman to Melba, Idaho, near Boise. It would allow the two regions to share electricity during times of peak demand. Estimates for the project have ranged between $890-$940 million.

A draft EIS was released in 2014, and the BLM continues to analyze comments that were submitted from the public. The final EIS will include analysis of the agency preferred route and alternatives. Once it is issued the public will have 30 days to review and provide additional comments.

“We’re looking at technical considerations, environmental considerations and economic considerations,” Gertsch said.

Idaho Power estimates the project won’t come online until 2022 or later. In a recent editorial, Mitch Colburn, who’s in charge of 500-kilovolt projects for the company, said the need for Boardman to Hemingway is still strong.

“When finished, the project will help provide low-cost energy to Idaho Power’s customers in southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon,” Colburn said.

Project maps and a time line are available to view at www.boardmantohemingway.com.

ATHENA, Ore. — If you ask Tim Kennedy, Frito-Lay pretty much ruined potato chips in the mid-1980s.

“Flat and flavorless” says Kennedy, who in 1986 started his own company to make a thicker, crunchier style of chip. Thirty years later, Tim’s Cascade Snacks is an iconic Northwest brand distributed in 13 states, parts of Canada, Mexico and overseas to Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

Kennedy, 68, was born in Pendleton and raised in Athena, where he lives with his wife, Lori.

Though Kennedy retired in 2005, he remains an ambassador for Tim’s Chips and a local celebrity. He recently visited the Seattle Food and Wine Experience in February, signing bags of chips for fans who just had to ask, “Are you THE Tim?”

“I take it with good humor,” Kennedy said. “I get asked a lot how did you get started with chips.”

Before he was “THE Tim,” Kennedy was an electrical engineer who worked in packaging plants for potato processors. He graduated from McEwen High School in 1966 and Blue Mountain College in 1968 before landing his first job doing electrical and maintenance work at Lamb Weston in Hermiston.

Years later, Kennedy moved to Tacoma, Wash., and got a job with a company called Mira-Pak, which at the time was installing state-of-the-art potato chip packaging equipment for Frito-Lay and other facilities along the West Coast. It was there he met Jay and Don Poore, who convinced Kennedy to partner up on a chip enterprise of their own.

They joined a man named Horace Groff, who had made potato chips in Pennsylvania and decided to branch out into Houston. Together, they launched Groff’s of Texas in 1983 and began thinking of ways they could distinguish themselves from Frito-Lay.

“Here we came, just with blinders on, to start a potato plant and compete against the giant,” Kennedy said.

For starters, Kennedy said they used peanut oil instead of lard, which gave their chips a better crunch. They were also the first in the country to introduce a jalapeño flavor, Kennedy said, which took off and gave them a 10 percent share of the market in Houston. Jalapeño remains the highest selling flavor of Tim’s Chips to this day.

“They just went nuts for it,” he said.

After three years, Kennedy decided to strike out on his own and return to the Seattle area, where he established Tim’s Chips. As for the Poore Brothers, they launched their own successful chip brand in Arizona, which is still produced today by Inventure Foods.

Tim’s Chips are kettle-cooked in relatively small 400-pound batches, made from potatoes grown in Oregon and Washington. The company marks it’s 30th anniversary this month.

“There’s not everybody who can start a business from scratch and have it last 30 years,” Kennedy said. “It’s a small business, but it’s something to be proud of.”

When Kennedy retired in 2005, he handed the reins over to his brother-in-law, Jeff Leichleiter, who was one of the first people he hired. The company has about 80 employees working out at the plant.

In 2007, Tim and Lori Kennedy moved back to Athena and transitioned from the chip business to the wine business. They own Don Carlo Vineyard — named after Lori’s grandfather — which is part of the new Rocks District of Milton-Freewater American Viticultural Area. Of course, Tim’s Chips are served with glasses of wine in the tasting room. Kennedy recommends jalapeño with the Chardonnay, and Parmesan and garlic with red wines.

Breaking into the wine business has been difficult, with competition from 120 other vineyards in the Walla Walla area alone. But, as with any other local business, it’s all about putting yourself out there, he said.

“When we started Tim’s Chips, we couldn’t get into any of the major stores,” he said. “It’s all about having people taste it, and hearing your story.”

MONDAY, MARCH 28

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30

SATURDAY, MARCH 26

Richard Roseberg, a soil scientist with 26 years experience at Oregon State University, has been named director of OSU’s Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point.

