Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Crop Improvement and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #310677
Title: The Oat Newsletter: where we've been and where we're going

Author
item WIGHT, CHARLENE - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item MC MULLEN, MICHAEL - North Dakota State University
item GUSMINI, GABE - Pepsico
item Lazo, Gerard
item MILLER, SHEA - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item MITCHELL FETCH, JENNIFER - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2014
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: With trending changes within the Internet, and technology moving ahead quickly, the Oat Newsletter through efforts of the American Oat Workers is adapting to be more accessible to the public. A formal re-working of the services provided by the GrainGenes group has organized archived materials and presented them on an oat information portal sponsored by the Oat Newsletter. This will serve as one of the Internet accessible sites to provide information on oat; when released the website will be oatnews.org; however, it is currently available on wheat.pw.usda.gov/oatnews.

Technical Abstract: The first Oat Newsletter was published by the National Oat Conference in 1950. It was published once a year and mailed out to “oat workers” only. The newsletter was designed to supplement the Uniform Nursery reports by providing short research updates, meeting information, community information, and reports from oat research stations concerning yields, disease outbreaks, etc.. Past issues contain a fascinating history, and are well worth reading. Starting in 1998, the newsletter was hosted online by the USDA GrainGenes website. The last issue was published in 2006, but, by this time, the newsletter was in decline. This was not surprising, as people had begun taking advantage of email, cheap long-distance phone calls, and easy access to the Internet to keep in touch. On-line databases were also making research information more readily available, and GrainGenes and POOL (Pedigrees Of Oat Lines), for example, had become important resources for people working on oats. The new Oat Newsletter, linked to the Oat Global portal on GrainGenes, is being designed to make it easier to post and view information. While there will continue to be an editorial process for formal Newsletter submissions, there will also be a direct discussion forum with minimal moderation. All previous issues of the newsletter, from 1950 onwards, will also be available. To quote K.S. Quisenberry in the inaugural edition of the Oat Newsletter, “Its success will depend on the cooperation of all workers.” The same holds true today, and we look forward to receiving your contributions.