Hi there! I am Sprout Mahoney, one of this summer’s crop of OSU Extension Service interns. While I have my senior year of Crop and Soil Science coming up, I will be working with Christy Tanner, the Linn County field crops specialist, for the next few months.

I got an early start this spring and have already helped with some research projects. Linn County is known for its grass seed and one of these projects has been based out of a local tall fescue field. Experimenting with different vole baits, observing signs of vole damage, and assessing drone imagery of the field via GIS software have been a few ways my learning has gotten out of the classroom and into some outdoor experience. I’ve assisted with different aspects of the research, from measuring samples to analyzing raw data for meaningful conclusions.

Another research project I worked on got me outdoors into some wonderful smelling mint fields! The peppermint grown in fields often becomes oil, a product that netted Oregon $34 million dollars in 2020. While mint in your garden may not have many pests thanks to its strong taste, the plants out in the field can be troubled by insects like loopers and cutworms. Monitoring these pests means using sticky traps baited with pheromone lures out in different fields and finding trends in their populations. This knowledge can help inform growers about the best times to treat pests and which species to focus on.

I am excited to be interning with Extension and working with local farmers. Agriculture always faces issues and I am interested in understanding people’s struggles and help bring solutions. I am especially looking forward to learning more about GIS applications in agriculture. I always want to know more about our soils!