Conservation agriculture news

Audio discussion of Agronomy Journal research article

A link to the article published in Agronomy Journal is available below.

Also posted here is an audio interview and discussion of this article.  Please use the link below to hear this discussion.

 

 

Invitation to Innovative Cover Cropping Field Educational Event - Thursday, February 26th, 1:00 PM

CASI invites you to take part in a very interesting field educational event this Thursday, February 26^th, at one of the fields of Danny Ramos and Jonathan Guido of Lucero Farms just south of Hwy 152 about midway between Los Banos and Chowchilla.  Take 152 from either the east or west and then take Flanagan Road south about a mile.  From there, turn east (left) onto Avenue 21 and follow this road about a mile or so till you see our sign on the right side of the road.  Take the dirt road south about a couple hundred yards to the cover crop field.

Call Jeff Mitchell that afternoon at (559) 303-9689 if you need help finding the field. 

CASI involved in its 10th World Ag Expo in Tulare!

Along with several other private sector, university and NRCS partners, the CASI Center once again took part in the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA this week and hosted a good number of guests at our well-positioned site that we have graciously been allowed to share with long-time CASI members, Alan Wilcox and Juan Trujillo, of Wilcox Agriproducts. An estimated 100,000 visitors took part in this year's equipment and technology show. While most interactions with participants at this event tended to be brief, we were able to engage a good number of folks in discussions about our work and several good contacts have now been made for a range of follow-up connections in the near future. Planning for the 2016 expo will be underway in the near future. If you'd like to participate with us, please contact Jeff Mitchell at (559) 303-9689 or jpmitchell@ucdavis.edu.

 

 

CASI Farmers Host New UC Davis Agroecologist, Amelie Gaudin

CASI farmer members, Michael and Adam Crowell of Turlock, Darrell Cordova of Denair, and Scott Schmidt of Five Points, along with Jeff Mitchell, hosted Amelie Gaudin, the new professor of Agroecology in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis at their farms on January 23, 2015 to share with her information about their farms and the efforts they have made to improve their crop production systems. Each of these farmers very graciously welcomed Dr. Gaudin who has been on the job in Davis for only three weeks.

Dr. Amelie Gaudin has tremendous experience with cropping system ecology and is currently establishing her research lab in Davis that is focusing on using agroecological principles to help develop efficient and resilient cropping systems. Three current themes that she will be emphasizing in her research program of her lab group are ecological intensification, climate-smart agroecosystems, and evolutionary root ecology, - all very nicely related to the core goals of our CASI Workgroup.

Additional information about Dr. Gaudin's work is available at her website http://gaudin.ucdavis.edu/ and via email at agaudin@ucdavis.edu

 

Grant funds new high school ag sustainability courses

Plant Sciences' Jeff Mitchell received a $5,000 grant recently from the agricultural biotechnology company Monsanto to support a program of high school activities aimed at sustainability.

Mitchell, a UC Cooperative Extension cropping systems specialist, will work with through the Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) Center, which promotes the principles of conservation agriculture: reduced disturbance, diversity and year-round soil health improvement practices. The internationally recognized sustainability method is now making inroads to California, particularly as a low-input high-retention approach to dealing with drought conditions.

CASI has established a network throughout California's Central Valley of high school teachers committed to the upcoming pilot program. Farm training sessions will extend the classroom learning the students currently gain in their coursework, with CASI experts sharing their knowledge and excitement for agriculture and agricultural science.

“In my own class that I am teaching this fall at UC Davis, the students themselves have selected as the topic for their panel discussion ‘California's new farmers,'” says Mitchell, “which is, I think, a fitting testament to the sheer importance of young people and the need to educate and inspire this next generation of folks who'll be responsible for agricultural production systems in the future.”

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