By Amy Pendegraft
Articles contained within this post:
- The Where and When of Earthworms in Wheat
- Research on the Ground: A Survey of Wheat Growers
- Climate Change and Winter Wheat Systems: A Case Study from the Pacific Northwest
- Pulling Weeds: Timing downy brome control in a changing climate
The Where and When of Earthworms in Wheat
Chelsea Walsh studied the current species, distributions, life-cycles and effects of earthworms in the dryland wheat producing region in the inland Northwest, and how their behavior may change under projected changes in temperature and precipitation. Since earthworm activity is affected by soil moisture and temperature, changes in climate have the potential to significantly alter their life-cycles.
Chelsea Walsh received Masters’ degrees in Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Idaho and now teaches high school science classes in the Palouse region.
Research on the Ground: A Survey of Wheat Growers
Curious about real-life practices and economics of wheat farming? REACCH’s 2011-2014 Longitudinal Survey collected yearly planting and harvest data, schedules of grower operations, and machinery costs from growers across the Inland Pacific Northwest. Hilary Davis has analyzed the data to compare production costs and grower profit across agroecological classes.
Hilary Davis has completed her Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Idaho. She now works with the Farm Service Agency in Iowa.
Climate Change and Winter Wheat Systems: A Case Study from the Pacific Northwest
Hongliang Zhang has studied the economic effects of climate change on Pacific Northwest wheat growers under multiple global climate models. His research suggests overall winter wheat productivity in the region will likely increase, but a majority of farmers may see some negative economic effects under climate change.
Hongliang recently graduated with a PhD Student in Applied Economics at Oregon State University.
Pulling Weeds: Timing downy brome control in a changing climate
Climate predictions for increased winter and spring precipitation in combination with drier, hotter summers in the Pacific Northwest will undoubtedly impact when growers need to manage their crops. Downy brome is already an important weed that negatively affects wheat-based cropping systems across the region.
In this 15 minute video, Dr. Nevin Lawrence describes how winter annual weeds like downy brome may be more successful in coming decades as climate patterns shift. Under projected changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, the widespread Downy Brome species is likely to mature earlier, requiring modifications to control methods.
Dr. Lawrence is a recent graduate from Washington State University Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and a main contributor to the REACCH project along with his major advisor, Dr. Ian Burke. Dr. Lawrence is now faculty at University of Nebraska.
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2011-68002-30191
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