- 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.
