We have been berry busy.
The Organic Transitions Program (ORG), a branch of The United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) recently awarded assistant professor Dr. Scott Lukas from the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC) and a team of collaborating investigators at Oregon State University (OSU), Washington State University (WSU), and The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) a three year grant to conduct trials designed to identify and optimize nutrient and pH management strategies most suitable for organic blueberry production east of the Cascades. These trials began Spring of 2020 and are being conducted throughout the PNW for a three-year period.
Project Objectives:
- Provide a long-term strategy for quickly reducing and maintaining soil pH for organic blueberry
- Determine if composted grape pomace, alone or with an acidifying agent, and surface-applied or incorporated, is a suitable organic matter amendment for organic blueberry.
- Determine if biochar produced from prunings is suitable and cost effective for increasing organic matter by raising carbon content in organic blueberry fields.
- Complete a cost-benefit analysis to determine the economic impacts and viability of investigated practices.
- Develop region-specific educational programs related to planting establishment and nutrient management, including the dissemination of project information and evaluation of impact.
More to come on this project throughout the season and upcoming years.
Incorporating sawdust as a soil amendment (3/13/20) 
Trenching to bury PVC irrigation lines for each treatment (3/17/20) 
Our irrigation manifold with separate solenoid controls for each of our 12 treatments along with a separate line for our buffer rows (4/2/20) 
Our completed manifold with the Sulfur burner (left) and sand filter (right) (5/7/20)
Transplanting blueberries at a 3ft spacing (4/9/20) 
Logan, our technician, tilling to remove weeds in the aisles. A cover crop will be planted late in the season. (4/23/20)