The center, one of 12 OSU ag experiment stations statewide, is situated in one of the state’s more diverse agricultural regions, and Roseberg brings his own unusual research projects to the position as well.

The Rogue Valley region grows tree fruit, especially pears, plus multiple types of vegetables, melons, livestock, dairy, forage and other crops. The area’s vineyards have emerged as strong producers over the past decade, and the station has developed a busy small farms program to meet the needs of alternative and beginning producers.

The center, known as SOREC, has 34 faculty and staff and an annual budget of nearly $2 million. Roseberg worked at the station for the first 14 years of his OSU career, then spent 12 years at the ag station in Klamath Falls, 85 miles away but with a much higher elevation, colder winters and a shorter growing season.

Roseberg said one of his first tasks is to hire a viticulturist to work with the region’s wine grape growers. SOREC also has a position open for a plant pathologist to work on diseases in orchards, vineyards and post-harvest crops, he said.

The area’s wine industry has grown dramatically, Roseberg said. He was at SOREC in the late 1990s when the first vineyards were coming on. With the valley’s long, warm growing season, wine grapes seemed to hold potential if the demand kept pace, he said. That’s come to pass, and wine has proven to be a good fit because it provides high-value on the valley’s small acreages.

“The Rogue Valley is not large,” Roseberg said. “There will never be 100,000 acres of anything in the Rogue Valley. So what can you fit?”

In addition to his administrative role, Roseberg said he hopes to work with station staff on soil-related aspects of their research. He also plans to keep his hand in on a couple projects of his own.

Roseberg and other researchers have been working the past 10 years on Russian dandelion, which produces rubber in its roots. Natural rubber is a strategic material of interest to the military, Roseberg said, because synthetic rubber doesn’t hold up in modern aircraft tires. Outside Brazil, only five Southeast Asian countries, including China, produce natural rubber. “We don’t want to get into a situation where the supply is cut off,” Roseberg said.

Russian dandelion grows fairly well in the Klamath Falls area, he said, and researchers are working through the usual agronomic questions of how to fine tune production. Roseberg is working on the project in cooperation with counterparts at Ohio State University and in Canada.

“It’s promising, but like any new crop it takes time,” he said.

Roseberg also is interested in teff, an Ethiopian plant grown there for grain and seeds. Bread made from teff has no gluten, which is important to some consumers.

In its immature state, teff is high protein forage and some U.S. farmers are growing it for hay and as a rotational crop. It’s a warm season grass with good yields that does well in mid-summer but has no frost tolerance, he said. It grows better in the Medford area than in Klamath Falls, he said.

About 150,000 acres of teff is being grown in the U.S. now, Roseberg said, with two-thirds of that grown for hay. Oregon and Washington combined have about 10,000 acres of teff, he said.

Steve Norberg of Washington State University is working with Roseberg on the project.

Traditional crops remain a big part of research programs, Roseberg said, “But as a university, we’re also obliged to look at unusual things. Is there a fit?”

July 24, 1918 - March 15, 2016

BURNS, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will spend roughly $4 million to clean, repair and upgrade the Oregon wildlife refuge that was the site of a 41-day armed occupation by ranchers earlier this year.

The Oregonian reports that Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe says he wants the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Burns to become a symbol to the rest of the country that collaboration, not confrontation, endures. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell made similar statements during her visit to the refuge earlier this week.

Photos of the refuge shared by federal officials show that the ranchers left a mess inside the building.

The compound is undergoing a giant spring cleaning, with the use of industrial vacuums and cargo trailers filled with cleaning supplies.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — If the 1,400 students attending the Oregon FFA state convention had some questions about career prospects, Alexzandra “Alex” Murphy was offering some answers.

Murphy teaches a new precision irrigated agriculture program at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, and she said ag employers are clamoring to hire people trained in new technology.

“People have been asking me for students,” she said while stationed at a college information booth. “There is a huge demand for workers. Everywhere I go, they say, ‘We want more good workers.’”

Students with FFA experience are particularly attractive to employers, she said, because they’re already tuned into multiple facets of agriculture. And it hasn’t been difficult recruiting students to study precision ag applications, Murphy added.

“I don’t know too many kids who don’t get excited about technology,” she said with a laugh. “Turning off your (irrigation) pivot with a cell phone is awesome.”

Blue Mountain Community College was among the career vendors participating in the convention, held March 18-21 at Oregon State University. Students from Future Farmers of America chapters across the state attended. Among many activities, they took part in public speaking and parliamentary procedure competitions, heard from guest speakers and had a little fun on the side, such as a session on western dancing.

