This publication offers an integrated approach to effective weed management in Christmas trees, incorporating diverse strategies and practices to keep weed populations off balance. It includes strategies for using prevention, mechanical means, cover crops and vegetated strips, flame weeding, and biological and chemical controls. Emphasis in chemical recommendations is on...
A guide for both commercial growers who rent honey bees for pollination and beekeepers who provide pollination services, including information on honey bee colony strength evaluation, average number of colonies needed for pollination, basic honey bee biology in context of pollination, and pollination contracts.
The degree of wildfire risk depends on both the probability of an ignition and the potential for damage or harm (such as loss of trees, homes, or even lives). Recognizing that you may have a high wildfire risk is the first step in doing something about it. Whether you own...
Meat from big game animals (such as deer, antelope, elk, moose, and bear) is a nutritious choice for family meals. You'll enjoy eating it when it's good quality and well-prepared. For best flavor, it's important to handle game carcasses carefully and to butcher and store the meat correctly. This publication...
Ripening tomatoes are a familiar sight in Pacific Northwest gardens and fields during the late summer months. Because the storage life of fresh tomatoes is limited, many households preserve them for year-round enjoyment. Home canning is one of the most popular preservation methods.
When canning tomatoes and tomato products, safe...
Published October 2009. Reviewed December 2013. Please check for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Selecting the right people to meet and serve customers is an important
decision in establishing and operating a direct farm market outlet. When
selecting and training employees, remember that customers expect a cordial atmosphere and friendly service. You want employees who are alert for opportunities to be of service, who...
Selecting a good location for a direct farm‑to‑consumer enterprise is of primary importance in direct marketing. Although roadside stands, U-pick operations, and farmers markets can and do operate in different locations and settings, certain key factors contribute to a satisfactory direct market location:
• Being on a well‑traveled road near...
Strategies for managing production and marketing costs ensure greater
profitability and stability, especially for direct marketers who decide to expand and diversify their operations. In developing these strategies, it is important to understand concepts such as fixed and variable costs, depreciation, and interest. These concepts can help you develop budgets...
With the renewed interest in direct marketing activity, more and more farmers are asking, Is direct farm‑to‑consumer marketing the answer? This question can best be answered after assessing:
• Personal abilities and desire to sell directly to consumers
• The farming operation’s compatibility with direct marketing
The assessment should also...
A successful direct farm maketing business requires a knowledge and understanding of effective marketing and management practices. This publication discusses what services and choices to offer customers and how to price and promote items for sale.
Wireworm is the common name for the larvae of click beetles (Coleoptera: Family Elateridae). The adults do little or no damage, although there are some anecdotal reports that they can damage certain crops (e.g., grapes and stone fruits) by feeding on flowers. However, larval wireworms are among the most destructive...
Las polillas pueden dañar la ropa y otros artículos. Hay dos especies comunes de polillas en el Noroeste del Pacífi co: la polilla tejedora (Tineola bisselliella) y la polilla del estuche, también conocida como polilla capullera (Tinea pellionella). Son las larvas las que hacen daño.
In some homes, clothes moths can damage garments and other belongings. There are two common species of clothes moths in the Pacific Northwest: the webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella) and the casemaking clothes moth (Tinea pellionella). The larvae,
or immature form, of the moths are responsible for the damage done...
Winegrape production in the Pacific Northwest has expanded into areas where low winter
temperatures periodically cause cane damage or death. In the Walla Walla Valley, for example, minimum temperatures plummeted to below -20°F for several days in 1996 and 2004, killing most exposed canes. Cane temperatures most certainly remained below...
Pacific Northwest vegetable and fruit growers always have faced changing markets. To many growers, these changes have seemed faster than usual in recent years, fueled by shifting consumer preferences, increasing production costs, and new market logistics. The number of processing plants in the region continues to decline. Typically, plant closures...
Designed to help ranchers recognize common rabbit diseases. Diseases are classified according to major cause-bacterial, viral, nutritional, hereditary, fungal, and miscellaneous (including poisoning, tumors, and vices). For each disease, the symptoms and treatment are described. Provides advice on packing and shipping specimens for laboratory diagnosis as well. Includes black-and-white photographs...
In recent years, the number of fresh-market sweet cherry cultivars (varieties) produced in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) has grown from a few, dominated by one (Bing), to a dozen or more. Lapins was among the first new cultivars to gain significance in the mid-1990s, followed by Sweetheart, Chelan, Tieton, and...
