Setting research and extension priorities for agronomic crops in California

Agronomic crop production in California, including grains and animal feed, faces multiple challenges that could be addressed by extension support. This means that extension services need to understand priorities for using their limited resources. Until now, a statewide assessment of the most importa...

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Main Authors: Jessica Kanter, Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, Nicholas Clark, Mark E. Lundy, Vikram Koundinya, Rachael Long, Sarah E. Light, Whitney B. Brim-DeForest, Bruce Linquist, Daniel Putnam, Robert B. Hutmacher, Cameron M. Pittelkow
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources 2024-06-01
Series:California Agriculture
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3733/001c.118769
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author Jessica Kanter
Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
Nicholas Clark
Mark E. Lundy
Vikram Koundinya
Rachael Long
Sarah E. Light
Whitney B. Brim-DeForest
Bruce Linquist
Daniel Putnam
Robert B. Hutmacher
Cameron M. Pittelkow
author_facet Jessica Kanter
Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
Nicholas Clark
Mark E. Lundy
Vikram Koundinya
Rachael Long
Sarah E. Light
Whitney B. Brim-DeForest
Bruce Linquist
Daniel Putnam
Robert B. Hutmacher
Cameron M. Pittelkow
author_sort Jessica Kanter
collection DOAJ
description Agronomic crop production in California, including grains and animal feed, faces multiple challenges that could be addressed by extension support. This means that extension services need to understand priorities for using their limited resources. Until now, a statewide assessment of the most important topics for research and extension was lacking. A survey was conducted by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) to identify high-priority needs and inform extension programming based on grower, consultant, and allied industry input. Our goal was to compare the importance of different topics with the level of satisfaction regarding UCCE’s delivery of information on these topics. Survey respondents identified integrated pest management, nutrient and irrigation management, and variety testing as high-priority needs, with overall high satisfaction regarding UCCE’s program delivery on these topics. Topics needing more focus (high priority but below-average level of satisfaction) included testing new products, soil health management, and water conservation and storage. Areas of low priority and low satisfaction included niche marketing, emerging crops, organic production, harvest/post-harvest technology, salinity management, compost and manure management, and greenhouse gas emission reductions. To address stakeholder challenges, results from this study suggest that research and extension efforts should prioritize issues directly impacting on-farm crop production. At the same time, areas of low interest reflect a need for more support to engage farmers on these topics, particularly those concerning state environmental regulations and challenges to local and global food production and security.
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spelling doaj-art-3f06496dbb014773b02cefebcd73a5562025-08-20T03:02:56ZengUniversity of California Agriculture and Natural ResourcesCalifornia Agriculture0008-08452160-80912024-06-0178210.3733/001c.118769Setting research and extension priorities for agronomic crops in CaliforniaJessica KanterMichelle Leinfelder-MilesNicholas ClarkMark E. LundyVikram KoundinyaRachael LongSarah E. LightWhitney B. Brim-DeForestBruce LinquistDaniel PutnamRobert B. HutmacherCameron M. PittelkowAgronomic crop production in California, including grains and animal feed, faces multiple challenges that could be addressed by extension support. This means that extension services need to understand priorities for using their limited resources. Until now, a statewide assessment of the most important topics for research and extension was lacking. A survey was conducted by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) to identify high-priority needs and inform extension programming based on grower, consultant, and allied industry input. Our goal was to compare the importance of different topics with the level of satisfaction regarding UCCE’s delivery of information on these topics. Survey respondents identified integrated pest management, nutrient and irrigation management, and variety testing as high-priority needs, with overall high satisfaction regarding UCCE’s program delivery on these topics. Topics needing more focus (high priority but below-average level of satisfaction) included testing new products, soil health management, and water conservation and storage. Areas of low priority and low satisfaction included niche marketing, emerging crops, organic production, harvest/post-harvest technology, salinity management, compost and manure management, and greenhouse gas emission reductions. To address stakeholder challenges, results from this study suggest that research and extension efforts should prioritize issues directly impacting on-farm crop production. At the same time, areas of low interest reflect a need for more support to engage farmers on these topics, particularly those concerning state environmental regulations and challenges to local and global food production and security.https://doi.org/10.3733/001c.118769
spellingShingle Jessica Kanter
Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
Nicholas Clark
Mark E. Lundy
Vikram Koundinya
Rachael Long
Sarah E. Light
Whitney B. Brim-DeForest
Bruce Linquist
Daniel Putnam
Robert B. Hutmacher
Cameron M. Pittelkow
Setting research and extension priorities for agronomic crops in California
California Agriculture
title Setting research and extension priorities for agronomic crops in California
title_full Setting research and extension priorities for agronomic crops in California
title_fullStr Setting research and extension priorities for agronomic crops in California
title_full_unstemmed Setting research and extension priorities for agronomic crops in California
title_short Setting research and extension priorities for agronomic crops in California
title_sort setting research and extension priorities for agronomic crops in california
url https://doi.org/10.3733/001c.118769
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