State officers for 2016-17 were selected as well. They are: President Shea Booster, of Bend; Vice President Hailee Patterson, of Imbler; Secretary Liberty Greenlund, of Yamhill-Carlton; Treasurer Raymond Seal, of Joseph; Reporter Zanden Unger, of Dallas; and Sentinel Bryson Price, of Sutherlin.

While advisers such as Murphy of BMCC were available to offer career advice, other convention speakers had something to say about life in general.

Kelly Barnes, a motivational speaker from Oklahoma, used a fast-paced presentation to suggest students should examine their lives and make changes.

Barnes, who grew up on family dairy and beef operations, said he found his calling during an FFA leadership conference and now spends his time talking to corporate and educational groups.

To the Oregon FFA students, Barnes listed three areas for consideration.

He asked them to realize they have ingrained habits or daily routines, things they do without thinking that may be wasting time or even holding them back.

“When we do things a certain way, what happens when someone asks you to change?” he asked. “The answer is no.”

Barnes said students should review what he called their “inputs,” the music, movies, books or organizations such as FFA that influence their lives. While many students will say they don’t act badly because of coarse entertainment, for example, they will acknowledge that other inputs make them feel sad, happy, excited or inspired.

“You put good things in, good things come out,” Barnes said.

Last, Barnes talked about the “rule of five.” He asked students to think of their interactions with five friends. Of that group, he said, who is the smartest, has the most goals, makes the best decisions and is looked at as a leader.

“The rule of five says you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” he said. “If you’re the smartest, who’s pushing you to be smarter?

“Find people who are going to push you,” Barnes concluded. “Surround yourself with people who are better than you.”

Thursday, March 24

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Opponents of a proposed Nestlé water bottling plant in the Columbia River Gorge are now facing an organized group of project supporters.

The Oregonian reports the Coalition for a Strong Gorge Economy registered with the Oregon Secretary of State earlier this month as the group in favor of the plant while the Local Water Alliance continues pushing against the project.

Hood River County voters will decide a ballot measure in May banning water bottling operations that produce over 1,000 gallons daily. Nestlé plans on packaging 11 times that amount in an hour, on average.

Nestlé released a video on Twitter supporting the project as an economic driver.

Opponents released their own characterizing Nestlé as a bully exploiting resources.

Both sides are using airwaves and phones to spread their message.

PORTLAND — A survey of this city’s CSA operations shows they maintain a small but solid niche with consumers wanting direct connection to the farmers growing their food.

In 2015, 51 farms reported gross sales of $2.4 million within the city. The farms managed 6,000 shares, as the Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions are known.

Portland CSA sales were estimated at about $900,000 in 2008. Nationally, CSA sales in 2015 were estimated at $36 million, with an average CSA box value of $47.21.

In CSA operations, customers agree to buy a certain amount of food — most commonly vegetables but in some cases eggs, meat, fish and dairy products — which is delivered to a drop-off site on a weekly basis. The arrangement gives farmers stability in the form of a pre-determined market and gives consumers fresh, seasonal, local food with no middleman.

The arrangement is especially popular in cities such as Portland, where many residents are intensely interested in knowing where their food comes from and who’s growing it.

No one is under the illusion that CSAs can feed everyone in Portland, said Steve Cohen, Food Policy and Programs manager in the city’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

But it has become city policy to support small, urban, alternative operations. In 2002, Portland established a Food Policy Council with the expressed desire to create a “vibrant, sustainable and equitable food system.”

In 2012, the city revised its zoning regulations to specifically allow and encourage community gardens, farmers markets, CSA distribution sites and related activities.

The zoning revisions gave official approval to what was already happening in the city and was likely to increase, Cohen said.

The benefits of such policy changes go beyond increased CSA sales figures, he said. They reconnect city residents, especially children, with how real food is grown and what it tastes like.

“We want young kids to know where food comes from,” Cohen said. “But the main thing is that they realize just how hard it is for farmers to do what they do.”

Six defendants in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation are headed to Nevada.

District Judge Anna Brown ruled Tuesday that U.S. marshals must transfer occupation leaders Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne, Blaine Cooper, Brian Cavalier and Pete Santilli to Nevada on April 13.

They’ll face arraignment on charges related to an April 2014 armed standoff near Cliven Bundy’s ranch.

The judge said she wanted federal agents to return the six to Oregon a week later.

