Leslie J. Nickels Trust
Nickels Soil Laboratory in cooperation with The University of California
Arbuckle, California
Who are we?
The Leslie J. Nickels Testamentary Trust (the Trust) was established in 1961 through the bequest of L.J. Nickels, a local farmer. He donated his property to establish The Trust, which owns and operates the Nickels Soil Lab (NSL) to support local agriculture through research projects with a specific focus on novel approaches/ideas. The NSL operates in cooperation with the University of California and the Colusa County Water District. The Trust has been in place for more than half a century, is debt free, and is a registered 501c3 charity.
What do we do?
The Leslie J. Nickels Testamentary Trust (the Trust) owns and operates the Nickels Soil Lab (NSL), a 160-acre commercial farm southwest of Arbuckle, Colusa County, California. The Trust hosts the University of California and U.S. Department of Agriculture commercial scale (acres) research projects in almond, walnut, and olive production under an MOU with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (ucanr.edu).
The Trust seeks to develop and/or test sustainable (economic and environmental) orchard materials and practices using long-term field trials (10+ years). Orchards are long-lived farming systems lasting 20+ years. Accurate assessment of a practice or material can require many years of study. The NSL provides dedicated facilities for such long-term evaluation. Research results are extended through grower meetings (field and classroom), annual reports, various popular press/newsletter articles, and peer reviewed journal articles.
How do we operate?
Mr. Nickels left his property in trust to the Superior Court of California, Colusa County. An accountant and lawyer employed by the Trust provide professional review of trust accounting and submit for annual court review and approval.
The Trust has two full-time employees and a half-time manager. Three trustees guide decisions with long-term impact and costs. The trustees include two farmers from the local area and a University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) advisor from the UCCE Colusa County office. Bookkeeping and Research Coordination are provided through the UCCE Colusa office.
Crop sales provide the bulk of the NSL operating budget with support from commodity boards (Almond Board of California and California Walnut Board) for large irrigation infrastructure projects. Since 2020, as crop income dropped, the Trust has supplemented crop sales with grower/industry fundraising (thanks to JCS Marketing and UCCE Colusa), manufacturer donations, and a one-time cash payment from the State
of California. The Trust is actively seeking endowment donations to provide stable income (interest on the principle) to supplement crop sales.
What have we done?
Over the past 50 years, research conducted at the NSL has significantly contributed to the development of modern orchard production practices; improving crop production per acre, grower income, full time job opportunities, local economies, and efficient use of water and fertilizers.
What are we doing?
Current research projects at NSL include work in almond (9), walnut (2), and olive (1) production.
Almond projects include:
· Fertilizer trials (3)
· Whole orchard recycling/soil health
· Self-fertile almond production compared to 3 varieties of self-infertile almonds requiring cross-pollination
· Incorporating yard-waste compost in almond rootzone at planting vs no compost
· Tree spacing (down the row) on two different rootstocks
· Organic almond demonstration orchard
· Comparison of variety selection in self-infertile almond planting for best yield.
· New almond variety and rootstock evaluation.
Walnut projects include:
· Testing rest-breaking agents (Dormex or CAN17 fertilizer) for bud-break timing and yield in Chandler walnuts
· Evaluating new walnut rootstocks compared to standard rootstocks with or without preplant fumigation for yield and tree health in the presence of nematode pests.
Olive project:
· Evaluating orchard pruning and fruit loosening agents for improved mechanical harvest of table olives.
Research Proposals
Opportunities are available to UC faculty, Farm Advisor and students and USDA scientists for field research on a yearly or long-term basis. Land, crop production requirements and labor are available for approved projects. Researcher are invited to submit proposals using a simple, two-page form.
Submit Research Proposals forms to: Franz Niederholzer, NSL RAC Chair, UCCE Farm Advisor, P.O. Box 180, Colusa, CA 95932. fjniederholzer@ucanr.edu
Here you will find information and forms regarding the Call for Proposals for the Nickels Soil Lab.