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Ensuring the Long-Term Viability of California Agriculture through Research and Education

California farmers and ranchers face a tremendous challenge as stewards of the state's land resource. As producers of a wide array of high-quality agricultural commodities valued at $25 billion in 1999, California farmers are expected to sustain high productivity with minimal environmental impact. However, observers of the environmental and social conditions of agriculture and food systems in California are concerned with the sustainability of these systems. High urban growth rates have led to increased competition for the land, water and air resources necessary for production agriculture. Consumers are increasingly concerned about food security issues and are demanding roles in shaping sustainable food and agricultural systems. Farmers face increasing restrictions and prohibition of farming practices considered commonplace even five years ago. At the same time, production costs are rising and many commodity prices continue at low levels.

One of SAREP's major goals is to help the state's farmers and ranchers manage their land and businesses in ways that are profitable and protect the environment. The program does that through two means: 1) funding research and education projects that address critical needs and problems in our agricultural systems; and 2) developing and extending information on sustainable farming and ranching practices.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Projects funded by SAREP continue to provide growers with key information on many components of sustainable farming. Some examples include:

COMPETITIVE GRANTS PROGRAM

SAREP has held closely to its mandate to support research and extension efforts relevant to the state's farmers and ranchers. These projects address issues, problems, and opportunities in a variety of production systems across the state. Major project categories include soil management, pest management, livestock and dairy production, and cropping systems (see SAREP Funded Projects, below). The Biologically Integrated Farming Systems (BIFS) grants program is covered separately in this report.

In 1999, SAREP launched a special grants program targeting alternatives to methyl bromide. Methyl bromide has been identified as an ozone-depleting substance, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has prohibited the production and importation of methyl bromide starting January 1, 2005. Although several potential chemical and non-chemical alternatives to methyl bromide have been identified, none have been adequately evaluated for their effectiveness within California farming systems. SAREP is supporting six biologically based projects aimed at filling that information gap and helping producers prepare for the changes ahead. More information on the projects funded through this program can be found on the SAREP Web site at http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/mebralt/

GRANTS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS AND EDUCATIONAL EVENTS

In addition to grants for production-oriented research, SAREP also provides grants for graduate student research and for educational events.

Sustainable Agriculture Graduate Awards
The Sustainable Agriculture Graduate Awards (SAGA) complement existing graduate support funds within the university and help graduate students address critical issues facing agricultural producers and society. In FY 2000/2001, seven graduate students were awarded a total of $18,540 for sustainable agriculture projects. A list of the SAGA grants funded in this reporting period appears later in this section.

Educational Events
Educational grants are awarded to individuals and organizations to conduct workshops, field days, and other instructional events related to sustainable agriculture. In 2000/2001, SAREP supported 26 educational events by providing a total of $18,700 in grants to Cooperative Extension personnel and non-profit educational organizations. Grants of $1,200 maximum per event supported workshops, field days, conferences and other educational activities addressing sustainable farming and ranching and community economic development. An additional 17 events were selected for funding in the 2001/2002 fiscal year for a total of $19,920. A portion of the 2001/2002 funds were provided by the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Project and the International Tree Crops Institute. As an indicator of the outreach effectiveness SAREP has achieved through these grants, final reports from 2000/2001 grants show that approximately 1,500 individuals participated in the events funded that year. Lists of the educational events funded in 2000/2001 and the new projects selected for 2001/2002 are included at the end of this section.

SAREP FUNDED PROJECTS: RESULTS

The latest information on SAREP funded projects is available on our Web site in two locations.

Funded Projects Database
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/grants/database
The database includes summaries of Progress or Final reports on all SAREP funded projects.

Project Reports
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/grants/Reports
This page has links to full reports of selected projects.

New Projects Selected in 2001
During the spring of 2001, four new research and education projects related to crop and livestock production were selected for funding in 2001-2003 for a total of $96,159. These projects, which will be partially funded by FY 00/01 reserve funds, were chosen in the priority topic area: Optimizing organic and biologically integrated farming systems. Descriptions of the projects, principal investigators, contact information and amounts awarded follow.

