黑料百科

Land has been tilled at 黑料百科鈥檚 smart farm, the first physical step in听developing the state-of-the-art project.

鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 just a blank field, we have overcome some pretty big听obstacles to be where we are today,鈥� said Danny Royer, Experimental Smart听Farm coordinator for the university. He spoke Nov. 16, at the farm,听describing the work done so far and what鈥檚 next.

Plans call for the farm to grow oats, grain, tomatoes and squash. But the听primary crop for the 45-acre property roughly a half-mile south of campus听will be data.

Conditions will be monitored, and a dashboard will be created that student听researchers can access.

鈥淲e can look at different pest control strategies, different watering听strategies, knowing that the smart farm is keeping track of all this听background information,鈥� said Professor Tom Harmon,听who co-leads the smart farm with Professor Joshua Viers.

鈥淲e want the farm to operate on two levels,鈥� Harmon said. 鈥淥ne, it should听be tracking itself as a system in terms of water-energy work. And then at听the process level you can come in and do very detailed research for that.鈥�

The information that comes out of the farm will then be used to determine听new experiments.

鈥淒ata will be going back to campus, and students will be able to run听simulations and transfer that back,鈥� Viers said.

But first, the initial crops must be planted.

Planting will start soon, Royer said, after the invasive weeds star thistle听and juncus grass that have taken over the area are mitigated.

鈥淩eally, if we wanted to mitigate it the way I鈥檝e been taught to mitigate听it, we would disk this and leave it fallow for three years,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e听don鈥檛 have three years so we鈥檙e going to have to deal with this in other听ways, such as discing multiple times.鈥�

In the meantime, soil samples have been taken and data is being collected听to establish baselines for research.

The initial crop plan calls for a winter forage, 鈥渒ind of an oat-wheat听mix,鈥� Royer said. 鈥淲inter forage is great 鈥� the crop residue is heavy in听organic matter.鈥� This helps the soil regenerate.

鈥淭he more organic matter we can start incorporating at the beginning, the听better.鈥�

The university is working on establishing a memorandum of understanding听with Merced College, allowing students there to cut and bale the hay, which听would then be sold to the owner of the cattle that will graze the area.

The cows are another important part of the plan, Royer said. Livestock听activity also helps the soil regenerate.

Plans also call for four acres of intensive row crops, such as tomatoes,听squash, melons and corn. These products can ultimately be used for听community supported agriculture, or CSA boxes that will be sold.

Longer term, the farm is set to host farmers markets and other听public-facing activities, as well as provide experiences for students听outside of those who will directly use the data.

听鈥淥ne of my favorite features is an observation tower,鈥� Viers said. The听tower was requested by the humanities department. Students will be able to听view the farm from above for sketching and other activities.

But building out all the plans will cost money.

鈥淲e have funds to do the initial infrastructure and buy or lease some听equipment,鈥� Royer said.

Full buildout would cost tens of millions, Harmon and Viers estimated.

鈥淲e鈥檒l be seeking help from the community, sort of a virtual barn raising, to gather the necessary funding,鈥� Harmon said.

They are also exploring funding sources such a research grants to pay for听it. 黑料百科鈥檚 听as an agricultural experiment station (AES) will open other avenues of听funding. University of California President Michael Drake recently听announced that the Merced and Santa Cruz campuses have received the听prestigious designation, the first time it鈥檚 been earned in more than 50听years.

The smart farm is 黑料百科鈥檚 AES facility.

鈥淲ith the AES designation, Santa Cruz and Merced have the potential听additional funding from the University鈥檚 budget for (agricultural)听research, and they will be able to make a stronger case for competitive听grants in the larger research area,鈥� Drake said.
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