Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems

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Our Office

Holt 381
530-898-4335

Dr. Cynthia Daley, Founder, Director

Dr. Timothy LaSalle, Co-Founder

Email Us
regenerativeag@csuchico.edu

Soil Health Field Days

Regenerative Orchard Systems: Orchard Management Strategies to Optimize Soil Health 

(Tentative Agenda as of February 20, 2024)

Rory CrowleyTuesday, March 19th, 2024: 

8:00 - 8:30 am - Registration  -  Coffee, Continental Breakfast and Social Time at the CSU Chico University Farm Pavillion

Moderator: Tim LaSalle

8:30 am - 9:00 am: Why soil health matters in Orchard Systems: Speaker TBD

9:00 am - 11:00 am: Grower Panel: Presentations and discussion. Growers will answer the following questions: how do you use these practices in your orchard system; can you reduce your inputs with regenerative practices; how have these practices impacted biodiversity on your farm and is there an economic benefit? Q & A - open questions from audience. (Panelists TBD)

11:00 am - 12:00 am: Soil Testing 101: How to measure, what to measure and what does it mean. Speaker: Dr. Lance Gunderson - Regen Ag Laboratory

12:00pm- 1:00pm Lunch - Catered Lunch - Locally Grown Foods

1:00 - 4:00pm: Tour Rory Crowley’s Farm 

  • Develop a program overview
  • Equipment- on farm demo
  • Economics- handout
  • Soil Testing work - Lance Gunderson interpretation
  • Slake testing

5:30pm- 7:00pm: Potential social gathering

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Daniel UnruhWednesday, March 20th, 2024

8:30: am - Day begins with continental breakfast and coffee @ CSU Chico University Farm Pavillion

Moderator: Jamie Johansen

9:00am- 9:30am: Mutispecies Cover Crop Seed Selection for Orchards: TBD

9:30am- 10:00am: Online cover crop selection tools/ resources- where to find them and how to use them (UCANR, USDA, etc)- Speaker: Benjamin Lewis

10:00am- 10:30am: Techniques for cover crop termination and orchard floor preparation for harvest. Speaker: Danny Unruh

10:30am- 11:00am: Grazing and mechanical termination of cover crops and above ground harvesting. Speakers: Raquel Krach and Benina Burroughs Montes 

11:00am- 11:30am: What Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs) can do for you: How to apply for implementation funding - intro by Lindsey Hethcote 

11:30am-12:00pm: Programs to support Health Soils Implementation strategies in Orchards: multiple organization TBD

12:00pm- 1:00pm: Catered Lunch

1:00pm - 5:00pm: Tour Danny Unruh’s farm

  • Develop a program to cover management
  • Seed selection/seeding times/strategy for harvest
  • Equipment
  • Economics
  • Rain Simulation
  • Soil Testing work - Lance Gunderson Interpretation