However, one of the occupiers’ Nevada-based defense attorneys said she will fight to keep the men in Nevada. The lawyer said the occupiers face far more serious charges in the Nevada standoff. She also said attorneys there can’t prepare an adequate defense if the men remain in Oregon.

ONTARIO, Ore. — The Owyhee Irrigation District board of directors has set the 2016 allotment for OID patrons at 3 acre-feet.

That’s significantly more than irrigators have received the past three years and the allotment is expected to increase as more water flows into the Owyhee Reservoir.

Board members opted to be conservative and set the allotment based only on what is currently in the reservoir, OID Manager Jay Chamberlin said March 22 during the group’s annual meeting.

“We know there is 3 acre-feet in the reservoir today and we can deliver that to you,” he said.

The reservoir provides irrigation water for 1,800 farms and 118,000 acres in Malheur County in Eastern Oregon and around Homedale and Marsing in southwestern Idaho.

Significantly more water is forecast to flow into the reservoir and “as that water becomes available, that allotment will be increased,” Chamberlin said. “I feel very comfortable saying the allotment is going to go up from that 3 acre-feet. How far, we can’t say.”

OID patrons are entitled to up to 4 acre-feet in a normal water year but only received 1.7 acre-feet in 2015 and 1.6 acre-feet in 2014 because of lingering drought conditions.

Based on the past 30 years, total reservoir in-flows average 534,000 acre-feet a year, but only 96,000 acre-feet reached the reservoir in 2015 and 106,000 in 2014, said Brian Sauer, a water operations manager for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

But the bureau is forecasting that total Owyhee Reservoir in-flows will reach 862,000 acre-feet this year,

“Things look a lot better than where they were last year,” Sauer said. “There’s a fair amount of snow still up in the basin (to) come into the reservoir.”

Snowpack levels were up significantly this year, said Chamberlin, who flew over the basin on Feb. 26.

“It was refreshing to see how much snow we had over the whole basin,” he said. “We’ve got a good start here.”

Based on the snowpack levels and the Bureau of Reclamation total reservoir in-flow forecast for 2016, a lot more water is headed for the reservoir, Chamberlin said.

He said he is confident OID patrons will end up with their full 4 acre-foot allotment this year.

“But until we get that, we’re going to be very cautious,” he said.

The target date to start the OID system is April 11 but the board will meet again next week and that could change depending on weather conditions, Chamberlin said.

There was no storage water left in the reservoir at the end of the 2015 season, the fourth straight year that happened. That was the longest such stretch since at least 1966, Sauer said.

“This has been an unprecedented string of bad water years,” he said.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The last named defendant in the armed occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge was still at large Tuesday, drawing calls for supporters to flock to his Montana hometown and a local sheriff to urge outsiders to stay out of it.

Supporters of the 41-day standoff this winter over U.S. land restrictions used social media to rally behind Jake Ryan, urging the sheriff to resist federal efforts to apprehend him and for people to head to the small northwestern town of Plains to pray with Ryan’s family.

Sanders County Sheriff Tom Rummel, trying to head off any new armed conflicts, warned standoff supporters to stay away during negotiations for Ryan’s arrest.

“There is no standoff, and I want to keep it that way,” Rummel told The Associated Press. “I don’t need anybody showing up in my county that’s only going to add tension to the situation.”

A federal judge released Ryan’s name Monday as the 26th defendant charged in connection with the occupation at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Ryan and another man are accused of using heavy equipment to dig a trench through a Native American archaeological site at the refuge.

He and Travis Cox were the only people facing charges who had not been arrested by Tuesday morning.

The sheriff, like the occupation supporters, is wary of federal officials. Rummel once gave his support to failed legislation in Montana that would have required any federal agent to get written permission from a sheriff before making an arrest or conducting a search in that sheriff’s jurisdiction.

However, he has sought to be a facilitator in this case. In response to Ryan’s supporters, Rummel released a statement Monday saying he intends to provide for Ryan’s safety and rights. He said an attorney hired by Ryan’s family is working with the FBI on the charges.

Ryan’s mother, Roxsanna Ryan, said she does not know where her son is. A few of Ryan’s friends have shown up at their home to wait with the family, but she declined to give details during a brief interview with the AP.

“We’re just waiting and waiting on something to happen,” she said. “Until that happens, we’re not going to reveal a lot.”

Ryan participated in the armed standoff that launched Jan. 2 to demand the government to turn over public lands to local control and oppose prison terms for two ranchers convicted of setting fires. The occupation ended Feb. 11 with the surrender of four holdouts.

