Ah, summer- the season of university field days.  These half-day events are a way for growers to directly connect with Oregon State University agricultural researchers.  Field days are actually held in fields-usually at an OSU research farm or an Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station.  Researchers lead tours to describe the latest results from their trial fields and demonstrate the latest equipment advances.

I was lucky to attend the strawberry, blueberry and ornamental plant breeding field days earlier this summer.  Most of the information presented is for the commercial grower (think large scale harvesting equipment, pesticide regulations, etc.).  But, there is quite a bit of information that you can use in your own garden, too.  It’s interesting to observe new cultivars that haven’t been released for sale at local garden centers, yet.  Key takeaways relevant to the home gardener are captured in the following short (<3 min) videos.  Enjoy!