Technical Speakers
University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), Farm Advisor-Central Sierra Region
Lynn Wunderlich has served as a UCCE Farm Advisor since 2000, focusing on IPM in fruit trees and wine grapes grown in California’s Sierra foothill region. She earned her B.S. in Bacteriology at University of Wisconsin-Madison and her M.S. at University of California-Davis in Plant Protection and Pest Management. She began studying spray application for her M.S. thesis under Dr. Ken Giles, developing a sprayer for green lacewing eggs. Lynn has given numerous extension presentations and field days on sprayer calibration. She recently led a California Pest Management Alliance grant project where her Team delivered airblast sprayer trainings to N. CA. applicators and created an online sprayer calibration course. Lynn and her Team were recognized and awarded a 2020 California IPM Achievement Award for this work.
Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California – Davis
Ken Giles conducts research, teaching and outreach in agricultural spraying with a focus on orchard, vineyard and field crops. His work in ag spraying began in 1979 with electrostatic spraying, continued into the 1980’s with sensor-guided orchard spraying, then into sensing and flow control systems in the 1990’s, expanded into industrial and manufacturing spraying in the 2000’s and addressed large unmanned aircraft spraying beginning in 2013. He is a licensed commercial pilot and holds a journeyman ag pilot / applicator license in California. He is a Fellow in the American Society of Biological & Agricultural Engineers and a Fellow in the National Academy of Inventors.
UCCE Orchard Systems Advisor, Colusa and Sutter/Yuba Counties
Franz Niederholzer started as an Orchard Systems Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension in 2002. His primary crop responsibilities are almonds and prunes. Since 2010, Franz has also been the Research Coordinator at the Nickels Soil Lab and Head Trustee of the Leslie Nickels Trust in Arbuckle, California. He is also an original member of the UC ANR Spray Application Technology Work Group, serving as chair of that work group since it started in 2006. Franz has participated in research projects on pest management, mineral nutrition (nitrogen, potassium, and/or boron), spray coverage and drift, rootstock evaluation and cropload management.
UCCE Assistant Specialist in Ag. Application Engineering, Kearney Ag. Research & Extension Center
Dr. Peter Ako Larbi is an Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist in Agricultural Application Engineering with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR; 2018-present) and an affiliated faculty member of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at UC-Davis (2019-present). He is the principal investigator and director of the Agricultural Application Engineering Program headquartered at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center. He provides regional leadership in agricultural engineering extension and applied research with a focus on spray application engineering. Dr. Larbi’s research focuses on developing, evaluating, and deploying spray application technologies, techniques, and decision support systems, aimed at improving agricultural productivity while reducing the impact of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals on the environment. His extension efforts seek to promote best practices for safe, economical, and environmentally sound pesticide spray application. His other research interests include precision agriculture, machinery systems, remote sensing, and sensor technology. He has to his credit several publications and presentations, and a U.S. patent. Larbi has a Ph.D. in agricultural and biological engineering from the University of Florida, and a M.Sc. and a B.Sc. in agricultural engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana.
Gwen-Alyn Hoheisel
Washington State University Regional Extension Specialist, Benton County Director
Gwen Hoheisel is a regional extension specialist with Washington State University focusing on perennial fruit crops and more specifically sustainable pest management, blueberry horticulture, and application technologies. She has degrees in zoology from the University of Maryland and entomology from Pennsylvania State University focusing on IPM and insect diversity.
Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension, Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California – Davis
Dr. Alireza Pourreza is an assistant professor in the biological and agricultural engineering department and the Digital Agriculture Lab (digitalag.ucdavis.edu) director at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Pourreza leads research and extension education in remote sensing, precision agriculture, and mechanization. Dr. Pourreza’s research program focuses on solving immediate challenges in crop production systems identified by stockholders. His lab develops practical and data-driven decision-support tools that help farmers increase profit while decreasing waste and environmental footprint.
Farzaneh Khorsandi is an Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension in Agricultural Safety and Health at the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of California, Davis. She has a Ph.D. degree in Biosystems Engineering from the University of Tennessee, with a focus on agricultural mechanization and agricultural safety and health. Her research focus is on agricultural vehicle safety with a focus on design and evaluating the agricultural safety structures and devices.
Director, The Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research
College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Cal Poly
I am the Director of the new Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research. The center will provide applied research for California organic agriculture and train the next generation of organic agriculture professionals. I am also an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University where I served for 14 years as the Organic Pest Management specialist. I am interested in all aspects of pest management ranging from physical, cultural, biological to chemical control in systems ranging from field crops, horticultural crops, greenhouse production and stored products. From 2012 to 2021 I lead multiple teams in the research and development of Solid Set Canopy Delivery Systems for perennial fruit crops. The major goal of this research was to develop spray application platforms that could improve timeliness of applications while minimizing spray drift, worker exposure to pesticides and reducing the need for heavy equipment in plantings.
