In memoriam: G. Steven Sibbett

Steve Sibbett, UCCE emeritus nuts, prunes, olives, apples and pears farm advisor for Tulare County, passed away unexpectedly at his Visalia home on Nov. 17. He was 82.  

Most of his illustrious 35-year career was spent serving agriculturists in Tulare County. His acquired expertise in walnuts, olives and prunes was recognized statewide by his UC colleagues and growers. Steve was also well known internationally for his sound horticultural advice in these crops, which resulted in many exchanges of knowledge and experiences that benefited California producers.

Steve ushered in a relatively new era of county-based production problem solving using detailed experiments established in the orchards of cooperating growers. These experiments subscribed to the rigorous scientific standards of UC and included the on-farm participation of campus-based professors and Extension specialists of many disciplines. Leading UC scientists traveled from Davis, Berkeley and Riverside to cooperate with Steve because of the great respect they had for his critical thinking, capacity to secure grower cooperators willing to be inconvenienced by the special requirements of the experiment, and diligent follow-through and oversight of the experiment to ensure its integrity was not compromised.  

These local research efforts yielded many major advancements in our understanding of complex production problems. Examples include elucidating the role that excessive pollen played in causing major walnut crop loss from female flowers abscising shortly after bloom; development of pruning, thinning, bee management and harvest guidelines to increase the yield and size of dried prunes; and cooperating with Blain Farming to establish pecans as a viable statewide crop; determining optimal harvest guidelines for olive growers to maximize production and value.

In the 1970s, Steve participated with a statewide team to study the effects of walnut harvest timing and ethephon, then a new plant growth regulator, on kernel quality. He also cooperated with Lory Bennetts in evaluating the major walnut varieties under high planting density for their long-term yield performance.

Steve was admired for his tremendous writing skills. In addition to a monthly grower newsletter, he authored or coauthored 124 scientific papers and chapters for peer-reviewed UC publications. He also wrote hundreds of articles for trade publications and books. Steve also served as the UC representative for founding the World Ag Expo.

Steve was instrumental in developing the concept of short courses for growers; walnuts was the first in 1976. Scores of UC short courses for scores of commodities and subjects have been offered since. Additionally, Steve was instrumental in creating a county/campus-based group to increase collaboration. This became known as PECC (Pomology Extension Continuing Conference), which was so successful that it became the model for all other Extension groups. Steve was also a mentor to dozens of budding farm advisors, myself included. Each of us, as well as every grower he visited or had coffee with, has their own rendition of Steve, and stories to tell!  

Steve officially retired from UC in 2001. He remained active in consulting and advising current UC staff. Many enjoyed participating with Steve in his love for fishing and hunting. His wit, stories, wisdom and bravado will be missed. We will continue to pursue excellence as his legacy!

Graveside services were held at the family cemetery in Mankato, Minnesota. Steve was laid to rest next to Ruth, his wife of 55 years, who passed away in October 2021, according to his daughter Stephanie Brutocao. A memorial service for Steve will be held in Visalia in the spring. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to The Creative Center, 606 N. Bridge Street, Visalia CA 93291.

Read more about Sibbett's life at https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/obituaries/vtd042723.

Read more