
The intersection of science and U.S. agriculture sits on a sparsely traveled but vital road known well by some.
Three relatively new farm advisers with the University of Arizona were introduced in Yuma recently as Extension staff there sought to solicit input from farmers on issues of concern.
Introduced at the meeting were:
Wilfred Calvin, an Extension specialist and entomologist who plans to focus on insect issues affecting organic vegetables, citrus, Medjool dates, and organic cotton.
Ali Mohammed is the UA’s new organic crop specialist in Yuma. He earned his Ph.D. in biological engineering and has done extensive work in the U.S. and abroad on irrigation systems.
Bhupinder Singh is an agronomist with a Ph.D. from Mississippi State University. He intends to focus on plant growth issues in conventional crops. He is based at the UA farm in Maricopa but has statewide Extension responsibilities.
While organizers of the Yuma event appeared disappointed by the low attendance at the meet-and-greet gathering, they can be assured that farmers are not ambivalent to Cooperative Extension’s work in Arizona or otherwise believe that farmers undervalue the importance of their Land Grant university. On the contrary: farmers I’ve met seem to know the value their local Cooperative Extension brings to what they do, as is evident in the standing room-only attendance at various Extension meetings I’ve attended.
Like Arizona, some Extension meetings in California are better attended than others. Still, the consensus I’ve witnessed suggests that farmers there likewise value what their University of California Extension advisers bring to the agriculture industry.
I didn’t grow up on a farm, but I’ve learned much by watching and listening to those who did and still do farm. As a student by observation, I’ve learned that farmers largely respect the university scientists who help them address agronomic issues with applied science.
As a journalist, I learned relatively early in my career the high value of the Land Grant University system. Cooperative Extension farm advisers quickly became a go-to resource for me when writing about plant health and crop production issues, first for a daily newspaper, and later for agricultural publications. I sometimes joke that I should probably have enough graduate-level college credits for a graduate degree because of what these farm advisors have taught me along the way.
One of the ongoing challenges I see is this: how do we communicate the value our Land Grant university system plays in ensuring a sustainable, high quality domestic food supply for U.S. residents? Enjoyable as it is to have access to a year-round international food supply, an adequate and unrestrained domestic food supply remains vital to our national security, and we arguably won’t keep this without our publicly funded Land Grant universities.
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