About the College

More Than Food and Fiber

If it were just food and fiber, it would be indispensable. But agriculture is more than that. It’s both the promise of sustenance for a hungry world and a source of enjoyment in a demanding world. It is education and entertainment. It is land use and landscape. It is natural sustainability and national security.

It is a confluence of biology, chemistry, physics, genetics, engineering, meteorology, biotechnology, economics, finance, marketing, packaging, distribution, sales, and sociology. Essentially, agriculture is life.

For almost 70 years, the College of Agriculture at California State University, Chico has impacted the quality of life in California and across the nation by educating and equipping agricultural leaders who have the theoretical knowledge, practical experience, and decision-making ability that allows them to excel in their chosen career. The close, friendly nature of our college, combined with an integrated agricultural curriculum and remarkable access to hands-on education, creates a fertile learning environment for our students and the agriculture industry we serve.

Research

Since the 1950s, faculty, staff, and students in the College of Agriculture have worked to discover and share knowledge of integrated agricultural and environmental systems with students, industry, and society. Research and other scholarly activities ensure that our faculty remain current in their disciplines and that our students are exposed to and engaged in the process of scientific research.

Faculty Research and the Agricultural Research Institute

Never has our research been more prolific or relevant than since the state legislature instituted and funded the CSU Agriculture Research Initiative (ARI) in 1999. Recognizing that academic expertise in the four CSU colleges of agriculture represent a valuable resource that could be better used to help address applied research needs in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, the legislature enacted the CSU Agricultural Research Initiative (ARI).

Funding provided by ARI supports applied research in agricultural business management, biodiversity, biotechnology, food safety and processing, irrigation technology, natural resource management, production systems, and public policy development. This initiative spans CSU campuses at Chico, Fresno, Pomona, and San Luis Obispo.

At CSU, Chico, the College of Agriculture receives $750,000 annually. To maintain this funding, the college must secure at least that amount in matching funds from external sources. These funds are used to support faculty time, hire staff and research assistants, purchase equipment, and cover other research-related costs. They cannot be used for constructing buildings.

Our goal is to use ARI funds to:

• Enhance undergraduate instruction through faculty research engagement
• Provide hands-on research experiences for students
• Support summer undergraduate research micro-projects
• Collaborate with industry associations
• Partner with UC Cooperative Extension academics
• Develop centers of excellence involving interdisciplinary teams

If you have ideas for research projects or funding opportunities, please contact any faculty member in the College of Agriculture.

CSU Agricultural Research Institute

2026/27 ARI Call for Proposals Information Sheet

• 2026/27 ARI Call for Proposals Information Sheet

Resources

• InfoReady ARI Proposal Portal
• FY 2024-25 ARI Policy and Procedure Manual
• FY 2025-26 Request for Proposals
• 2024 ARI PI Informational Meeting Recording
• 2024 ARI PI Informational Meeting Presentation Slides

Current Faculty Research

Butte County Farmer Dax Kimmelshue Makes the Most of the Orchard Floor

Dax Kimmelshue, a fifth-generation farmer from Durham, has been growing beans for decades. Thanks to renewed interest in the ecological and economic benefits of beans, researchers at Chico State are studying his use of a sustainable production method called alley cropping.

Alley cropping is a system where a short-duration “companion” crop, such as beans, is grown between rows of fruit and nut trees. This method increases land and water efficiency and provides added revenue streams. Kimmelshue's family adopted this method in the 1970s and has maintained it even as industry trends moved away from it.

“Beans worked out to be a great companion crop for the trees,” said Kimmelshue. “Both require about the same amount of care… and about the same amount of irrigation—light, frequent irrigations about once a week.”

Although changes in orchard planting and irrigation have made alley cropping less common, Kimmelshue remains one of the few growers in Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties still using this system. He farms beans for both his family and other growers, with demand especially strong for yellow and cranberry beans in Hispanic markets. COVID-19 further increased demand for nonperishable dry beans in 2020.

Kimmelshue noted that interest in alley cropping tends to rise when tree nut prices drop: “You’re not going to get rich [alley cropping beans], but it’s going to help defray the cost to the tree grower.”

Plant science professor Hossein Zakeri explained, “Despite substantial acreage of orchards in California, alley cropping is not a common practice. We believe it can benefit orchard growers during early orchard establishment and improve soil health.”

Zakeri, along with Professor Cindy Brasier and a team of graduate and undergraduate students, is documenting Kimmelshue’s process to create guidelines for growers. Their research includes examining the impacts of alley cropping on soil and tree water status and exploring other crop options suitable for alley systems.

The research team plans to share their findings through:

• Field days
• Presentations at the California Plant & Soil Conference
• Annual agronomy meetings
• Multimedia educational materials for growers statewide

View a video conversation with Dax Kimmelshue about the basics of alley cropping

Undergraduate Research

Recognizing the distinctive value of research experience in the educational journey, we encourage undergraduates to engage in applied agricultural research. Through AGRI 490, Agricultural Experimental Research, students plan, conduct, and present projects addressing real-world agricultural challenges. For many students pursuing advanced degrees, this experience has been pivotal in their academic and professional success.