First University-Based Organic Dairy in the West
Chico State’s newly transitioned organic dairy was dedicated on April 26, 2007. The dairy provides a hands-on learning experience in organic livestock production for students and generates meaningful applied research for the organic dairy industry. The program, under the direction of Cindy Daley, complements the school’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and dovetails with its integrated agriculture program.
Agroecology in Costa Rica
Lee Altier and Richard Rosecrance have been selected to teach agroecology at the National University of Costa Rica in the fall of 2008 and the summer of 2009.
Robot Tomato Transplanter
Lal Singh, with engineers Joel Arthur and Ramesh Varahamurti, received $176,057 from the CSU, Fresno Agricultural Research Initiative to study robot tomato transplanter reliability.
Top Prizes for Food Marketing
Ag students took top prizes in two divisions of the Western Food Marketing Competition in March. Nicolina Prestininzi, Jeff Alves, Heather Clement, Erica Flores, Scott Cummings, and Jamie Crank won the Domestic Product division with Bliss Strawberries and Chocolate. Annie Maddalena, William Weese, Brian Greathouse, and Colleen Bartlett won the Export Product division touting Sprinx Cookie Toolkits.
Chico Leader in Beef Identification Education
CSU, Chico hosted the first of its kind, two-day Beef Identification Academy in September 2006 for representatives of the beef industry. Dave Daley, animal science, directed the California Department of Food and Agriculture-funded event.
Honors in Livestock Judging
Team members Stephanie Horton, Katie O’Ferrall, Mindin Ferguson, Jordan Parsons, Caley Heiman, and Travis Heffner placed second at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, fourth at the Arizona National Livestock Show, and sixth at the National Western Stock Show in Denver.
Research Continues
Richard Rosecrance received a $50,000 grant from the University of California Cooperative Extension to continue his research on marketing olives.
Michael Spiess received a $150,000 grant from the Bureau of Reclamation Water Conservation to provide technical support of Northern California water districts.
Fertilizer Research Takes Top Honors
Jessica Cook, a senior in animal science, took first place in the Biological and Agricultural Sciences category of the California State University Research Competition in May, with her research on levels of phosphorus fertilizer and productivity.
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