08/09/06 Columbia Basin Onion Field Day

Wash Ag August 9, 2006 Anyone interested in the Columbia Basin onion industry is invited to attend the 2006 Columbia Basin Onion Field Day sponsored by Washington State University Extension and the Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association. Mark Trent, Grant-Adams Area Extension Educator, says there will be lots of onions on display at the field day this Friday, August 11th. Trent: "We have on display 45 onion cultivars that are grown in the Basin area or perhaps soon to be released in the Basin area." Thrips are perhaps the number one pest impacting onions in the Basin and they are on the agenda too. Trent: "WSU is trying to do some research to help the onion producers out and we will have one of researchers that will be presenting some of the data he has collected from this year." The field day begins Friday at 9 a.m. at the 2006 Onion Cultivar Trial located two-tenths of a mile east of the intersection of Road 15.1 and Road D SE, on the east side of the Royal Slope in Grant County. You can get a map by going to the Grant-Adams Extension website. The field day wraps up with an industry sponsored barbecue. Trent says the onion crop is generally, fairly good this year after recuperating from a cold, rainy spring. I'm Bob Hoff.