Growers who attended the 2019 Biocontrols West pre-conference tour in Portland, OR, were treated to an exhibition of a drone distributing beneficial insects, a tour of noted perennial breeder Terra Nova Nurseries, where they grow some of their own beneficials, and sessions at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center. The day finished off with a visit at Oregon Hophouse, where Patrick Leavy uses biocontrols in his hopfields (along with a walk on the scaffold of his hops thresher) and a wine tasting and educational session at the Willamette Valley Winery.
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Siri & Sons Farms
Joe Siri talks to the 2019 Biocontrols Conference Pre-Show Tour attendees about how his farm Siri & Sons Farms began converting into a fully organic farm in 2005.
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Drone Application Demonstration
Parabug demonstrated how its cannisters deliver beneficial insects to a field via a drone at Siri & Sons Farms.
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Drone Application Demonstration
Parabug used rice hulls in place of beneficial insects, since the bugs wouldn’t have had pests to feed on at this time of year. The cannister rotates, allowing the contents to spill out at a steady rate through the perforated holes.
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Drone Application Demonstration
A Parabug drone operation shows tour attendees how the drone’s flight control panel works.
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Terra Nova Nurseries
Terra Nova Nurseries is known for breeding foliage plants like heuchera and coleus. It has fully integrated biocontrols into its operation.
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Terra Nova Nurseries
Terra Nova shows tourists how it grows one of the key predatory insects for its pest control program.
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Terra Nova Nurseries
Lolipop sachets filled with beneficial insects protects plants during transport from one house to another, closing any gaps in the biocontrol program.
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Terra Nova Nurseries
Terra Nova inserts a sachet in each transplant tray.
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Terra Nova Nurseries
Tour attendees listen to the hosts at Terra Nova Nurseries.
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Oregon State University
The tour group stopped at North Willamette Research and Extension Center, Oregon State University, to learn about its latest biocontrols research.
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The Oregon Hophouse
The Oregon Hophouse’s Patrick Leavy discusses how biocontrols plays into his crop protection plan.
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The Oregon Hophouse
One of the hop fields at The Oregon Hophouse.
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The Oregon Hophouse
A thresher at the Oregon Hophouse strips stems and leaves away from the hop buds.
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The Oregon Hophouse
Machinery at The Oregon Hophouse.
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The Oregon Hophouse
Hops are dried and packed into bales for shipping Oregon Hophouse.
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Willamette Valley Winery
View of Willamette Valley Winery from the tour bus.
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Willamette Valley Winery
Willamette Valley Winery talking about how it uses biocontrols. The vintners also talked about how they and other wineries grouped together to help out small vineyards in Southern Oregon impacted by the 2018 forest fires.
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Willamette Valley Winery
Attendees enjoyed a wine tasting at Willamette Valley Winery at the end of the tour.
March 30, 2019 
