Online documentaries feature conservation agriculture

To introduce more California farmers to conservation agriculture practices, Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation has produced a six-part documentary featuring California farmers, University of California researchers and agency representatives.

The series premieres Aug. 6 and may be viewed online at http://CASI.ucanr.edu.

There will be a seven-minute segment that lays out the theoretical principles and the scientific basis for conservation agriculture. Additional segments will be released each Monday for five weeks thereafter.

Throughout the series, viewers will hear from farmers who say they are implementing conservation agriculture successfully and profitably on their Central Valley farms.

The six- to 10-minute episodes review the core principles and practices associated with conservation agriculture systems and provide examples of successful local adoption.

After the six-week series airs, the UC West Side Research and Extension Center in Fresno County will host the annual Twilight Conservation Agriculture Field Day, Sept. 13, for farmers and others interested in conservation agriculture. The event, which begins at 4 p.m. and concludes when darkness falls, is free and includes a barbecue dinner.

Field day organizers said viewers of the video series can get clarification and meet many of the farmers and scientists featured in the documentary, plus get a firsthand look at conservation agriculture research currently under way.

"Our goal with the video series is to reach a wider audience of farmers with our research results and on-farm success stories, which show conservation agricultural practices can help make farmers more competitive and sustainable in the long run," said Jeff Mitchell, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis.

To register for the Twilight Field Day, go to http://ucanr.edu/TwilightRegistration. The West Side Research and Extension Center is at 17353 W. Oakland Ave., Five Points.

The Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation documentary series includes the following episodes:

• Aug. 6, "Introduction to conservation agriculture": The first video defines conservation agriculture and outlines what researchers call its increasing credibility in the global context.
• Aug. 13, "Maintaining crop residues": California farmers have tended to adopt "clean cultivation" systems, but research has shown that maintenance of residues from the previous crop or a winter cover crop helps improve soil and reduces evaporation from the surface.
• Aug. 20, "Conservation agriculture in tomato production systems": Farm advisors say these systems cut production costs, reduce dust emissions and store more carbon in the soil.
• Aug. 27, "Conservation agriculture in dairy silage production systems": Three dairy farmers committed to conservation agriculture systems in their silage production share their secrets and success.
• Sept. 3, "Minimum tillage systems": This video features examples of a number of reduced-pass or "pass combining" tillage systems that have been developed during the past decade.
• Sept. 10, "Coupling conservation tillage with overhead irrigation": Researchers say overhead irrigation systems such as center pivots are particularly useful when coupled with conservation tillage.

For more information, contact Mitchell at 559-303-9689 or jpmitchell@ucdavis.edu.