SALEM, Ore. — There’s a tug of war between Washington state and Oregon over where to base a new researcher working on diseases that cause blueberries to rot.
The Obama administration’s new budget would add a scientist to the Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research in Corvallis.
The agricultural publication Capital Press reports that Washington growers, who are in the midst of a rapid expansion, want the scientist to be in Mount Vernon. That area has a lot of blueberries but no pathologist for small fruit plants.
The center’s research director says the scientist would be better off in the campus environment at Oregon State University.
Blueberry production in Washington has tripled in recent years. One official says this year’s crop will approach Oregon’s harvest of 70 million pounds.
Congrats to David James for his winning submission, 'Annabella smelling the Balsam.'
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