Winter, 1992 (v5n2)

SAREP Funds New Projects

Thirteen projects focusing on production and social, economic and public policy issues in sustainable food and agricultural systems have been awarded $118,266 in grant money from UC SAREP according to Bill Liebhardt, director of the program. Additionally, four graduate students and coordinators of eight sustainable agriculture seminars have been granted a total of $12,000.

Economics and Public Policy

David Campbell, SAREP economic and public policy analyst coordinated the social, economic and public policy grant process. The four projects funded in this area include:

  • Peter Lehman, Engineering and International Development Technology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA: $11,730. The Arcata Farm and Education Project will create a student-operated, community supported two-acre farm in the city of Arcata to be used for sustainable agriculture projects by students, community members and local farmers. The farm will be used as an educational facility to teach university students sustainable small farm management skills, to offer classes to local farmers and community members, and to give local youth groups a place to experiment with sustainable agriculture and husbandry projects. Community members can also participate by buying shares in the farm for which they will receive a weekly supply of fresh produce.

 

  • Monica Moore, Pesticide Action Network, San Francisco, CA and Angus Wright, Dept. of Environmental Studies, California State University, Sacramento, CA: $13,555. This project will contribute to the development of a pesticide use reduction policy for California by outlining successful policies in European countries, with an analysis of elements that might be appropriate for California. The final product will be an outline of a pesticide use reduction proposal for California, and suggestions for an implementation strategy.

  • Desmond Jolly, Extension Agricultural Economist, UC Davis and Stan Dundon, Dept. of Philosophy, California State University, Sacramento, CA: $8,770. This project will create an Agricultural Professional Ethics program to empower farm advisors, educators, researchers and practicing agriculturalists to explicitly employ ethical considerations in decisions that have ethical implications. With input from an advisory committee of farm advisors, farmers, researchers, packers, retailers and consumers, a curriculum will be developed with instruction manual, slides and/or videotapes which can be used in a variety of teaching formats.

  • Ann Baier, Rural Development Center, Salinas, CA: $10,750. This study will evaluate the impact of the Rural Development Center's (RDC) program and goals which provide information and training to low-income, minority and entry-level farming families in the Salinas Valley. By interviewing former RDC students and minority farmers, this study will identify and document key factors and farmer characteristics which contribute to a successful transition to ecological farming operations in this region.

Monitoring and Component Research

Nine projects were funded that focus on monitoring and component research in sustainable production systems, according to Chuck Ingels, SAREP perennial cropping systems analyst. The dollar amounts listed for these projects are for the first year only. The projects include:

  • Steven Koike, Monterey County farm advisor: $3,850. Several cover crop species will be evaluated for their susceptibility to the lettuce drop pathogen. After specific cover crops have been incorporated in fields, the subsequent lettuce planting will be evaluated for the disease.

  • Donald Dahlsten, Biological Control, Gill Tract, Albany: $14,487. This project will determine the numbers and species of several beneficial arthropods in cover cropped versus clean cultivated vineyards and in single-wire versus multiple-wire or arbor trellis systems. It will also determine the critical time during which the presence of a cover crop is most beneficial.

 

  • Bill Williams, Agronomy and Range Science, UC Davis: $8,700. Dryland legumes will be evaluated for pasture, range, vineyard and farming systems in Northern California. The project will also expand and maintain a native grass nursery and a collection of plants to fill requests.

 

  • David Pratt, Solano County farm advisor: $9,870. Ley farming is a cereal grain/pasture rotation system developed in Australia. This project will study the effect of timing and severity of grazing on several key components of a ley farming system.

  • Elizabeth Mitcham, Pomology, UC Davis: $10,000. Postharvest hot water immersion treatments will be explored for their potential as a non-chemical alternative for control of certain diseases and physiological disorders of apples, pears, kiwifruit, nectarines, pomegranates and persimmons.

  • Eric Natwick, Imperial County farm advisor: $10,000. The B-strain of the sweetpotato whitefly has become an extremely damaging pest of alfalfa hay production in the last two summers. This project will develop a nonchemical management strategy of shortening cutting cycles to minimize damage from the whitefly while maintaining yield, quality and stand strength.

  • Donald Phillips, Agronomy and Range Science, UC Davis: $10,000. Flavonoids are natural compounds which have recently been found to promote the growth of beneficial soil bacteria and fungi . This project will determine whether flavonoids are present in soils under mature organic plots and if they accumulate during a transition from conventional to organic management.

  • Lonnie Hendricks, Merced County farm advisor: $5,000. Building on his previous SAREP-funded research, Hendricks will continue to evaluate the effects of cover cropping on soil fertility and pest management in five innovative almond orchards. The project will also evaluate eight cover crop species in a replicated trial for effects on soil fertility.

  • Richard Smith, San Benito Countyfarm advisor: $1,554. This project will monitor the release of nitrate from a leguminous cover crop. It will also evaluate the ability of this source to supply adequate nitrogen to bell pepper, a long season, high-nitrogen demanding vegetable crop.

Graduate Student Awards

The four graduate students will each receive $1,000. The students and the titles of their projects are:

  • Jeffery Dlott, UC Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier, "Geostatistical and Descriptive Analysis of the Distribution and Abundance of Lepidopteran Pests and the Relationship Between Tree Nutritional Status in Peach Orchards."

  • Jeff Mitchell, Vegetable Crops, UC Davis, "Using Cover Crops to Improve Soil Physical Properties and Stand Establishment in Cyclically Salinized Soils."

  • Eric Tedford, Nematology, UC Davis, "Development of a Serological Assay for Detection of Spores of the Nematophagous Fungus Hirsutella rhossiliensis in Soil."

  • Robert Venette, Nematology, UC Davis, "Microbial-feeding Nematodes and Plant Growth."

Meetings

The eight sustainable agriculture seminars or field demonstrations and their coordinators were awarded $1,000 each. They include:

  • John Anderson, director, Yolo County Resource Conservation District, Winters, "Managing Farmland to Restore Wildlife and Biodiversity to the Central Valley."

  • Glenn McGourty, farm advisor, Ukiah, "Symposium on Farming Winegrapes Sustainably."

  • Kim Rodrigues, farm advisor, Eureka, "Sustainable Forestry Management Options for Non-Industrial Landowners."

  • Tish Ward, Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District, Petaluma, "Cover Crop Management for Hillside Vineyards in the Coastal and Foothill Regions of California."

  • Otis Wollan, executive director, Committee for Sustainable Agriculture, Colfax, "Four 1993 One-Day Low and No-Chemical Input Sustainable Agriculture Conferences" (each receives $1,000): Strawberries and Lettuce; Almonds/Walnuts; Tomatoes and Stone Fruit; Rice: Water and Wildlife.

 

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