CASI launch video archive

January 27, 2012

More than 125 farmers, equipment providers, public agency representatives and long-time conservation agriculture supporters gathered in Clovis Jan. 27, 2012, to officially launch UC Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI). The meeting provided information about the evolution of the Institute, its recent research and development work on conservation agriculture systems, and its new capacity-building initiatives to increase the adoption of competitive and sustainable production systems in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

The United Nations estimates world population in 2300 will be about 9 billion. There is likely to be significant development in the ensuing 300 years that reduces the amount of land for farming.

“We have to be able to do more with less,” said Jeff Mitchell, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and CASI chair. “The global demand for food will be immense.”

Following is a video archive of the Jan. 27 meeting.

	Introduction to Conservation Agriculture Cropping Systems 12:51 Jeff Mitchell, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis Mitchell defines the term 'conservation agriculture' in a global context and then presents insights into how CASI is evaluating examples of how the principles and practices of conservation agriculture have relevance for San Joaquin Valley cropping systems.
	The History of CASI: Conservation Agricultural Systems Innovation 18:00 Ron Harben, California Association of Resource Conservation Districts An in-depth historical retrospective on CASI, beginning with its genesis in 1998 as the Conservation Tillage Workgroup. Harben chronicles the group's education initiatives and expanded programming. He outlines CASI's impact in providing ongoing information on economically competitive and sustainable cropping system alternatives for a number of sectors of San Joaquin Valley farming.
	CASI's Merge with the Conservation Tillage Workgroup 21:19 Dan Munk, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Fresno County Munk provides a summary of research and demonstration evaluation advances that CASI has seen during its more than 15 years of work. He highlights findings from a number of UC studies showing benefits of CT systems in terms of reducing costs, labor, fuel use and dust emissions, while providing sustainable yields and improved soil properties.
	History of California's Center Pivot Industry and CASI's 21st Century Goals 6:58 Harold Hughes, Overhead irrigation specialist with Reinke Mfg. (retired) Hughes provides a number of suggestions for what CASI might do to bring information on new, innovative irrigation systems to farmer users, including providing real-time views into how automated, mechanized irrigation systems work at the CASI website.
	Adapting to Change: Agriculture in the 21st Century 38:32 Dino Giacomazzi, dairyman/farmer, Hanford, Calif. Giacomazzi presents the well-received keynote address that lays out a vision for how agriculture needs to be perpetually challenging itself to be innovative and moving forward. In a very personal and insightful way, he shows how innovation is important and how CASI can help focus the need for continued improvements in California cropping systems.
	Sprinklers and Applications on Pivots 12:35 Dan Schueler, Southwest District Manager, Senninger Irrigation Inc., Clovis, Calif. Schueler provided an introduction to the many significant advances that have been made with mechanized irrigation in recent years and demonstrated how technologies are now coming together to make overhead irrigation a very viable option in California.
	California's Historic 40-year Stalemate of its 5 million acres of gravity irrigation systems 8:55 Jerry E. Rossiter, President/CEO CISCO Ag, Atwater, Calif. Rossiter gives a vision for what he believes will be large-scale conversion of surface or gravity irrigation in California to more precision, mechanized systems. He supported CASI research and education efforts to help with wider adoption of improved systems.