Research in California’s Central Valley is not confined to laboratories. It is happening on farms, where collaboration between University of California (UC) scientists and local growers is helping shape the future of agriculture.
One example is the Rosy Red Valencia orange, developed by Tulare County citrus grower Nancy Lange. This variety, patented in 2018, owes its existence to UC researchers. After discovering a mutated limb on one of her trees that produced oranges with a rosy blush rind and pinkish flesh, Lange worked with advisors from UC Cooperative Extension and the Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP) at UC Riverside to ensure the new fruit was safe and viable for commercial growth.
“There would be no Rosy Red Valencia without CCPP,” Lange said. “Terrible diseases like HLB [Huanglongbing, or citrus greening disease], if allowed to infect citrus nursery trees, could wipe out California citrus. The job CCPP does is critical.” She added: “I am grateful that this vital service is funded to allow for the growth of new varieties in California and continues to promote the innovation of the California citrus industry.”
The Rosy Red Valencia has since been planted widely and is now available in stores throughout California.
UC Cooperative Extension, part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, provides direct support to farmers across the state. Advisors run experiments and collect data on drought management, soil health, crop varietals, pest control, and more.
Cannon Michael, president and CEO of Bowles Farming in Merced County, credits his farm’s success partly to partnerships with UC scientists. Bowles Farming grows a wide range of crops including carrots, alfalfa, almonds, cantaloupes, corn, pistachios, tomatoes and watermelon.
Michael highlighted Bill Weir’s influence—a late UC Cooperative Extension advisor known for developing a narrower cotton harvester that increased yields significantly in Merced County. “He really transformed nitrogen use and made some adaptations that not only saved us a lot of money but also helped with compliance and how we better use an input like nitrogen,” Michael said.
Bowles Farming continues its research collaborations today by working with faculty such as Rebecca Ryals from UC Merced on composting textile waste—a project aligned with state climate goals under Senate Bill 1383—and Kate Scow from UC Davis on soil microbiology studies funded by the California Tomato Research Institute.
“We need guidance,” Michael said. “It’s a marriage in my mind between academia and the practical… They have to work together.” He added: “Where do farmers look to find credibility…? It should be coming from unbiased folks who are trying to actually look at scientific peer-reviewed information that we can help make good decisions with.”
Michael emphasized that research strengthens global competitiveness for American crops: “Long-term research is part of the backbone of the whole industry. Cutting off research is going to slow progress… All those things get impinged upon when you don’t have a good marriage of scientific research with daily work.”
Joe Del Bosque grows cantaloupes near Firebaugh. During recent droughts he became an advocate for farming issues nationwide. Del Bosque relies heavily on irrigation data developed by UC researchers: “We schedule our irrigations of our crops largely based on data developed by the UC system,” he said. “We use that every week… so we are more efficient with our water.”
Del Bosque values ongoing collaboration: “UC Cooperative Extension is really valuable to us… They’re taking theory or studies and putting them into practice… That is really crucial.” He noted challenges due to budget cuts but stressed continued support: “We should be advocating for more budget money for these programs.”
“Farmers can’t do the research on their own,” Del Bosque said. “It takes someone like UC to do that type of research for us so we can be better at growing crops and also taking care of our people.”
