Dear Partners and Stakeholders, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spring is in full swing and, as always, we are energized by seeing the fields come alive with bee boxes, new plantings, fascinatingly complex farm equipment, and, of course, farmers hard at work stewarding the land and bringing food to our tables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of\u00a0Healthy Soils Week<\/a>, I had the pleasure of visiting\u00a0Westwind Farms\u00a0in\u00a0Woodland\u00a0with the Almond Board\u00a0and hearing\u00a0Kirk Pumphrey\u00a0share\u00a0his experience recycling\u00a0almond\u00a0hulls and shells as mulch in his orchard. He also spoke about his\u00a0research partnership with\u00a0UC\u00a0Davis\u2019\u00a0Tanya\u00a0Gerperle-Goncalves\u00a0to\u00a0better\u00a0understand the impacts\u00a0of these practices.\u00a0The farmers attending that event had great questions about how\u00a0these\u00a0practices\u00a0could translate to their\u00a0own\u00a0operations and what benefits they might expect, giving me insight into where they saw opportunities and where the challenges lie in broader adoption.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later in the week, we visited Twin Peaks Orchards in Newcastle and toured their operation with co-owner Justin Miller and staff from the Placer Resource Conservation District. It was inspiring to see their partnership in implementing a project supported by OARS\u2019 Healthy Soils Program (HSP) Block Grant and to see our friends at the Community Alliance for Family Farmers create an excellent learning environment for the legislative offices and state government leadership in attendance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I left Healthy Soils Week with\u00a0the\u00a0renewed\u00a0sense of purpose I needed\u00a0to sit right back down in front of this computer and keep collaborating with stakeholders and my staff to\u00a0strengthen\u00a0and\u00a0improve\u00a0our grant programs.\u00a0We look forward to reviewing HSP and State Water Efficiency Enhancement Program (SWEEP)\u00a0concept\u00a0proposals soon and to beginning outreach for our equipment sharing program\u00a0this spring and summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope you are finding similar inspiration in the bustle of spring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sincerely, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Tawny\u00a0Mata<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Partners and Stakeholders, Spring is in full swing and, as always, we are energized by seeing the fields come alive with bee boxes, new plantings, fascinatingly complex farm equipment, and, of course, farmers hard at work stewarding the land and bringing food to our tables. At the beginning of\u00a0Healthy Soils Week, I had the pleasure … Continue reading A Note from Our Director | May 2026<\/span>