On Wednesday of this week (May 2), farmers will gather at the Nickels Soil Lab in Arbuckle for the 30th annual Nickels Field Day, one of the most popular annual field day events held by UC Cooperative Extension.
The Nickels Soil Laboratory was created by Arbuckle farmer Leslie J. Nickels. When he passed away in 1959, Nickels had no heirs or close family. He made provisions to donate his estate for agricultural research, specifically naming the Regents of the University of California and the Colusa County Water District as administrators.
The primary crop on the 200-acre research facility in Arbuckle is almonds. Numerous research projects have been conducted on variety selection, nutrition and pest control, but the predominant breakthrough was in the application of drip irrigation.
During the field day, researchers will make eight presentations, on such topics as organic almond production, selecting rootstocks, new almond varieties and weed control strategies. After lunch, participants will see a mechanical tree planting demonstration. Click here for an event flyer that includes a map to the Nickels Soil Lab.