Kimberly Research and Extension Center

Kimberly Research and Extension Center

Established in 1950, the Kimberly Research and Extension Center now encompasses 194 acres of irrigated land, as well as four greenhouses, laboratories, a seed processing and storage facility, and a potato storage research complex. Resources are shared with the USDA-ARS Northwest Irrigation and Soil Research Laboratory, located just across the road.

Kimberly R&E Center provides research and Extension programs that support agriculture for the eight counties of the Magic Valley and beyond. Research teams investigate disease management techniques, potato storage practices, plant-insect interactions and biological control, and weed management practices. In addition, the center conducts several field days each year to present research information to producers and associated agribusiness professionals.

Potatoes

Storage and disease management

Much of the research done at the Kimberly Research and Extension Center is related to potato issues, including storage management, production and disease management. Projects include potato sprout and disease control in storage, variety specific storage management and optimizing field and storage conditions to maintain high quality potatoes.

U of I faculty are continually investigating potato related diseases and effective disease management techniques. Learn more by visiting the U of I Potato website.

Contact Nora Olsen at 208-423-6634 or norao@uidaho.edu to learn more.

• Tyler Spence, potato storage facility manager
  Rabecka Hendricks, potato research associate II

Potato physiology

This program, launched in 2022, was developed to support the Idaho potato industry by advancing knowledge of potato postharvest physiology. It focuses on understanding how different potato cultivars respond physiologically to various storage conditions, including respiratory activity and metabolic changes during storage. The program also examines the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying pressure related discoloration following bulk storage unloading, as well as wound healing metabolism at low curing temperatures to help maintain tuber quality. In addition, it explores the use of NIR hyperspectral imaging as a tool to assess physiological changes and quality attributes in stored potatoes.

Contact Gustavo Teixeira at 208-423-6678 or gteixeira@uidaho.edu to learn more.

• Samuel Paytosh, research associate
  Jessica Smith, research specialist
  Hailey Hampton, graduate student
  Alan Rodrigues Maia, graduate student

Entomology

The entomology program conducts research on the biology, behavior and ecology of insect pests and their natural enemies in order to develop economically and environmentally sound management strategies — primarily in sugar beets and potatoes.

Specific interests include:

• Applied behavioral and chemical ecology
• Mating behavior
• Plant-insect interactions
• Biological control

University of Idaho Extension programs deliver research-based information regarding insect pest management to enhance the working knowledge of producers, county educators, crop advisors, master gardeners and other agricultural clientele. Commodity responsibilities for extension efforts include alfalfa, cereals, corn, dry beans, potatoes and sugar beets.

Sign up for the PNW Pest Alert Network to receive updates on current pest infestations on specific crops.  

Contact Erik Wenninger at 208-423-6677 or erikw@uidaho.edu to learn more.

• Tasha Stanzak, research lab coordinator
  Desiree Wickwar, program manager
  Geoffrey Nyapom, graduate student

Weed science

Weed science research at the Kimberly Research and Extension Center focuses on understanding and managing herbicide resistant weeds while addressing herbicide injury and symptomology in regional cropping systems. This work emphasizes developing, evaluating and sharing best weed management practices for key agronomic crops such as sugar beets, dry beans, corn and small grains. Through herbicide resistant weed surveys across southern Idaho, researchers generate locally relevant data and promote integrated weed management strategies designed to sustain effective weed control and slow the development and spread of herbicide resistance.

Contact Albert Adjesiwor at 208-423-6616 or aadjesiwor@uidaho.edu to learn more.

• James Gomm, research associate I
  Chandra Montgomery, research specialist
  Laura Rodriguez, graduate student
  Sushmita Sharma, graduate student

Forage

The forage research program addresses these areas:

• Enhance forage production and management by increasing yield, nutritional value and utilization.
• Integrating environmentally sustainable practices, such as water quality protection, regenerative farming and soil health management in forage production systems.
• Alfalfa, cool-season grass and corn silage variety trials provide unbiased and timely information on yield, forage quality and persistence of forages in southern Idaho.
• Forage yield and quality evaluation of summer-planted annual forages are being evaluated for fall/winter utilization.

Contact Pramod Acharya at 208-423-6652 or pacharya@uidaho.edu for more information.

• Pragyan Bhattarai, graduate student

Irrigation water management

This program focuses on irrigation scheduling and water and equipment management, including urban and suburban settings, for water conservation. 

Aspects of this program include:

• Water, soil moisture and crop water use measurement
• Irrigation system selection, design and maintenance
• Improved irrigation water management strategies

Research efforts include:

• Field measurement and modeling of crop water use and soil moisture movement
• Soil moisture monitoring equipment
• Improved irrigation water management strategies
• Flow hydraulics and erosion in irrigation furrows
• Design of buried drip irrigation systems
• Evaluation of seepage from dairy lagoons and recommended construction practices

Contact Emily Bedwell at 208-423-6620 or ebedwell@uidaho.edu for more information.

• Regan Lindsey, research assistant
  Bhakti Lekhak, graduate student

Idaho Foundation Seed Program

• The Foundation Seed Program maintains and supplies genetically pure, high quality, foundation-class seed of public plant varieties for Idaho agriculture and beyond.
• Winter wheat, spring wheat and several bean varieties are grown at Kimberly R&E Center, with an additional 60 acres of bean varieties contracted out to local growers.
• Bean seeds are processed and shipped from Kimberly to locations throughout the U.S.
• University of Idaho Foundation Seed Program grows beans for North Dakota State University and University of Nebraska.
• Find out more about the Idaho Foundation Seed Program.

Contact Chris Caron at ccaron@uidaho.edu for more information.

• Jordan Pitcher, agricultural seed technician senior

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