They act as conduits between science and industry. So close is this interaction that it's sometimes easy to confuse the agents with the researchers. The largest of the OSU experiment station's branch facilities, it employs about 25 people. Most of the state's food processors and nurseries are located in the area. About 30 percent of its financial support comes from industry dollars, proof that it plays a valuable role in that sector.
Innovation is one of the facility's major crops.
Plants grown in traditional solid-roof greenhouses not only suffer from high humidity, he said, they also need exposure to normal outdoor stresses such as ultraviolet light and wind before being sold and moved outdoors. This project is being funded by a grant from the Mt. Hood Economic Alliance, industry donations, plus foundation and center operating dollars. Svenson, who focuses mostly on plant health management, also is involved with several other projects. He's been able to show nursery owners that there are certain things they do in managing their plants that encourage the weed's growth. His extensive research in weed control has saved Oregon nurserymen countless dollars, making them more competitive in the national marketplace.