Continuing Projects Funded in 1999-2001

Production Agriculture Research and Education

Alternatives to Methyl Bromide

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

SAREP works with a variety of clients and stakeholders both within and outside the University of California to educate producers, extension professionals, public policy makers and others about sustainable farming and ranching practices. SAREP staff have put a high priority on working collaboratively with colleagues in the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources as well as with farmers, community organizations, and government agencies, to address issues of the sustainability of California's agriculture. These outreach efforts complement and extend SAREP-funded research projects. Activities during the last two years include the following:

Director's Research and Extension Activities
The SAREP director allots 20 percent of his effort as an extension specialist in his research program in cooperation with the University of California, Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. SAREP Director Sean L. Swezey is actively involved in sustainable agriculture research and extension activities in the Central Coast region. These projects are designed to: 1) provide successful reduced-risk and organic farming principles to organic, transitional and conventional farmers considering conversion to sustainable practices and/or production for certified organic markets; and 2) demonstrate the ongoing agronomic and economic feasibility of these new production technologies in an on-farm, whole-systems research approach. Practices demonstrated by the program include: release of insectary-reared natural enemies, conservation of native natural enemies; "farmscaping" for the support of biological control agents; and intensive monitoring and threshold-based decision-making to reduce pesticide applications. Staff-led research includes farm-level conversion from conventional to organic production systems (apples, artichokes, and cotton); biological control and non-crop farmscape vegetation for pesticide use reduction (cotton and strawberries); codling moth mating disruption (apples); and biointensive and organic production (strawberries).

Adding Value to County Research and Extension Activities in Organic Farming Systems
In cooperation with Cooperative Extension offices in Marin, Humboldt, and Stanislaus counties, SAREP, with environmental foundation support, developed new cooperative agreements supporting three-year county-based research associates in organic farming and soil health.

New DANR Organic Farming Research Workgroup
SAREP's request for funding a new organic farming research workgroup was approved in 2001. Workgroup funds will support meetings, workshops, conferences, organic production manuals and support for the growing research needs of the organic farming community. Current membership includes 27 Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) and 25 non-DANR representatives.

Weather-Driven Plant Disease Risk Models
With funding from US-EPA Region 9, SAREP is using PestCast weather data to improve the integrated management of Botrytis gray mold of strawberries and potentially reduce the reliance of the California strawberry production system on several fungicides under review due to the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. PestCast is a regional weather network that supports the development, validation and implementation of plant disease models. A Botrytis infection model based on the interaction of hours of surface wetness and the average temperature during the wetness event was developed for use on grapes in the mid 1990s. It has undergone preliminary evaluation for its use in strawberries and shows great promise. Further independent validation and demonstration work is being planned in cooperation with growers involved in the Biological Agriculture Systems in Strawberries (BASIS) project.

National Academy of Sciences Committee
 SAREP Associate Director Jenny Broome was selected in fall 2000 for a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) committee evaluating the quality, relevance and effectiveness of federally funded agricultural research, particularly agencies within the USDA's Research, Education, and Economics mission (REE) area. Broome is a member of the subcommittee assessing research on environmental quality and harmonization of natural and agricultural resources. Other areas being evaluated include food and fiber supply; food safety, diet and nutrition; and economic and social development in a global context.

Professional Development Program
With funding from the Western Region USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program's Professional Development Program, SAREP has produced a variety of educational resources that advisors and Natural Resources Conservation Service field staff can use in working with their clientele around the state. Initial projects focused on developing educational materials on cover cropping and soil quality (see Selected Resources and Publications at the end of this report). A new project funded in 1999 is aimed at providing educational opportunities for pest control advisers (PCAs) interested in learning more about sustainable agriculture and ecological pest management. The focal point of the project is an online course titled Ecological Pest Management in Grapes. This interactive course provides PCAs a unique opportunity to enhance their skills and earn continuing education credits. With Professional Development Program funds, SAREP also provided several small grants to support professional development activities organized by UC personnel. Grants funded in 1999/2000 included workshops on vegetable production in the Salinas Valley, and organic farming in the San Joaquin Valley.

