Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station senior faculty research assistant Bill Buhrig presents at the 2024 crop field day. (Brad Carlson/Capital Press file)

The annual Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station crop-research field day is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 9 at the station, 595 Onion Ave., Ontario.

The field day “has had a longtime tradition of sharing the work of experiment station faculty with growers and community members,” Janet Jones, the station’s office administrator, told Capital Press. “This is an opportunity to view field trials in-person, learn about current crop research projects and interact with OSU scientists.”

Trials involving onions, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat and hemp will be featured as well as an update on a project that aims to turn irrigation drip tape into diesel fuel.

Plastic drip tape poses recycling challenges and is not accepted by most landfills. The project uses pyrolysis — heating a material to a very high temperature without access to oxygen — to produce a carbon-rich substance, according to an August 2024 project profile by the OSU Extension Service. Much of the region’s sizable onion crop is irrigated using drip systems.

Attending the field day is free. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. in the Experiment Station barn with refreshments and pastries. A free lunch is scheduled at noon.

For information and lunch registration, call Jones at 541-889-2174 or email janet.jones@oregonstate.edu.