Accumulation of excessive salt in irrigated soils can reduce crop yields, reduce the effectiveness of irrigation, ruin soil structure, and affect other soil properties. This publication is designed to help you evaluate the kind and amount of salts present in soils and to select management alternatives. This publication describes the...
Paterson’s curse is a member of the borage family (Boraginaceae). It is native to Mediterranean Europe and North Africa but has spread to southern Africa, South and North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Outside of its native habitat, it is an aggressive, drought-tolerant plant that adapts to many soil moisture...
Freezing is one of the simplest and least time consuming methods of food preservation. For best quality, it is important to follow directions carefully. Color, flavor, and nutritive value can be affected by freshness of the produce selected, method of preparation and packaging, and conditions of freezing.
This publication focuses on using water analyses to choose appropriate water treatment and water management practices for irrigated agriculture. It will help determine:
• What tests are needed to characterize water quality
• How to collect water samples
• How to interpret analytical data from a laboratory
• How to...
Pickling is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. The Chinese
were fermenting vegetables as early as the third century B.C. By the first century A.D., Romans also were pickling. Pickled products appeared in America, too. The pickle barrel was common during the colonial days. Pickles even became part...
Biosolids are a by-product of municipal wastewater treatment. They contain organic matter and nutrients that are beneficial for soil, crop, and livestock productivity. Raw sewage solids must be processed to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards before they can be called biosolids. This publication focuses on how biosolids can...
The potato tuberworm, Phthorimaea operculella, is a pest of many solanaceous crops, including potatoes. Commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, potato tuberworm (PTW) is one of the most important constraints to potato production worldwide. Larvae of this species mine leaves, stems, and petioles and excavate tunnels...
Tree vigor is important because more leaves mean more carbohydrate production and larger cherries. The production of high-quality cherries requires a gross canopy leaf area-to-fruit ratio of at least 200 cm2 of leaf area per fruit, which roughly translates to five leaves per fruit. Trees with a lower LA:F ratio...
Published January 2007. Reviewed July 2016. Please check for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Commercially managed honey bees pollinate a variety of crops in the Pacific Northwest, including tree fruits, berries, cucurbits, and crops grown for seed. This activity is economically significant. In 2004, the value of bee-pollinated crops in the region was approximately $1.7 billion. Nationally, the value of bee-pollinated crops in 2000...
In the Pacific Northwest, fires are a natural part of the changing landscape. As homeowners continue to build in the wildland-urban interface, they must take special precautions to protect their lives, homes, and property.
Generally, surveying means gathering and processing information about the physical earth. It’s the science of determining relative positions of existing points on the earth’s surface or of establishing such points. Methods range from aerial and satellite systems to conventional ground methods. Survey professionals use a variety of methods to produce...
Lingonberries are in the genus Vaccinium and are closely related to highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and cranberries (V. macrocarpum L.).
Lingonberries are well suited to cooler climates and can be expected to do well in regions where blueberries and cranberries are productive. Lingonberries are native to
Scandinavia, Europe, Alaska,...
Older people need various degrees of assistance with financial matters. Some need minimal help; for example, help with reading the fine print on bills and financial forms or preparing checks for signature. Others, who are homebound but able to direct their personal finances, may need someone to carry out their...
This publication provides basic information on tree growth, characteristics that define wood quality, and the implications of common silvicultural (tree tending) activities on wood quality. It is at best a summary—tree growth is an immensely complex process, and not all aspects of wood formation are fully understood. Most of the...
This publication isdesigned to help you:
❏ Understand depression and factors related to its onset in later life
❏ Recognize signs of depression and potential suicide
❏ Learn about treatments for depression
❏ Know what you can do if you suspect an older family member or friend is depressed or...
Coastal waters, lakes, and streams in the Pacific Northwest provide a variety of seafoods including salmon and many other fish, clams, oysters, shrimp, and crab. You can enjoy these delicacies throughout the year if you preserve them when supplies are abundant. Canning is a popular method for preserving seafood. Products...
This publication focuses on how to design a soil nutrient monitoring strategy that fits today’s requirements for record keeping and increased accuracy in managing nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and other nutrients. We advocate the use of management units or zones for soil testing and nutrient application. To measure a real...
Family members who play a major role in caring for elderly relatives frequently ignore their own needs. Some find themselves virtually homebound and consumed by caregiving tasks. When caregiving is prolonged over months and years, the self-sacrifice is particularly harmful. We have prepared this publication to help you maintain your...