Sustainable Management of the UC Davis Vineyard
The UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology manages lands that are located along the Putah Creek Ecological Preserve, which comprises a riparian zone supporting many native plant and wildlife species. Since 1999, SAREP has assisted the vineyard manager, Richard Hoenisch, in the planning and implementation of a transition to more sustainable management. Practices include a range of cover cropping options, including different perennial and annual grasses, clovers, and other herbs. Currently, 60 of the total 140 acres are under some sort of cover-cropping regime, and the plan is to add at least another 20 acres in the fall of 2001. Hedgerow habitat plantings were added to approximately 1/2 acre of land during 2000-2001. Other features to be added through the proposed project include roadside and wetland plantings of native vegetation, medicinal and culinary herbs, detailed seasonal monitoring of pests, an evaluative system similar to that used in the "Positive Points System" of the Central Coast Vineyard Team, and interpretive brochures and signs to aid visitors.

Native Pollinator Insects
 SAREP collaborated with Claire Kremen of the Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University on a study, funded in part by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Mead Foundation, to investigate pollination ecology on organic vegetable farms in Yolo County. This study is assessing flower visitation by native solitary and bumblebees to strawberries, melons, and other crops. Also being evaluated are effects of wildlands and hedgerows on on-farm abundance and diversity of pollinators, with emphasis on native bees. Early data indicate that the native solitary bees Halictus ligatus and Halictus tripartitis frequently attend strawberry and watermelon flowers, with visitation rates often exceeding those for the domestic honeybee (Apis mellifera). There are positive statistical relationships between crop visitation by solitary bees to the proximity of wildlands and to the vegetational diversity on adjoining field margins. Emphases during 2001 have been on use of chaparral, riparian, and other wildland plants by native bees, and foraging patterns of a native bumblebee through use of marked bees in containerized colonies.

USDA Western Region SARE Conference
SAREP had a significant role in the planning of a major sustainable agriculture conference, Farming and Ranching for Profit, Stewardship, and Community, held in Portland on March 7-9, 2000. SAREP Director Sean L. Swezey served as program co-chair and proceedings editor. SAREP worked with the sponsor of the event, the Western Region USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, to organize several breakout sessions, and also to produce the conference proceedings. The event brought together over 680 nationally known speakers, producers, researchers, agricultural extension agents and others from the Western U.S. and around the nation to share their sustainable agriculture successes, experiences and research results. The conference highlighted diverse research and education projects funded by the SARE effort, including university-based, on-farm and producer-directed work. The proceedings of this event, "Sustainable Agriculture: Continuing to Grow…" are available on the WSARE Web site (wsare.usu.edu).

SAREP/FREP Conference
In November 1999, SAREP co-sponsored the annual conference of the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP). The conference featured presentations and reports from projects funded through SAREP and FREP, focusing on the relationship between nutrient management and soil and environmental quality. Conference highlights included a panel on Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), the latest trend in water quality regulation, and breakout sessions on nutrient management for orchard crops, organic matter management, integrated vineyard management, and managing nutrients through irrigation technologies.

LISTS OF GRANTS FOR EDUCATIONAL EVENTS AND SAGA AWARDS

2000-2001 Grants for Educational Events [16 grants (26 events); $18,700]

2001 Grants for Educational Events [12 grants (17 events) for $19,920]

Integrated Pest Management (funding through UC IPM)

Community Development / Community Food Systems (funding through UC SAREP)

Agroforestry (supported from a special donor-directed fund established through a grant from the International Tree Crops Institute USA Inc.)

2000-2001 Graduate Student Awards (7 projects; $18,540)

 

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