Malheur Experiment Station History and Program

History	Partnerships
Facilities	Return to home page
Research

The Malheur Agricultural Experiment Station is a branch of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, a part of Oregon State University's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Oregon's agriculture is complex and exciting. The State produces more than 100 commercially important crops. Oregon's varied soils and a climate that changes from rain forest to high desert means that scientists must address the challenges of agriculture in locations where the commodities are produced. Because of this, scientists serve at ten branch experiment stations and research centers in addition to the central station on the OSU campus in Corvallis. Besides the Malheur Station at Ontario, stations are located in Klamath Falls, Burns and Union, Newport and Astoria, Medford, Pendleton and Moro, Hermiston, Hood River, Redmond and Madras, and Aurora.

Scientists at the Malheur Station specialize in research important to row crops, small grains, and alfalfa. Sugar beets, onions, and potatoes are major crops in Malheur County, generating a farm gate income of $160 million for producers. Alfalfa has high value because it is transformed into meat products by cattle and dairy producers.

The Station is located on 117 acres of row crop land midway between Ontario, Vale, and Nyssa in the Cairo area. Entrance to Onion Avenue is from Highway 20/26. Visitors are welcome at the Station. The station conducts many experiments on cooperating growers fields.

HISTORY

Local farmers asked Oregon State College to establish an experiment station in Malheur County in 1942. Research began that year. Money was raised locally to buy the land which was deeded to OSU in the mid-1950's. Neil Hoffman served as the Station's first superintendent from 1946 until 1977.

FACILITIES

The land surrounding the buildings at the Station is appropriate for research of onions, sugar beets, potatoes, small grains, alfalfa seed, and weed control. Specialized facilities include onion storage, an artificial onion dryer, potato storage, potato quality laboratory, an NOA weather station, and AgriMet weather station to estimate crop water use, chemical laboratory and storage facilities, a greenhouse, and specialized storage chambers.

RESEARCH

Research about onions, a major crop in the Treasure Valley, includes variety evaluations and studies to combat thrips, weeds, and Botrytus neck rot. The station is a leader for drip irrigation for onions and automated control of drip irrigated onions.

Russet Burbank potatoes grown in the area suffered a high incidence of dark-ends in 1985 (the stem end of the potato darkens when fried). Minimizing dark-ends is a goal in evaluating potato varieties, in irrigation studies in soil management research, and in potato tuber physiology. Producers need this information to avoid water stress in potato plants in critical periods. The potato quality lab is involved in determining specific gravity and dark-end fry color in potatoes. The station is involved in screening new potato varieties for release. Potato late blight was very important during the 1995 season.

Trials of small grains are conducted each fall and spring to evaluate cultivars of soft white wheat, hard red wheat, club wheats, barley, and triticale.

Evaluating alternative weed control practices is an ongoing project. A goal is to find herbicide or herbicide combinations that control weeds without significant crop injury. Important aspects of weed control research include the rate of application, method, timing, and spray pressure and volume. These are all factors affecting the success growers have in controlling weeds.

Sugar beet research includes studies of mildew, seed emergence, irrigation, weed control, variety evaluations, and nitrogen management. Other crops under investigation include vegetable soybeans, spearmint, alfalfa, alfalfa seed, melons, supersweet corn, lima beans, nug, and squash.

Nitrogen and irrigation management research is conducted on onions, small grain, potatoes, and sugar beets to find ways to reduce the loss of nitrate to groundwater, while protecting growers' yields and profitability.

PARTNERSHIPS

OSU Extension agents work closely with the Malheur Station staff on crop production problems. They cooperatively design and evaluate experiments on onions, potatoes, and alfalfa. Scientists from other experiment stations evaluate small grains and potatoes in cooperation with Station staff.

Scientists from the central experiment station at OSU are working on dark-end research, including restrict water infiltration and the potato reducing sugars, sucrose, and total solids. They're also studying alfalfa seed production, including insect control and leaf cutter bees for pollination.

University of Idaho scientists provide potential potato varieties for evaluation at the Station. Scientists at four branch experiment stations and the central experiment station of OSU cooperate with the University of Idaho on potato variety development.

OSU extension and research cooperate with UI scientists on the prediction and control of potato late blight.

The Malheur Experiment Station cooperates with SWCD, NRCS, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, growers associations, and citizens' groups, to address groundwater quality issues. Water issues have recently provided the opportunity for wider community cooperation through the Malheur-Owyhee Watershed Council established by the Malheur County government.

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