Sustainable farming systems project names new research manager
January 2008
DAVIS—Martin Burger, an agroecologist with a background in soil science and plant physiology, has been named research manager of the University of California, Davis Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems (SAFS) project.
"We're excited to have someone with Martin's experience in agroecosystem science work with us," said Will Horwath, SAFS coordinator and a professor of soil biogeochemistry in the UC Davis land, air and water department. "Agricultural sustainability is a 'hot button' issue and Martin will contribute greatly to developing solutions for California agriculture"
The SAFS project has looked at reduced tillage, the use of cover crops, drip irrigation and other sustainable farming practices for almost 20 years.
The SAFS main project site is UC Davis' Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility, which is also home to the campus Long-Term Research in Agricultural Systems experiment. Both experiments are part of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI).
Burger, who was a post doctoral researcher in Arnold Bloom's plant physiology lab at UC Davis, will work with Horwath, more than 20 SAFS principal investigators and UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors, several dozen farmers and numerous other researchers, graduate and undergraduate students.
"I look forward to working with Will and the other SAFS team members," said Burger. "My prior work focused on the effects of management practices on plant nutrient supply and greenhouse gas emissions from soil, and most recently, I studied plant nitrogen metabolism in a changing atmosphere. This is a great opportunity to collaborate with a highly diverse group of innovative farmers and researchers."
Media Contacts:
Martin Burger, UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, (530) 754-6497,
Will Horwath, UC Davis Department of Land, Air & Water Resources, (530) 754-6029,
Lyra Halprin, (530) 752-8664,
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