Western Farmer-Stockman Logo

100-year mark highlights study reports at WSU field event

T.J. Burnham 1, Editor, Western Farmer-Stockman

May 25, 2015

2 Min Read

The 100-year anniversary of the Washington State University Dryland Research Station will be celebrated at the Lind Field Day June 11.

The WSU research station, 781 E. Experiment Station Road in Lind, a small town 50 miles west of Spokane, will open the ceremony of research reports and social events at 8:30 a.m. A complimentary lunch and program will follow a field tour, and a traditional ice cream & cake social will be held after the events at 1:30 p.m.

Research presentations will include WSU's wide variety of trials underway at the station fields or through its connection with cooperating local producers. The talks will include a history of wheat development in dry country; winter wheat, club and spring wheat breeding updates; winter pea variety trials; winter triticale agronomy.

WSU administrators, state legislators, and wheat industry leaders will provide updates during a noon program.

The program follows:

•WSU's Commitment to Agricultural Research: WSU College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resources Dean Ron Mittelhammer

•Historic Dryland Wheat Farming Milestones: Bob Papendick, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, retired.

•Winter Wheat Breeding: Arron Carter, WSU researcher.

•Club Wheat Breeding: Kim Campbell, USDA-ARS researcher.

•Spring Wheat Breeding:  Mike Pumphrey, WSU researcher.

•Winter Pea Research: Stephen Guy, WSU researcher, and Rebecca McGee, USDA-ARS researcher.

•Winter Triticale Agronomy Report: Bill Schillinger, station superintendent.

•Rich Koenig, WSU director of extension, will speak during the luncheon.

•Also during the luncheon, Mittelhammer will provide a CAHNRS update; WSU Crop and Soil Sciences Chairman Jim Harsh will provide a crop and soils update; Washington Sen. Mark Schoesler will review agricultural legislative bills; Washington Grain Commission will send a representative to discuss the program; Larry Cochran, Washington State Wheat Growers president, will provide a program update.

To learn more, contact Schillinger, at (509) 235-1933, or email him at [email protected].

About the Author(s)

T.J. Burnham 1

Editor, Western Farmer-Stockman

T.J. Burnham has covered western agriculture for 42 years. A University of Michigan journalism program grad, he worked for The Sacramento Bee for 15 years before moving into specialty farm magazine writing. He has been on the Farm Progress staff for 10 years.

"A lot of my uncles back in Michigan were farmers, but my interest was primarily to become a hot shot city desk reporter. Once I was given a job at the Bee on the metro desk, they told me that they’d hired too many new reporters, and half of us had to go. However, they said there was an opening in the newspaper’s ag division, and if I worked there until the probationary period was over, I could be reassigned to general reporting. I took the job, but by the time the probation period was ended, I found I enjoyed covering ag so much that I never asked to go back to the city side.”

T.J. joined Farm Progress as a California Farmer reporter, then became editor of the Western Farmer-Stockman. He has earned a reputation in the West as a strong source of direct seed information, and has affiliated Western Farmer-Stockman as the official magazine of the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association.

His wife, Sally, writes for the magazine and helps with bookwork concerning freelance writers from the eight western state arena which the magazine serves.

T.J. likes hiking and fishing, and dabbles in woodworking projects. He also enjoys gardening and photography.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like