Christmas trees are an enduring holiday tradition. U.S. producers supply about 35 million trees annually. The past few decades have seen the Pacific Northwest’s rise to prominence as the leading Christmas-tree producing region in the United States. With a combined annual production estimated at more than 11 million trees, Oregon,...
Adults often find an aging parent needs support at a time when their own lives and responsibilities are the most complicated. You may feel pulled in several directions—raising your children, being supportive to a spouse, helping parents, and/or working outside the home—all at the
same time. It’s not unusual to...
Although there are no easy answers to the nursing home decision, this publication gives some guidelines for making decisions, assessing family and community resources, selecting a quality care facility, and dealing with your feelings and those of your older relative. It also looks at ways to maintain positive contact with...
Jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica Host.) is a winter annual grass weed that was introduced into the United States in the late 1800s. It is
found throughout the continental United States and is most common in the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production areas of the Pacific Northwest and central Great...
Wild carrot (Daucus carota), also known as Queen Anne’s lace, was introduced from Europe and is the genetic source of edible carrots. It is a problem in perennial cropping systems such as grass seed production, pasture and hay fields, and Christmas tree production. It is an especially serious threat where...
Hens stop laying eggs for a variety of reasons. External or internal stimuli affect hormone levels, which change the condition of the ovary and oviduct, the organs responsible for egg production. The result of these changes is the reduction or cessation of egg production. The most common stimuli that affect...
It is imperative that residues of these compounds be eliminated in poultry and eggs or be within the tolerances established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when your flock is marketed or eggs are sold. Commercial chicken and turkey flocks are tested for...
A s a recreationist, you have a unique opportunity to help maintain or improve the health of streams and riparian areas. A riparian area is the land adjacent to a stream, lake, or wetland. Healthy riparian areas often have moist, fertile soils that support many types of plants. These plants...
As a landowner in the inland Pacific Northwest, you have a unique opportunity to help maintain or improve the health of streams and riparian areas. A riparian area is the area of land adjacent to a stream, lake, or wetland. Most healthy, natural riparian areas have moist, fertile soils that...
Riparian areas used as livestock pasture need special care to remain healthy and productive. This brochure describes what a riparian area is, why it is important, and what you as a rancher can do to take care of your land. A healthy riparian pasture benefits you, your livestock, wildlife, and...
As a developer in the Pacific Northwest, you have a unique opportunity to help maintain and improve the health of streams and riparian areas. This brochure describes what a riparian area is, why it is important, and what you can do to take care of the land. A healthy riparian...
As a homeowner in the Pacific Northwest, you have a unique opportunity to help maintain or improve the health of streams and riparian areas. A riparian area is the area of land adjacent to a stream, lake, or wetland. Most healthy, natural riparian areas
have moist, fertile soils that support...
A s a landowner in the Pacific Northwest, you have a unique opportunity to help maintain or improve the health of streams and riparian areas. A riparian area is the area of land adjacent to a stream, lake, or wetland. Most healthy, natural riparian areas have moist, fertile soils that...
As a homeowner in the Pacific Northwest, you have a unique opportunity to help maintain or improve the health of streams and riparian areas. A riparian area is the area of land adjacent to a stream, lake, or wetland. Most healthy, natural riparian areas
have moist, fertile soils that support...
Earlier editions of PNW 296 were published under the title Freezing Prepared Foods. This edition was revised by Carolyn Raab, Extension foods and nutrition specialist, and Nellie Oehler, Lane County Extension
family and community development educator, both of Oregon State University, in consultation with Val Hillers, Extension food specialist, Washington...
Two factors have led to curtailment of some lethal methods of combating sheep predators and limit the use of others: changes in public attitudes and more restrictive state and federal regulations. Ranchers now use more nonlethal methods for reducing losses of sheep to predator attack. Electric fence tests in Oregon...
Despite the challenges, in-home help may be the best option even for a short time. However, deciding what help you need and selecting a worker is a sizable task that requires careful thought, planning, and research. This publication is a guide through
the maze of finding, screening, and hiring an...
Milk production can be increased by managing dairy cows’ exposure to light. Photo period is defined as the duration of light exposure within a 24-hour period. A long-day photo period (LDPP) means exposure to 16–18 hours of continuous light followed by 6–8 hours of continuous darkness. A short-day photoperiod (SDPP)...
