Orchard grazing research is boosted by $2 million grant
The University of California will partner with a Washington, D.C.-based research organization to study how organic orchard growers can safely incorporate livestock grazing into their farming practices. The research collaboration between the UC and The Organic Center is funded by a $2 million grant recently awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative research program. Employing livestock to graze on cover crops in California nut orchards has in- creased in recent years. Grazing sheep and other livestock can help convert cover crops to fertilizer for orchard crops. However, researchers say more informa- tion is needed to determine best methods to improve soil health and pest suppres- sion and to address concerns about food- borne pathogens and food safety. “Little research has been conducted to verify adequate waiting periods to re- duce contamination risks in integrated crop-livestock production systems,” said Alda Pires, UC Cooperative Extension ur- ban agriculture and food safety specialist in Davis. “This research will fill the knowl- edge gap and facilitate the development of science-based food safety guidelines for grazing small ruminants in orchards.”
For the four-year project, the scientists will study organic almond, walnut and pis- tachio orchards in two distinct nut-grow- ing regions in California—the Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley. The scien- tists will assess the effects of livestock graz- ing of cover crops on bacteria populations, soil health, pest control and economics. “Growers have consistently raised the need for more information on grazing im- pacts on nutrient availability during tree growth, as well as potential to build up the biological, physical and chemical pillars of soil health,” said Amelie Gaudin, associate professor of agroecology at UC Davis. Gaudin said livestock grazing may pro- vide opportunities to enhance the amount of nitrogen that can be used by plants and microbes when a cover crop is terminated. “This project will help growers develop nitrogen budgets for these more diversified systems and quantify additional benefits and potential tradeoffs for soil health, such as compaction and salinity, to guide the development of place-based best manage- ment practices,” she said. Houston Wilson, UCCE specialist in the Department of Entomology in Riverside, will be studying effects of livestock graz- ing in orchards on the navel orangeworm, a destructive pest for nut crops.
Researchers from the University of California and The Organic Center will study grazing practices in orchards. One study will examine whether livestock can help manage pests in nut orchards.
al ecosystem benefits, such as soil health and weed control.” The Organic Center was awarded $75,000 to work with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources to direct outreach ac- tivities, including webinars, educational sessions and a technical report for growers.
“These moths overwinter in unharvest- ed nuts in the orchard, and so removal and destruction of remnant nuts over the winter is the foundation of NOW control,” Wilson said. “While farmers typically use machinery to do this, grazing with animals may present a unique alternative that is more cost-effective and provides addition-
Introducing our new online classifieds platform Now Live! agalert.com/calagxchange
Auto/Trucks
Chemicals
Equipment
Events
Farm Buildings
Fertilizer
Financing
Irrigation
Your farming and ranching marketplace and services resource!
Jobs
Land for Lease
Livestock
Material
Miscellaneous
Nursery Products
Pipe
Real Estate
Browse by category
Email agalert@cfbf.com to place your online ad.
October 11, 2023 Ag Alert 17
Powered by FlippingBook