{"id":2678,"date":"2026-01-26T10:11:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T18:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/?p=2678"},"modified":"2026-01-26T10:11:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T18:11:06","slug":"cdfa-welcomes-new-fiab-tasc-members","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/cdfa-welcomes-new-fiab-tasc-members\/","title":{"rendered":"CDFA Welcomes New FIAB TASC Members"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board\u2019s (FIAB) Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC) welcomes two new members and one reappointment for 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The subcommittee serves as an expert scientific panel on matters concerning efficient use of fertilizing materials and irrigation water for CDFA\u2019s Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP). TASC members assist in setting project priorities for FREP\u2019s grant program, review and recommend research and outreach proposals to the FIAB for funding, and make recommendations regarding FREP activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gina Colfer, new TASC member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gina Colfer is a licensed Pest Control Advisor (PCA) and Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) who has worked in the Salinas Valley for over 30 years. She is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Crop Science. She got her start in the field of pest management as a PCA on the Central Coast, first working at service companies, then as an in-house agronomist for a large organic leafy greens operation. When taking on her role at Wilbur Ellis, Gina helped to develop their organic program and is now focused on sustainable solutions and what that means for Wilbur Ellis and their grower partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devin Clarke, new TASC member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Devin Clarke is a graduate of California State University, Chico, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. He holds both PCA and CCA licenses and is a current committee member on the Almond Board Strategic Ag Innovation Committee. Devin previously worked as a crop consultant for Stanislaus Farm Supply and as a Permanent Crop Manager overseeing Yara\u2019s Incubator Farm. He is currently the co-founder of Unbound Ag LLC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike Almasri, reappointed TASC member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mike Almasri has a Ph.D. in Horticulture and Agronomy from the University of California, Davis, and over 10 years of research experience in plant nutrition and soil water relations. He is currently a Senior Agronomist for Simplot Grower Solutions and has experience working in a variety of cropping systems across California. Mike also holds a CCA, PCA and Certified Professional Agronomist (CPAg) license.

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board\u2019s (FIAB) Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC) welcomes two new members and one reappointment for 2026. The subcommittee serves as an expert scientific panel on matters concerning efficient use of fertilizing materials and irrigation water for CDFA\u2019s Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP). TASC members assist in setting project priorities …<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1722,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[39,447,509],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-frep-grant-program","category-profiles","category-technical-advisory-subcommittee"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9r16A-Hc","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2755,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/cdfa-announces-vacancies-on-fertilizer-inspection-advisory-board-technical-advisory-subcommittee\/","url_meta":{"origin":2678,"position":0},"title":"CDFA Announces Vacancies on Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board Technical Advisory Subcommittee","author":"Jennifer Harmon","date":"April 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The California Department of Food and Agriculture is now accepting applications to fill four vacancies on the Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board\u2019s Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC). TASC serves as an expert scientific panel on matters concerning efficient use of fertilizing materials and irrigation water. TASC members advise on Fertilizer Research and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Technical Advisory Subcommittee"","block_context":{"text":"Technical Advisory Subcommittee","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/technical-advisory-subcommittee\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":761,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/vacancies-on-freps-technical-advisory-subcommittee\/","url_meta":{"origin":2678,"position":1},"title":"Vacancies on FREP’s Technical Advisory Subcommittee","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"June 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is announcing three vacancies on the Fertilizer Research and Education Program\u2019s (FREP) Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC). TASC reviews and recommends research and education proposals for funding and implementation to the department\u2019s Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board. Funded through a mill assessment on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FREP Grant Program"","block_context":{"text":"FREP Grant Program","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/frep-grant-program\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Monterey Bay greens","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_0507.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_0507.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_0507.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_0507.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_0507.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_0507.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":118,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/openings-in-the-california-fertilizer-technical-advisory-subcommittee-tasc\/","url_meta":{"origin":2678,"position":2},"title":"Openings in the California Fertilizer Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC)","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"May 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The California Department of Food and Agriculture is announcing four vacancies on the Fertilizer Research and Education Program\u2019s (FREP) Technical Advisory Subcommittee. This subcommittee reviews and recommends fertilizer research and education proposals for funding to CDFA\u2019s Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board. FREP funds and facilitates research to improve the agronomic and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FREP Grant Program"","block_context":{"text":"FREP Grant Program","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/frep-grant-program\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1177,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/vacancies-frep-tasc\/","url_meta":{"origin":2678,"position":3},"title":"Vacancies on FREP’s Technical Advisory Subcommittee","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"May 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The California Department of Food and Agriculture is announcing three vacancies on the Fertilizer Research and Education Program\u2019s (FREP) Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TASC). The TASC reviews and recommends research and education proposals for funding and implementation to the department\u2019s Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board. Applicants must demonstrate technical, applied, and scientific\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FREP Grant Program"","block_context":{"text":"FREP Grant Program","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/frep-grant-program\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":288,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/2018-request-for-proposals\/","url_meta":{"origin":2678,"position":4},"title":"2018 Request for Proposals","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"December 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) funds and facilitates research to advance the environmentally safe and agronomically sound use of fertilizer in California. The FREP grant program uses a two-phase annual process. Phase I, the submission of concept proposals, is now open! Each year, research priorities are released in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FREP Grant Program"","block_context":{"text":"FREP Grant Program","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/frep-grant-program\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CDFA FREP Grant Process","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/FREP-Grant-Process-Regular2.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":158,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/the-frep-grant-process\/","url_meta":{"origin":2678,"position":5},"title":"The FREP Grant Process","author":"Brooke Elliot","date":"December 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A FREP request for proposals (RFP) is released each year, and invites researchers and educators to propose nutrient management research and education projects. The proposals undergo a rigorous selection process by scientific and technical experts, and the approved proposals receive FREP grants. Here is how the grant process works: FREP\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FREP Grant Program"","block_context":{"text":"FREP Grant Program","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/category\/frep-grant-program\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CDFA FREP Grant Process","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/FREP-Grant-Process-Regular2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1722"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2678"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2689,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678\/revisions\/2689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/FREP\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}