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UC Davis experts: Organic farming issues and regulationsThe following UC faculty members are available to discuss issues related to sustainable/organic agriculture. If you need information on a topic not listed, please contact Lyra Halprin in the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu or Patricia Bailey, News Service, (530) 752-9843, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu.
Organic farming issues and regulations
Long-term sustainability of agricultureSince 1993, R. Ford Denison, a professor of agronomy, has directed UC Davis' Long Term Research on Agricultural System (LTRAS) facility. The facility, located west of the main Davis campus, hosts a 100-year experiment designed to identify trends that may undermine agricultural sustainability. Researchers working at LTRAS also are exploring possible solutions to identified agricultural problems. Denison is an expert on biological nitrogen fixation, which is a possible alternative to nitrogen fertilizers. He frequently gives invited talks to lay audiences on environmental issues related to topics such as organic farming and transgenic crops. Contact: Ford Denison, Agronomy and Range Science, (530) 752-9688, rfdenison@ucdavis.edu. Sustainable viticulture, pest and disease managementJanet C. "Jenny" Broome, associate director of the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), is a plant pathologist and focuses on sustainable viticulture, ecologically based pest management, and organic plant-disease management. She chairs the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences committee coordinating "The Science of Sustainable Agriculture: Measuring the Immeasurable," a major lecture series that continues through fall quarter, featuring 17 internationally recognized experts on sustainability in relation to agriculture, the environment and society. Sustainable agriculture systems are defined as those that serve society in the short and long terms, are economically viable and environmentally sound, and promote healthy communities. Contact: Janet C. "Jenny" Broome, SAREP, (530) 754-8547, jcbroome@ucdavis.edu. Costs and benefits among cropping systemsKaren Klonsky has examined the transition to sustainable production and the costs and benefits of selected practices in organic and conventional cropping systems. Contact: Karen Klonsky, UC Cooperative Extension economist, UC Davis, (530) 752-3563, klonsky@primal.ucdavis.edu. Organic crop production educationMark Van Horn, UC Davis Student Experimental Farm director, is an organic crop production instructor and expert on cover crops, compost production and use. Contact: Mark Van Horn, UC Davis, (530) 752-7645, mxvanhorn@ucdavis.edu. Research and extension efforts aimed at organic farmers (funded by UC SAREP)The following UC Cooperative Extension advisors and coordinators are spearheading new services funded by UC SAREP with support from the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation for county-level programs for California organic farming and soil health research and extension activities. Counties participating so far are Humboldt, Marin and Ventura counties:
Small farmsDesmond Jolly, consumer specialist in the UC Davis agricultural and resource economics department and director of the UC Small Farm Center (housed at UC Davis), is an expert on consumer preferences and demand, industry structure and the impact of regulations on small farmers. Contact: Desmond Jolly, UC Small Farm Center, (530) 752-7774, djolly@primal.ucdavis.edu. Community food systemsGail Feenstra is a community food systems analyst with the UC Davis-based Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. She is the lead researcher on USDA and other grants studying community food security, including shopping at local farmers markets, the economic health of small regional farmers, and community food policy councils. Contact: Gail Feenstra, SAREP, (530) 752-8408, gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu. Killing pests with radio wavesElizabeth Mitcham, an extension specialist at the Department of Pomology, has developed a method that uses radio waves to kill pests on nuts and dried fruits. The method would replace chemical fumigation methods. Contact: Elizabeth Mitcham, Pomology, (530) 752-7512, ejmitcham@ucdavis.edu. Organic farming databaseSAREP's Organic Farming Research and Information Web site includes links to the UC Organic Farming Research Workgroup, research projects (searchable by crop, topic and organic relevance), USDA programs, production information, regulations and statistics. Media contact
Last updated January 22, 2004 |
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