By Cathy McKenzie, WSU Mount Vernon
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. – A field tour, research updates and barbecue will highlight the free, public field day beginning at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 10, at the Washington State University Mount Vernon Research and Extension Center, 16650 State Route 536.
The annual event will begin with a walking tour of nearly 100 acres of active research plots. A tractor-driven wagon ride will be available for those who prefer not to walk.
Brief presentations will highlight the center’s eight research programs: plant breeding, small fruit horticulture, entomology, vegetable seed pathology, vegetable horticulture, vegetable pathology, weed science and dairy and livestock.
Faculty members and graduate students will talk about their research and extension projects and how their work impacts the region’s growers, consumers, agricultural businesses and local economies.
“We have had these field days here since the 1940s, and it is a great opportunity for us to show what we do to help the region,” said Steve Jones, WSU Mount Vernon director.
“It also allows us to thank the many people and groups such as the Port of Skagit County, the Northwest Agricultural Research Foundation and the many growers and industry representatives that fuel our research and contribute to our mission,” he said.
The field day will conclude with a chicken barbecue at 6 p.m.
The mission of WSU Mount Vernon is to serve the agricultural, horticultural and natural resource science interests of the state through research and extension activities that are enhanced by the unique conditions of northwestern Washington: its mild, marine climate, rich alluvial soils, diverse small and mid-sized farming enterprises and unique rural-urban interface.
For those working toward pesticide recertification through the Washington State Department of Agriculture, attendance at this event will count for two credits.
More information is available from Kim Binczewski, 360-848-6153.
Contact:
Stephen Jones, WSU Mount Vernon director, 360-416-5210, joness@wsu.edu