Red, ripe cherries hide in small clusters amid long leaves in the UC Davis teaching orchard. They’re sweet, juicy, beautiful. In area grocery stores, such delights cost up to $8 a pound, but these would have gone to the birds. They must be harvested by hand, and at the price of labor, they’re too expensive to pick, said orchard manager Victor Serratos of the Department of Plant Sciences.

The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis is pleased to welcome Colin Dixon, who has more than 20 years of education and sustainable agriculture experience, as the the new director of the Student Farm.

Dixon, whose first job in Davis was at the Student Farm, worked as the co-design lead at Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) Science Learning in Oakland where his efforts focused on making science education more equitable.

Researchers at UC Davis are working to develop new and improved varieties of celtuce, a leafy green vegetable that plays an important role in Asian cuisine. The Student Collaborative Organic Plant Breeding Education (SCOPE) project, which works with local organic growers on improving crop varieties, is analyzing the traits of celtuce to improve seed availability for small scale farmers.

Article originally published by UC Davis College of Letters and Sciences.

The 6 million people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in California — 15% of the population — influence many aspects of the state’s culture. Nowhere is that more apparent than in food. But while Asian cuisine plays an outsized role in California, growers face obstacles in bringing the ingredients to the table.

The KIND Foundation has pledged $150,000 to help UC Davis work on bee health and pollination led by Professor Neal Williams in the Department of Entomology and Nematology. Support for the Williams Lab is part of a larger effort by KIND Health Snacks to source all of its almonds from bee-friendly farmland throughout the world.

A half dozen people wear orange plastic gloves and keep their distance from each other as they harvest lettuce, kale, beets and other crops at the UC Davis Student Farm. Their bounty will help feed the Davis community in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Like everyone else, we’re trying to respond as best we can in these uncertain times,” says Katharina Ullmann, Student Farm director, taking a break from the day’s harvest.  

The UC Davis Student Farm is one of the cornerstone examples of experiential learning of sustainable agriculture and food systems in Davis. The Student Farm, through various internships, volunteer opportunities, and employment opportunities allows students to gain knowledge through experiential learning by working on a sustainable organic farm. This video, produced by students, gives us a lens into what happens on the farm.

Alumna and Davis Farmers Market Cookbook author Ann Evans champions CA&ES Dean’s Circle

Each year, hundreds of friends and alumni of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences contribute more than $100,000 to support the CA&ES Dean’s Circle Fund, a special program that provides essential student support.

Student Farm director receives namesake award from Sustainable Agriculture Education Association

Mark Van Horn, director of the UC Davis Student Farm, was awarded the inaugural Mark Van Horn On-Farm Educator Award, established by the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association and presented during the association’s recent biennial conference.