Ryan faces charges of depredation of government property, conspiracy to impede officers and possession of weapons in a federal facility.

EUGENE, Ore. — A federal judge has rejected a request by environmentalists to drastically modify how water in several Central Oregon reservoirs is managed.

U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken said the environmental groups failed to show that such a preliminary injunction was justified to protect the threatened Oregon spotted frog.

“It was a very difficult burden for you and I don’t believe you’ve met it,” she said at the end of an oral argument hearing here March 22.

At the outset of the hearing, Aiken warned an overflow crowd “right off the bat” that she planned to deny the request.

While holding oral arguments is appropriate in a case of this magnitude, Aiken told environmentalists not to expect a “big surprise” at the conclusion of the hearing.

“You have a long way to go to persuade me,” she said.

The Center for Biological Diversity and Waterwatch of Oregon claim that water management at the Crane Prairie, Wickiup and Crescent Lake dams must be drastically altered to protect the threatened Oregon spotted frogs from further population declines.

“You have a long way to go to persuade me,” she said.

During oral arguments the two groups asked Aiken for a preliminary injunction that would restore flows in the streams and rivers on which the dams are located to more natural levels.

However, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and several irrigation districts countered that the frogs have adapted to water conditions in the 70 years since the dams were built, so a sudden disruption in how they’re operated will likely injure the species.

Environmentalists risk harming the spotted frogs they want to protect by demanding major operational changes at three Central Oregon water reservoirs, according to the federal government.

The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the federal agency and three irrigation districts — Central Oregon, North Unit and Tumalo — earlier this year for allegedly violating the Endangered Species Act.

Their complaint alleges that reservoir operations have reversed the natural hydrology in associated rivers and creeks, which experience low flows during winter while water is stored and higher flows during the summer irrigation season.

Extreme seasonal fluctuations cause the frog’s eggs to dry up during low flows and exposes them to predators during high flows, the plaintiffs claim.

Water levels differ from year to year, creating unpredictability for female frogs that would otherwise return to the same breeding sites, according to the environmentalists.

Insufficient water flows in winter also reduce habitat for the frogs, forcing them to congregate in marginal areas where they’re vulnerable to predation, the plaintiffs argue.

Under the preliminary injunction proposed by plaintiffs, the Bureau of Reclamation and irrigation districts would operate the reservoirs under a “regulated option” — with higher winter flows and lower summer flows set a fixed levels — or a “run-of-the-river option,” under which dam controls would be left open to mimic natural fluctuations.

The Bureau of Reclamation asked the judge to reject the preliminary injunction request because there’s no evidence the frog’s population will suddenly deteriorate without these measures.

Such “aggressive and immediate” actions aren’t justified by science and wouldn’t work in the best interest of the species, which is more likely to respond positively to gradual changes, the federal agency said.

The “regulated option” and the “run-of-the-river” option are inconsistent with each other, since unmanaged flows of the river could result in lower water levels than environmentalists claim are necessary under the “regulated option,” according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

Reducing flows in summer would eliminate some frog habitat while greater winter volumes could overwhelm the species with cold water to which it’s now unaccustomed, the agency said.

The plaintiffs have also failed to give the irrigation districts credit for conservation measures aimed at improving the frog’s chances of survival, the Bureau of Reclamation said.

These steps are being implemented while federal agencies consult on the impact of dam operations on Oregon spotted frogs and develop a broader “habitat conservation plan” that preserves several protected species in the region, as required by the ESA, the agency said.

PORTLAND — Columbia Gorge winemakers believe their wines deserve more attention than they get from Portland consumers.

They’ve taken to describing themselves as residents of Portland’s less expensive backyard, easier to visit and with less traffic than vineyards and wineries in the better-known Willamette Valley.

That description is courtesy of Kate Hart, co-executive director of the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers Association, who might cheerfully acknowledge some bias.

Consumers have an opportunity to decide for themselves on Friday, April 1, when 22 gorge wineries will be pouring during a Portland tasting. It will be held at Castaway Portland, 1800 N.W. 19th Ave. in Portland’s Pearl District.

General admission is $25 and gets you in from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A VIP ticket costs $40 and grants admission an hour earlier and into a private room.

The Columbia Gorge AVA, or American Viticultural Area, dates only to 2004, but is marked by elevation changes, soil types and micro-climates that result in production of a wide variety of wines, Hart said. Although the AVA is new, grapes have been grown in the area since the late 1880s, Hart said. The oldest is presumed to be a Zinfandel vineyard near The Dalles.