Keeping track of nutrient levels in dairy pastures has become an important part of farm management plans. The current recommendation is to fertilize pastures at a level to replace, in equal measure, the nutrients removed through grazing or cutting each year. The Confined Animal Feeding Operations Program (CAFO) run by...
With a little extra planning and care, you can enjoy fresh vegetables from your garden most of the year. Many cool-season crops produce well in the fall and, in mild-winter areas of the Pacific Northwest, hold through the winter if protected. You can plant these vegetables in mid- to late...
While the objectives of pruning and tree training have changed little over the years, the need for attention to pruning and training has increased dramatically. Pacific Northwest cherry growers now compete in a world market, making fruit size and quality increasingly important. In addition, labor is less available and more...
This publication is designed to give family and professional caregivers a fuller understanding of dementia in later life and ways to cope more effectively with the changes resulting from it.
In addition to general care guidelines, the publication outlines approaches for handling specific problems —driving, wandering, money management, hiding items,...
Communities across the United States are becoming more culturally and ethnically diverse. Indeed, demographers predict that by 2030 most of America’s school-age children will be from a minority group and by 2050, so will most Americans. This increasing diversity changes the nature of the population served by volunteer-based organizations, and...
This publication highlights hand-scalping, mulch mats, and herbicides as weed management methods to improve conifer seedling survival and growth. The focus here is on grass dominated environments. All these methods are in use on small woodland properties. Other weed control methods, including grazing and manual brush removal, are discussed in...
Curly dock (Rumex crispus L.) is a perennial. It does
not have creeping roots or rhizomes (Figure 1). Leaves
are oblong to nearly lanceshaped, often 12 inches or more
long, with wavy (crisped) margins (Figure 2). Erect, generally
unbranched stems up to 5 feet tall are produced in spring
and...
High-quality forages, such as alfalfa and grasses, are important for efficient milk production from dairy cows. Forages provide the effective fiber that is critical for good health and longevity. Inadequate
effective fiber in the cow’s diet is one reason for acidosis and milk fat
depression. Historically, when forage quality changed,...
Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. or Lolium perenne L. ssp. multiflorum (Lam.) Husnot, also called Italian rye grass) is a cool season annual bunchgrass native to southern Europe. It is closely related to perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Both are widely distributed throughout the world, including North and South America,...
Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) is native to western and central Europe, but has been grown in North America for more than 200 years. In the 1830s, settlers in western
Virginia recognized the forage value of shade tolerant
D. glomerata plants growing in an orchard.
Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is a perennial, cool-season bunchgrass that is grown for pasture, hay, and silage. Native to Europe and North Africa, it was introduced from Europe to North and South America.
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), also called English ryegrass, is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass native to Europe, temperate Asia, and North Africa. It is widely distributed throughout the world, including North and South America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.
This publication provides information on the timing and pattern of biomass accumulation and nitrogen (N) uptake for a variety of Pacific Northwest crops. You can use this information to schedule N fertilizer applications for maximum efficiency. To achieve near-maximum crop yields, an adequate supply of available N must be present...
Published January 1999. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
It can be difficult to talk to an older family member or friend about their driving safety or to know what to do if an unsafe driver continues to drive. If you’re older, at some point you yourself may face a decision to limit when or where you drive or...
Kiwifruit are native to southeast Asia. There are more than 50 species in the genus Actinidia, and many have commercial potential. The most common kiwifruit species grown commercially is Actinidia deliciosa cultivar Hayward. Consumers are very familiar with this brown, fuzzy
fruit.
Revised July 1997. Reprinted January 2001. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Describes the requirements for incubating eggs, brooding, rearing, breeding, and feeding ratites; most information is based on grower trial and error and is modified from poultry information. Underscores the importance of overcoming various obstacles, such as checking whether ratites are considered livestock in your area, establishing markets, and eliminating the...
In nature, chicks hatch after 2 to 4 weeks of incubation by the parents, most often the hen. The hatched chicks provide the stimulus to the hen to change her work from incubating eggs to brooding young. This form of brooding chicks is the easiest if only a few chicks...
Four speedwell species are important weeds in the Pacific Northwest:
• Ivyleaf speedwell (Veronica hederaefolia L.)
• Persian, birdseye, or winter speedwell (Veronica persica Poir.)
• Creeping speedwell (Veronica filiformis Sm.)
• Purslane speedwell (Veronica peregrina L.)
The first decision to be made is whether to incubate eggs naturally or artificially. Natural incubation uses a broody hen to incubate eggs by sitting on them in a nest. Broody hens, when available, work best for small clutches of eggs.
Yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) and Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria
dalmatica) are members of the figwort (Scrophulariaceae) family.
They were introduced into North America as ornamental plants because of their showy, snapdragon-like flowers. Yellow toadflax was brought from Wales in the mid-1800s as a garden flower by Ranstead, a Welsh Quaker who...
Squarrose knapweed, introduced from southwest Asia and the Middle East, became weedy in northern California and Utah by the early 1950s. How it
was originally introduced is not known, but its spread in California
and Utah was associated with the trailing of range sheep. Squarrose knapweed grows in the Klamath,...
Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens L.) probably is the most troublesome of several members of the buttercup family that are weeds in the Pacific Northwest. There are many native species of buttercup in the Pacific Northwest, but the weedy species are of European origin. It’s likely that they were introduced as...
The Horsetail (Equisetaceae) family comprises 30 species, all in the ancient genus Equisetum. During the Carboniferous age (more than 230 million years ago), the Horsetail family was the dominant plant group in the world, with plants reaching gigantic size. Two basic forms of horsetails survive today. One is the hollow,...
Bulbous bluegrass is another example of an introduced
European plant that escaped to become weedy. The first reports
of its growth in the United States were experimental
plantings at Arlington, Virginia, in 1907, and one at Pullman,
Washington, at about the same time. It was produced commercially
in southern Oregon...
Common groundsel, native to Europe, is now common throughout the temperate regions of the world. It is widespread in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, but most common west of the Cascade Mountains. This weed is found in many crops, including forages, cereals, mint, berries, and row crops, as well as in...
Blue mustard (Chorispora tenella) is a native of Russia or
southwest Asia. It first was documented in this country in
Lewiston, Idaho in 1929, and has spread throughout the
western plains states, the western portion of the United States,
and southern Canada.
Poison oak is common in western Oregon and Washington. Its near relative, poison ivy, is found in eastern Oregon and Washington, throughout Idaho, and eastward. Both plants are native to the Pacific Northwest.
Published January 1994. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
The public expects and deserves
a safe food supply. This
includes food free of antibiotic
residues. Congress has empowered
the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to examine and
closely monitor the use of animal
drugs in dairy herds across the
nation. This regulatory agency has
the power of enforcement action.
This guide addresses all aspects of volunteer program management, emphasizing the integration of volunteers into all areas of the organization. Underlying its suggestions is the authors' belief that the objectives of a volunteer program -- mutual benefit and shared responsibilities -- are achievable if salaried and volunteer staff participate equally...
Published September 1993. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
The action of a medicine may be less predictable in an older person and its intended action may be altered. Sometimes the effect is insignificant; other times it can be dramatic.
Declared out of print May 2010. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Oregon State University researchers made a significant discovery in 1958. They found that the underlying cause of white muscle disease is a dietary deficiency of the trace element selenium (Se). There is a fairly clear-cut relationship between soil, plant, and animal factors. Certain soils, including some formed by volcanic action...
Tuber oatgrass
(Arrhenatherum elatius var
bulbosum) is native to Europe
and was introduced into this
country as a meadow grass. It
is found throughout the
Pacific Northwest but is
common west of the Cascades
and locally in central Washington.
Designed to help you understand loss and grief and respond to the grief of others; emphasizes losses experienced in later life, however most information is equally applicable to grief throughout adulthood. Covers the fundamental steps involved in the grieving process—accepting loss, experiencing grief, adjusting to change, and reinvesting emotional energy...
Published March 1993. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Smoked fish is considered a delicacy in the Pacific Northwest. Whether caught or purchased, fish can be smoked successfully at home. Once smoked, fish has a short shelf life. Even refrigeration won’t guarantee that smoked fish will stay safe to eat. The bacteria that cause botulism food poisoning could start...
Life is filled with changes. Sometimes those changes involve loss. When we lose someone or something important to us, we grieve. Although the death of a loved one is generally the most intensely and deeply felt loss, many life changes can involve loss and cause us to grieve.
Wild garlic (Allium vineale) was introduced from Europe where it was used as a food flavoring. It is found in pastures, lawns, ornamental beds, and several cultivated crops. It grows west of the Cascades from Vancouver Island south into northwest Oregon.
Red sorrel (Rumex acetosella) also is known as sheep, horse, field, mountain, and cow sorrel or sour dock. This European weed grows throughout the Pacific Northwest under various soil and climate conditions.