field
RUSSELL RANCH

Agroecological Research

Century Experiment

Field Day 2016

Research

Research
Education and Outreach

Education and Outreach
Team

Team

SkylineThe Russell Ranch 2016 Field Day took place on Wednesday June 8, 2016 with the timely theme "Farm Water Management in Times of Scarcity." With poster sessions, guided hay wagon tours around Russell Ranch, presentations, and a farmer-producer panel, topics included water-smart irrigation management in annual and perennial cropping systems, energy meters, greenhouse gas budgets, balancing multiple goals with productivity, subsurface drip and furrow irrigation, deficit irrigation, groundwater recharge, and remote sensing technologies for monitoring irrigation. The grower panel was moderated by CDFA’s Amrith Gunaskera and featured farmers John Meek, Tony Turkovich, and a representative from the Nichols Farm, and focused on the challenges and synergies in on-farm water management. To learn more about the field day, click on the handouts and presentations below.

Presentations

Stop One: Groundwater well pump

  • Energy-water nexus in irrigation management

      Olivier Jerphagnon (PowWow): Water-energy nexus in California, Olivier Jerphagnon handout

  • Water measurement smart energy meters -- pump with variable frequency driver

      Stan Knutson (PowWow): Can we measure water from energy data? Stan Knutson handout

  • Approaches for irrigation optimization of annual row and perennial crops

      Teresa Carillo-Cobo (Post-doctoral scholar, LAWR, UCD): Rational irrigation scheduling of annual row crops and perennial crops, Teresa Carillo-Cobo handout

 

Stop Two: Century Experiment plots

  • Managing irrigation for multiple goals in organic systems: Integrating productivity with soil health

      Amélie Gaudin (Assistant professor, Plant Sciences, UCD): Managing irrigation for multiple goals in organic systems, Amélie Gaudin handout

  • Irrigation management and water source shift greenhouse gas balance

      Martin Burger (Associate Project Scientist, LAWR, UCD): Irrigation management and water source shift greenhouse gas balance, Martin Burger handout

  • Managing corn under California's drought conditions

      Mark Lundy (UCCE, UCD): Managing irrigated corn during drought, Mark Lundy handout

 

Stop Three: Front fields

  • Adaptation of subsurface drip irrigation in alfalfa to improve water productivity (pros and cons)

      Dan Putnam (Agronomist, UCD): Deficit irrigation strategies with SDI alfalfa varieties, Dan Putnam handout

  • Impact of drip tape spacing on yield and water use in alfalfa

      Daniele Zaccaria (Lecturer, UCD): Investigating water, energy and GHG footprints of alfalfa production under border-checks and sub-surface irrigation, Daniele Zaccaria handout

  • Deficit irrigation of processing tomatoes

      Tim Hartz (UCCE, UCD): Deficit irrigation of processing tomatoes, Tim Hartz handout

 

Barn Talks

  •  Exploring the potential to increase groundwater recharge in agricultural soil landscapes

       Toby O’Geen (UCCE, Soil Resources, LAWR): Exploring the potential to increase groundwater recharge in agricultural soil landscapes, Toby O'Geen presentation

  •  Irrigating to grow groundwater

       Graham Fogg (Professor, LAWR): Irrigating to grow groundwater, Graham Fogg presentation

  • Remote sensing for monitoring vegetation water status

      Darren Drewry (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory): Remote sensing for monitoring vegetation water status, Darren Drewry presentation

Other Field Day Resources

  •  Overview of Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility: RR Overview
  •  Research Highlights 2016 – Russell Ranch Sustainable Agriculture Facility: RR Research Highlights