UC Davis experts: Sustainable/organic agriculture

The 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.

Biologically integrated farming systems

Animal systems

Organic dairy

Fruits and vegetables

Food systems and food security

BIOLOGICALLY INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS

Biologically integrated farming systems

Janet C. "Jenny" Broome, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program associate director, and Bev Ransom, SAREP grants manager, coordinate the Biologically Integrated Farming Systems grants program, a team approach to project management with on-farm demonstrations, monitoring of key biological and economic variables and farmer-to-farmer information flow. These practices are designed to reduce off-farm movement of pesticides and soil while enhancing natural processes. Projects are under way in 10 commodities. Contact: Janet C."Jenny" Broome, SAREP, (530) 754-8547, jcbroome@ucdavis.edu; Bev Ransom, SAREP, (530) 754-8546, baransom@ucdavis.edu.

Methyl bromide alternatives

Janet C. "Jenny" Broome, SAREP associate director, has coordinated UC SAREP's methyl bromide alternatives granting program. Methyl bromide will be phased out by 2005 by the U.S. EPA because of its effect on the ozone layer. SAREP has funded research to find to the preplant fumigant, which is used to eliminate nematodes, weeds and pathogens and as a postharvest treatment in many agricultural production systems in California. Contact: Janet C."Jenny" Broome, SAREP, (530) 754-8547, jcbroome@ucdavis.edu.

Cover crops/restoration ecology

Robert L. Bugg is an entomologist in SAREP with expertise in restoration ecology, cover crops (to add organic matter and nitrogen to crops naturally), earthworms, restoring native plants to rural roadsides, biological control and helping growers develop integrated farming systems. Contact: Robert L. Bugg, SAREP, (530) 754-8549, rlbugg@ucdavis.edu.

Crops that attract insect enemies

Monterey County Farm Advisor William E. "Bill" Chaney has studied the effectiveness of "trap" crops to attract natural enemies of aphids, the most serious lettuce pest in the Central Coast. Contact: William E. "Bill" Chaney, UC Cooperative Extension--Monterey County , (831) 759-7350, wechaney@ucdavis.edu.

Mating disruption (pheromone confusion)

Contra Costa County Farm Advisor Janet Caprile's areas of expertise include organic apple production and the use of pheromone (sex hormone) confusion to fight insect pests. Contact: Janet Caprile, UC Cooperative Extension--Contra Costa County, (925) 646-6129, jlcaprile@ucdavis.edu.

Beneficial insects

Kent Daane, UC Cooperative Extension educator, is based at UC Berkeley but works with UC Davis-based UC SAREP's biologically integrated farming systems projects. Expertise on beneficial insects and their use on farms. Contact: Kent Daane, daane@uckac.edu.
SAREP entomologist Robert L. Bugg has expertise in beneficial insects. Contact: Robert L. Bugg, SAREP, (530) 754-8549, rlbugg@ucdavis.edu.

Using organic fertilizers

Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties Farm Advisor Mark Gaskell studies organic nitrogen and other plant nutrient sources for organic vegetable production. Contact: Mark Gaskell, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties UC Cooperative Extension, (805) 934-6240, mlgaskell@ucdavis.edu.

ANIMAL SYSTEMS

Organic dairy

UC Cooperative Extension agricultural economist L. J. "Bees" Butler has written widely on the economics of organic milk production. . Contact: L. J. "Bees" Butler, Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Davis, (530) 752-3681, ljbutler@ucdavis.edu.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Organic vegetable production, weeds and disease control

UC Cooperative Extension plant physiologist Milt McGiffen studies organic vegetable production in desert regions, sustainable agriculture, weed science, and alternatives to methyl bromide. He is investigating the "organic effect" of increased yield and weed and disease control associated with compost and cover crops. Contact: Milt McGiffen, UC Cooperative Extension in UC Riverside, (909) 560-0839, milt@citrus.ucr.edu.

Subtropicals (organic citrus, avocados)

Ventura County UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Ben Faber has expertise in organic avocado, citrus and other fruit production. Contact: Ben Faber, UC Cooperative Extension--Ventura County, (805) 645-1462, bafaber@ucdavis.edu.

Organic fruit crops, combating predators and parasites

Marin and Sonoma counties Farm Advisor Paul Vossen is an expert on organic apples and olive oil. He has focused on reducing pesticide use by using cover crops, biological pesticides, release of predators and parasites, and insect pheromone confusion techniques for the control of serious apple pests. Contact: Paul Vossen, UC Cooperative Extension--Marin and Sonoma counties, (707) 565-2621, pmvossen@ucdavis.edu.

Organic wine grapes

Mendocino County UC Cooperative Extension Director Glenn McGourty is an organic wine grape production expert. Has been funded by SAREP and the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education program for relevant research. Contact: Glenn McGourty, UC Cooperative Extension--Mendocino County, (707) 463-4495, gtmcgourty@ucdavis.edu.

Food systems and food security

Community food systems and nutrition

Gail Feenstra, SAREP food systems analyst/nutritionist has expertise in:

Community food systems—connections between farmers and consumers, how they contribute to community food security, local "foodsheds")
Farm-to-school salad bars/school lunch programs—how they help small/mid-sized farmers stay solvent, support communities, provide fresher food to students
Food security—how local food decentralizes agriculture and reduces threats of terrorism to transportation (food travels an average of 1200 miles from farm to table)
Direct marketing—how farmers markets,
Community supported agriculture (subscription farms), value-added products help keep small/mid-sized farmers solvent

Contact: Gail Feenstra, SAREP, (530) 752-8408, gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu.

Direct marketing, agri-tourism, value-added products

UC Cooperative Extension Marin County Director Ellen Rilla is the creator of "Grown in Marin" newsletter. She has expertise in agri-tourism (farmers markets, overnight farm stays, subscription farms, roadside stands, U-pick operations, school farm visits, rent-a-tree operations, value-added products). Contact Ellen Rilla, UC Cooperative Extension--Marin County, 415-499-4204, erilla@ucdavis.edu.
Larry Yee, director of UC Cooperative Extension in Ventura County, supports services for organic growers in Ventura County, including direct marketing and other small farm support. Contact: Larry Yee, UC Cooperative Extension--Ventura County, 805-645-1460, lkyee@ucdavis.edu.

Organic agricultural database

SAREP'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

Lyra Halprin, UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu

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Last updated January 14, 2008