The AVA runs 40 miles west to east on both sides of the Columbia River, roughly from Hood River, Ore., to Maryhill, Wash. The winegrowers association describes the AVA as “a world of wine in 40 miles,” with precipitation decreasing approximately an inch per mile west to east and with much more sun toward the eastern end.

For ticket information go to: http://www.columbiagorgewine.com/portland-grand-tasting.html

Oregon State University has hired a new invertebrate pest scientist to help farmers fight the slug menace threatening their crops.

In 2015, farmers complained that damage from the slimy mollusks has grown worse in recent years during a “slug summit” organized by OSU, prompting the university to seek additional resources to battle the problem.

While slugs have long been a pest for Oregon growers, some believe their populations have grown more numerous in recent years due to the popularity of no-till farming and diminished field burning.

The slug researcher job was among several new positions created at OSU thanks to an additional $14 million in funding allocated for agricultural research and extension during the 2015 legislative session.

The search for OSU’s slug expert was recently completed with the hiring of Rory McDonnell, who’s currently a research specialist at the University of California—Riverside and will start his new position in Oregon in mid-July.

A native of Ireland, McDonnell obtained a doctorate in environmental science from the National University of Ireland in 2004 and has since studied biological control of slugs, including a nematode that parasitizes them.

OSU was initially concerned that few people with sufficient expertise in slugs would apply for the job, but was ultimately able to choose from a good pool of candidates, said Sujaya Rao, an entomology professor at the university who headed the hiring committee.

It was important for OSU to find a researcher who’s familiar with applied science — managing slug pests — rather than simply studying slug biology, she said.

McDonnell’s experience with using biological control agents and essential oils to combat the mollusks was impressive, as was his ability to win grant funding and train graduate and post-doctoral students, Rao said.

Novel methods of controlling slugs are increasingly important because the baits that are commonly used to attract and kill them aren’t always economical, she said.

“People are looking outside the box for slug management,” Rao said.

While recruiting for the position, OSU consulted farmers as well as representatives of the USDA, Oregon Department of Agriculture and local soil and water conservation districts, she said.

“We got input from everyone,” Rao said.

Several Boardman, Ore., corn growers placed highly at the state level in the National Corn Growers Association’s annual yield contest.

Vern Frederickson placed first in Oregon in the no-till/strip till irrigated class with a yield of 309.28 bushels per acre, using DeKalb DKC62-06.

Jonathon Lewis Springstead placed first in Oregon in the irrigated class with a yield of 273.9 bushels per acre using Pioneer 35K02. Springstead did not respond to requests for comment.

Nolan Mills placed second in the no-till/strip-till irriagated class with a yield of 255.29 bushels per acre using Pioneer P1266.

Rod Taylor placed second in the irrigated class with a yield of 267.13 bushels per acre using DeKalb DKC62-08RIB. Taylor could not be reached through the corn organization.

The contest announced 407 state winners and 18 national winners. David Hula of Charles City, Va., won with a yield of 532.03 bushels per acre.

According to the organization, the average yield among national winners was 386.4 bushels per acre, with six national winners recording yields of 400 bushels or more per acre. The U.S. average corn yield in 2015 was 169.3 bushels per acre.

Frederickson said his yields are usually 280 to 290 bushels per acre. Last year he yielded 314 bushels per acre and won the organization’s contest in Oregon, too.

“We farm about 5,000 acres, about 1,200 acres devoted to corn, so we have several people involved in this process,” he said. “It’s a good team effort.”

Frederickson participates in the contest to compare his performance against other farmers in the industry.

“It gives us an incentive to continually improve our process,” he said. “We do hope we do well, but it’s not our primary focus.”

Mills said his winning field averaged five bushels more than his other, non-contest corn fields averaged.

“It’s a good measure to see how we’re doing,” he said. “We try to pick the best field and the best spot.”

The contest helps growers compare varieties and farming practices, Mills said.

Frederickson has several ideas to further boost his yield. He is looking for a 15- to 20-bushel increase, he said.

“The most important thing is, focus on the planting and getting a good stand (and) even emergence,” he said.

Mills also plans to enter again this year. He expects a similar approach to last year.

“Mostly try to stay up on the fertilizer and water and be timely with our inputs,” he said. “More of the same thing we’ve already done, just trying to be timely on all our inputs from planting to harvest.”