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Loss of UC program hurts crop research

Published online on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009

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Anyone who's savored the pleasures of Chandler strawberries should lament the closing of the University of California's Small Farm Program.

For 30 years, the program has paid for specialty crop research, marketing advice and educational programs for local strawberry farmers and other growers.

Because of budget cuts, it will shut on Dec. 31. And UC farm advisers around the state -- the folks who grow tea on the coast, dragon fruit in San Diego and a host of specialty crops in the San Joaquin Valley -- are scrambling for dollars to continue their research.

Take Tulare County farm adviser Manuel Jimenez. In the 1990s, farmers scoffed at his work with early-season blueberries. The Valley was far too hot for this delicate berry, they said.

A decade later, Jimenez's persistent work with farmers has paid off. California now has 5,000 acres of blueberries. In 2007, California's crop was worth $30 million.

The demise of the Small Farm Program affects Jimenez's blueberries and other promising crops, such as guavas. He had to lay off a technician, and he can't pay for plastic to protect his guavas this winter.

"If I don't get the plastic, they freeze and die," he says.

Richard Molinar, the U.C. small farm adviser for Fresno County, says the program pays for $10,000-$15,000 of his costs every year.

He's not sure yet how he'll scale back his work, but there has already been one casualty: Local strawberry stands will not appear on the Fresno County Fruit Trail map next year. That's because the program pays for the listings, Molinar says.

I'm worried about other crops, such as Sichuan peppercorns. As far as Molinar knows, they're not grown anywhere else in the nation. And what about mini watermelons? One of my favorite visits to Molinar's fields included a tasting of about 25 watermelon varieties.

"We've had Sichuan peppers and jujubes and capers for 10-12 years. We're not about to give those up," Molinar says. "But we might not have an acre or two acres of mini watermelons. Until we have money, we might cut them out for a couple of years."

These may seem like trivial crops, compared to ubiquitous foods such as russet potatoes. But selling specialty fruits and vegetables in niche markets allows small-farms to survive. Without the economies of scale that come with larger farms, small-scale farmers can't compete on price, according to the Small Farm Program's Web site.

By shutting the program, the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources will reap a one-time savings of $268,000 and $140,000 in annual costs, says Shermain Hardesty, the program's director.

Compare this to the $2.1 million in grants and contracts the program has nabbed for the university since 2000. Without the prestige of the Small Farm Program backing these grant applications, it's difficult to continue winning them, Molinar says.

The bottom line: If the farm advisers don't replace their funding, it's a big loss for California's farmers.