On June 19, the 43rd Annual Union County Crops and Conservation Tour was held in La Grande, OR and the surrounding area. The half-day bus tour visited selected sites across Union County in order to show tour-goers firsthand what production agriculture looks like in the Grande Ronde Valley.
Amalgamated Sugar has sponsored this tour for many years and is glad to be a part of an agricultural education event for the community. “Although sugarbeets are not a major crop in this area, beets are still an important part of the rotation on many farms in Union County,” said Larry Grim, Amalgamated Sugar’s Crop Consultant for the La Grande, OR area.
“We’re proud to support this event,” said Grim. “It does a great job of showing agriculture’s impact on this community.”
The day started with a short program at Nutrien, where sponsors and planning committee members were introduced. Introductions were followed by a short tour overview. Attendees then loaded buses and surveyed the damage caused by expansive flooding during spring 2019. The tour then stopped at the farm of Sage Elmer, the 2018 Union County Conservation Farm of the Year.
From there, the tour went to visit the Grande Ronde Dairy, an area goat dairy and the only dairy operation in Union County. The Grande Ronde Dairy is owned and operated by Stephanie Rovey. Her and her husband, Byron, also grow a variety of row crops in the area, including sugarbeets. The tour concluded with a complimentary lunch at Tri-County Equipment.
Amalgamated Sugar is an avid supporter of agricultural education at all levels, and is glad to take part in events that bring what happens on the farm closer to consumers.