Area Citrus Advisor, UCCE, Tulare County
The purpose of my position is to conduct a multi-county-based extension, education and applied research program with a focus on production issues in California’s Southern San Joaquin Valley (SJV) for citrus, with emphasis on general horticultural issues effecting citrus production including areas of plant pathology and or pest management. Expected impacts are optimized agronomic practices which maximize citrus production while at the same time gaining general scientific knowledge related to citrus productivity and biology. Clientele are producers, consultants, federal, state and local agencies, allied industry representatives, pest control advisors, and non-profit environmental groups within Tulare, Fresno, and Madera Counties for issues pertaining to citrus health and production. Overall, my program has an advisory and academic emphasis on issues effecting citrus health and productivity that will increase profitability for California citrus growers.
Dr. Heping Zhu is an Agricultural Engineer and Lead Scientist with USDA/ARS Application Technology Research Unit and an Adjunct Professor with FABE of The Ohio State University in Wooster, Ohio. He has more than 30 years of academic research and industrial experience in development of innovative methodologies and mechanisms including intelligent spray technologies to protect crops and the environment. He has published over 250 papers including 152 peer-reviewed journal articles and received 17 U.S. regional and national prestige awards. He is the Fellow of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and serves as the Editor for ASABE journals.
Emilio Gil Moya is Full Professor (accredited) of the Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Director of Agricultural Mechanization Unit. Professor at PhD program in agriculture and forestry at the University of Turin, in Italy. Project Coordinator of the INNOSETA project that is part of the European Horizon 2020 R&D program. He has been advisor to different national and international research bodies and institutes, as well as to the Ministry of Agriculture in the implementation of Sustainable Use of Pesticides, and author of the Manual of Inspections of application equipment. Academic member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors. He is the first agricultural engineer in Europe to enter this academic institution.
Emilio Gil has also been a professor at Cornell University, in the United States, and is author of more than 50 scientific articles in international journals and more than 200 technical and popular articles, as well as different books in the field of engineering agri-food. He is an editor and expert reviewer of scientific journals in the sector and has given numerous international conferences. Member of different organizations in the field of agri-food engineering, the researcher has received different awards, such as the Wine Research Award Tecnovid (Zaragoza) in 2002, the 2002 award from the Centro y Canarias Agronomists Association and the award for the best doctoral thesis (accesit) Fertiberia in 2004. President of the international Award of FIMA and president of AESAVE (Asociación Española de Sanidad Vegetal).He has been director of the Aragon Government office in Brussels (2016) and member of the expert group "Ejea advances" for the management of the COVID-19 crisis in Ejea de los Caballeros (Zaragoza).
Professor Gil has given more than 60 invited lectures in all the countries of the EU and most of the countries of the American continent. He is also the author of the books Zarpazos en el Alma (Ed. Los libros del Gato Negro, 2017), Banda de música de Rivas - Conmemoración de un siglo y cuarto de andanzas musicales (Ed. DPZ, 2008), Historia del socialismo y sindicalismo en Rivas (Ed. DPZ, 2010) i Días de Campo (2019).
Patricia Chueca is in charge of the Agricultural Mechanization Laboratory at the Agro-Engineering Centre of IVIA since 2014. She holds a MSc and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering and a MSc in Environmental Sciences from the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain). She has performed a stay in the University of California in USA, optimizing spray application techniques in citrus. She has been a member of the research group of 4 European and 5 national projects, and currently, she is the IVIA coordinator of the European project PERFECT LIFE, the coordinator of the National project FUNGITECH, and has some contracts/projects funded by private sector. All projects are related with agricultural mechanization, precision agriculture, spray technology, biopesticides application, environmental impact, drift, and integrated pest management. She is part of a National and European working group on harmonization of dose expression in high growing crops and the National working group on techniques and equipment for the application of pesticides.
Application Technology Specialist, OMAFRA
Jason studied biology & psychology at Mount Allison University, plant cell physiology at York University and plant cell electrophysiology at the University of Guelph. Based in Ontario’s Simcoe Resource Centre since 2008, he researches and develops practical methods to optimize productivity, spray effectiveness and reduce waste. Co-author of “Airblast101 – Your Guide to Effective and Efficient Spraying”, he also co-administers www.sprayers101.com.
Jason studied biology & psychology at Mount Allison University, plant cell physiology at York University and plant cell electrophysiology at the University of Guelph. Based in Ontario’s Simcoe Resource Centre since 2008, he researches and develops practical methods to optimize productivity, spray effectiveness and reduce waste. Co-author of “Airblast101 – Your Guide to Effective and Efficient Spraying”, he also co-administers www.sprayers101.com.
UCCE Water Management and Biometeorology Advisor, San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara Counties
Mark graduated with a B.S. in Agronomy from Colorado State University and an M.S. in Hydrologic Sciences from UC Davis. He subsequently spent two years at the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture in Cordoba, Spain as a Fulbright and then exchange scholar. Mark began his UCCE career in 2001 as the Viticulture Farm Advisor for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, and in 2018 his role shifted to Water Management and Biometeorology Advisor for the same region. He works on a variety of water- and weather-related issues for the region, reflecting the importance of these topics for local agriculture. In his spare time, he sprays Canada Thistle, Spotted Knapweed and Cheatgrass in Colorado.
