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| LEARN ABOUT US |
| ELMORE County Extension Programs |
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| Person: |
Mir-M. Seyedbagheri |
| Program Thrust: |
Competitive Agriculture, Natural Resources |
| Major Programs: |
Crop Production and Management, Weed and Pest Management, Soil Fertility, Sustainable Ag., 4-H/Youth Development |
| Successes and Current Activities: |
Mr. Seyedbagheri provides technical support and conducts applied field trials for potato, sugarbeet, alfalfa, wine grape, small grain and mint growers in Elmore and Owyhee Counties. He has gained national and international recognition for his applied research on the effects of humic substances on crop production and the environment, and is regionally recognized for his expertise in soil fertility, sustainable agriculture, Mormon cricket and grasshopper IPM, alfalfa harvest management, and potato planter performance. His applied studies have resulted in improved soil fertility and improved production in potato, sugarbeet, and alfalfa yield and quality in Elmore and Owyhee Counties. His cooperative IPM strategies and trainings have reduced the population of Mormon crickets and grasshoppers over the last four years from 250,000 scattered acres in 2001 to 45,000 acres with an average 96% control in 2005. He has had leadership roles in the multi-state Rush Skeletonweed Task Force, the Elmore County Weed and Pest Department, and various cooperative weed management projects. Mir is recognized by the International Erosion Committee for his scientific presentations on sediment control and restoration, and has conducted applied training with state agencies, such as DEQ, and other scientists and field staff who work with soil erosion control and restoration. Mir is well-recognized as a technical resource advisor for state agriculture-related enforcement policies, and has served in leadership roles and provided technical training at regional Far West Agribusiness Association Conferences. Mir organizes and teaches Master Gardener classes, provides technical advice on urban and commercial horticulture to over one thousand individuals, and supervises and directs Elmore County's 4-H program and Weed and Pest Department. Mir facilitated input and wrote the grant which awarded Elmore County a total of $266,000 for the construction of a state-of-the-art service and pesticide storage facility. For the past five years Mir has been Agribusiness chairperson for the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce. |
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