Cover crops can provide many soil and ecosystem benefits, like improving water infiltration and providing resources for pollinators. However, we don't yet know which cover crop species are best suited for specific cash crops.
Daniel Unruh, and his family, farm just under 200 acres of walnuts alongside the Sacramento River, just outside of Princeton, CA. The walnut orchard is irrigated with solid set sprinklers and is only irrigated when needed, or if there is not enough rain during the season.
Steven Cardoza farms 300 acres of organic raisin grapes with his father in Fresno County, California. He met with us recently to share his experiences with cover cropping and more broadly, his transition towards regenerative agriculture.
UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture Educator team assisted growers to win CDFA grants that reduced greenhouse gases equivalent to removing roughly 7,000 cars off the road, supporting UC ANR's public value of building climate-resilient communities and ecosystems.
Practices: Occultation, cover crops, compost, field borders, reduced tillage, companion planting, crop rotation Mary Jean Russell runs Pickalittle Farm, a diversified vegetable operation in Bakersfield, CA. She provides organically-grown vegetables and herbs to local restaurants and to CSA members.
