New Gilliam Co. Ag Outreach Coordinator at home in Condon

Oregon State University's Extension Service in Gilliam County has welcomed a new addition: Skyler Palmer, who was hired as the new Agriculture Outreach Coordinator earlier this summer.

But Palmer is not a newcomer to the area. Skyler, who grew up between Condon and Heppner near Hardman, was raised on a cattle ranch and wheat farm. He worked with his dad and learned about agriculture.

After graduating from Heppner High School, Skyler moved to Idaho and received a bachelor's degree in Agronomy, Crop, and Soil Science from Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, near Idaho Falls, in eastern Idaho.

Midway through his university years, Skyler spent two years on a church mission trip in South Africa.

After graduating, Skyler moved to Utah, where his wife was finishing college. While in Utah, Skyler worked on a twenty-acre tomato greenhouse.

"It was very high tech, all hydroponic," Skyler explains. "They used coco husk as the medium. It was interesting."

Upon moving back to Oregon, Skyler worked for Morrow County Grain Growers in Sherman County, before landing the job in Condon with the OSU Extension Service.

So far, Skyler has been meeting people in the area and familiarizing himself with the farms and ranches in Gilliam County.

After the Lone Rock Fire, Skyler joined the "hay donation" initiative put forward by OSU Extension. This effort works to provide ranchers who lost feed due to the fire with hay to feed their cattle or horses.

"We've gotten a few donations that we've been able to get to producers," says Skyler, "and we hope they'll go spread the word to other people."

As Skyler continues to learn the ropes, he will begin to develop educational programs that meet the needs of area producers.

Following in the footsteps of Jordan Maley, who served in the role for many years, Skyler says that he regularly communicates with Jordan and asks a lot of questions.

In the early months on the job, Skyler has worked to take things one step at a time.

"I got some advice - do not plan too much right away, just go meet people," Skyler says.