North Willamette Research and Extension Center

Serving Northwest Oregon

The North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) serves a wide range of stakeholders in the North Willamette Valley with research and educational programs that focus on many of the region's crop, nursery, and food systems.

We partner with those in the seven county area (Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Multnomah, Yamhill, Washington, and Columbia) and support a variety of programs that include nurseries and greenhouses, fresh vegetables and specialty seed crops, berries and small fruit, Christmas trees, orchard crops, field crops, and small farms. We have on-site collaborations addressing the use of solar in agriculture, the assessment of groundwater recharge, the design of aquaponic systems, and the commercial production of traditional and alternative crop types. In addition, NWREC is the location for the state's only IR-4 Pesticide Registration program working with many of the state’s agricultural crops throughout Oregon.

Programs at NWREC’s 160-acre facility have served as the academic standard in applied research and extension for nearly six decades with major advances in production practices, the development of new varieties, and the incorporation of technology. The benefits to commercial as well as small-scale agriculture operations have been numerous and saved thousands to millions of dollars. The collaborations and partnerships established between NWREC and the stakeholders have contributed to a strong economy, healthy communities, and safe environments.

NWREC hosts nearly 5,000 visitors, many who are young people, on an annual basis through outreach activities such as field days for school children, tractor training for youth and adults, and tours and other events for community members. The research and extension efforts help rural farmers and producers address and solve key challenges and also guide those in urban communities who grow, sell, and even cook local produce. NWREC is fulfilling its mission of making science a daily part of peoples’ lives.

NWREC location marked on an Oregon map

Oregon’s Most Diverse Agricultural Region

Nearly 40% of the $5.7 billion farmgate value of Oregon Agriculture is produced within a 50 mile radius of NWREC.

NWREC combines the research and outreach activities of Oregon State University to serve the needs of the region’s agricultural industries. NWREC researchers and Extension faculty focus their work and programming on our most important local agricultural crops including: greenhouses and nurseries, hazelnuts, berries, vegetables and specialty seed production, Christmas trees, orchard crops, and field and grass crops. In addition, four other programs cut across these crop systems—small farms production, organic production, pesticide research, and agrivoltaics.

NWREC’s unique geographic location and proximity to Portland makes it a critical interface between rural and urban communities.

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Our Mission

Our mission is to conduct horticultural crops research and to extend new knowledge to the horticultural industries and communities, particularly in the Willamette Valley. The location, just 20 miles south of Portland, provides growers with convenient access to research findings and Extension Service educational programs.

Research is aimed at producing better quality crops at lower costs, and with reduced environmental impact. Often the quality or form of a product must be changed to meet the demands of domestic or foreign customers. Growers must change varieties and learn to grow what the market demands.

Agriculture is Oregon's leading industry. Farming and its support industries account for 11% of the employment in the Portland metropolitan area. We seek to keep agriculture healthy and growing. Because of the highly competitive nature of farming, other regions will try to gain a larger share of the Oregon market. This means we must continue to test and adapt new crops and production systems to keep Oregon competitive.

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