Research & Development Business Manager for Southern California, Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC
Gabriel Torres is the Southern California Research and Development Business Manager for Helena Agri, LLC. Originally from Colombia, Gabriel develops research in multiple crops, including Grapes, Almonds, Citrus, Pistachios, Stone fruits in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. His current research is focused on efficacy of new pesticides, adjuvants, Plant growth regulators, Nematicides and fertilizers. Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy and a PhD in Plant Pathology. Before joining Helena, Gabriel worked for three and a half years as the University of California Viticulture Advisor for Tulare and Kings Counties. During his time with the UCCE system, Gabriel studied extensively different strategies for managing powdery mildew and Botrytis in table grape, involving fungicide resistance. Gabriel is also recognized for his contributions to the oil palm industry and his work on Phytophthora palmivora, causal agent of bud rot in this crop. He has also worked with bacteria, phytoplasmas, nematodes and viral plant diseases, always looking for management strategies that include an integrated pest management approach.
Enforcement Regional Offices Branch, Department of Pesticide Regulation
After growing up near the agricultural region of Ventura County, Erin attended California State University Monterey Bay where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology. She later went to work for the California Department of Food and Agriculture where she gained experience in the Pest Detection/Emergency Projects programs. In 2019, Erin went to work for The California Department of Pesticide Regulation, and is currently the Enforcement Branch Liaison for Lassen, Siskiyou, and Modoc counties.
Staff Toxicologist, Human Exposure & Health Effect Modeling Section, Human Health Assessment Branch, Department of Pesticide Regulation
Dr. Weiying Jiang is a Staff Toxicologist with the Human Exposure and Health Effect Modeling Section of Human Health Assessment Branch in the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), California Environmental Protection Agency. Dr. Jiang joined DPR in 2012 as a Research Scientist and conducted field studies to investigate agricultural worker exposure to pesticides. Dr. Jiang’s current work emphasizes the method development and the assessment of human exposure to pesticides using various tools including air dispersion and spray drift computer models. Dr. Jiang’s expertise also includes environmental analytical chemistry and environmental fate of organic contaminants.
Executive Director, Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship, Sacramento, California
Parry Klassen wears many hats in California agriculture. In addition to being a part time fruit farmer in eastern Fresno County where he grows nectarines and peaches, he is Executive Director of the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES), a non-profit organization that focuses on evaluating and promoting management practices to protect surface and groundwater from impacts by crop inputs. Since 2002, CURES has managed and implemented projects totaling more than $15 million. Klassen also is executive director of East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition, a watershed coalition in the Central Valley with more than 3,000 grower members farming 700,00 acres in Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. Since 2003, Klassen has led coalition efforts to implement approaches for solving surface water and groundwater quality problems originating from agriculture in the region. (www.esjcoalition.org). Mr. Klassen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Communications from California State University, Fresno.
TEALS, LLC, Whitesville, New York
Dr. Thistle received his PhD in 1988 in Plant Science with an emphasis on Plant Environment from the University of Connecticut. The research topic involved the measurement of turbulent airflows in forest canopies. He is an American Meteorological Society Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM). He started his career as a private consultant in the area of regulatory air pollution modeling followed by 26 years working for the USDA Forest Service as a technology development manager. Among other projects, the development of the AGDISP pesticide spray deposition model fell under the purview of Dr. Thistle’s program. Currently, Dr. Thistle is again a private consultant with projects in the areas of spray drift from manned aircraft, evaluation of spray drift from UASS, developing models to describe spray drift from orchard spraying; as well as the analysis of atmospheric transport and dispersion of invasive forest pathogens.
Integrated Plant Health Strategies LLC, Yakima, Washington
From December 2015 until June 2019, Mike Willett was the manager of the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC), a grower-funded organization with a mission to support research and industry service programs to benefit the tree fruit growers, packers, and shippers of Washington State. For the previous two decades he was Vice President for Scientific Affairs for the Northwest Horticultural Council (NHC), a trade association representing the tree fruit industry of Idaho, Oregon and Washington working on a broad range of federal and international policy and technical issues. In this capacity, he worked closely with the U.S. specialty crop industry, public and private research organizations, allied industries and regulatory agencies on a range of issues related to pest management, pesticide policy and phytosanitary concerns that affect domestic and international trade. Before starting with the NHC, Mike was a tree fruit production and pest management regional specialist with both the Oregon and Washington State University Cooperative Extension (1980-1996). He was awarded a B.S. (1977) from Michigan State University and an M.S. (1981) and Ph.D. (1995) from Washington State University, all in horticulture.
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University
Lav Khot is an Associate Professor of Precision Agriculture in the department of Biological Systems Engineering (BSE). He is also the Interim Director for WSU’s Agricultural Weather Network. He is one of the core faculty member of CPAAS at the Irrigated Agriculture Research Education Center, WSU Prosser. He has a BS, MS, and PhD in Agricultural Engineering. Lav primarily works in the agricultural automation research emphasis area of BSE department. His research and extension program focuses on sensing and automation technologies for site specific and precision management of production agriculture.
All Speakers | Keynote Speakers | Technical Speakers | Panel Speakers