- Author: Michael Hsu
Organic Agriculture Institute needs assessment refines how it can address pressing challenges
The explosive growth of organic agriculture in the U.S. – reflected in a 90% increase in organic farms from 2011 to 2021, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics – has come at a cost for some farmers. With new farming operations increasing the supply of organic commodities, along with consolidation of buyers, growers report that their profit margins are not what they used to be.
Those market size considerations are among the challenges highlighted in a new report detailing the...
/h3>- Author: Trina Kleist, UC Davis
Still providing the world with top-notch information
UC Davis has been a leading source of information for people handling, packaging and transporting crops since the beginnings of the Postharvest Research and Extension Center in 1979. Now, the center is strengthening its focus on the needs of industry, offering fresh courses, weaving strategic partnerships and expanding into digital media, all while building up its research capacity to better serve the needs of the produce industry.
“We're asking people in the industry, ‘How can we support you? How can we better listen to you?' We want people to know we're not...
/h3>- Author: Michael Hsu
In 20-year study, UCCE specialist Mitchell, colleagues, growers advance no-till and cover cropping practices
In the 1990s, long before “regenerative agriculture” was a buzzword and “soil health” became a cause célèbre, a young graduate student named Jeff Mitchell first learned about similar concepts during an agronomy meeting in the Deep South.
Mitchell was astonished to hear a long list of benefits attributed to practices known internationally as “conservation agriculture” – eliminating or reducing...
/h3>- Author: Michael Hsu
NPI researchers provide influential evidence that shapes federal, state nutrition programs
Of the many challenges facing humanity, nothing is more fundamental than securing healthy food and water for all. Life itself would not be possible without nutrients, energy and water – but for many...
/h3>- Author: Kristen Farrar, UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program
Projects will support socially disadvantaged farmers, increase urban access to healthy food and more
The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program (SAREP) is pleased to announce the recipients of the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems 2024-25 Small Grants Program. This grant program will fund planning, research and education projects that support the development of sustainable community food systems and environmentally sound and economically viable farming enterprises.
Of the 33 eligible applications, eight applicants were selected to...