Announcements May 2025

                                                                                         Image credit: Swanton Pacific Ranch, Davenport, CA

*Swanton Pacific Ranch Survey for the Cal Poly Community*: We are collecting feedback to develop a comprehensive vision that will guide the future of Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR), Cal Poly's beloved working landscape composed of grandiose redwood forests, lush riparian ecosystems, and expansive coastal grasslands. Your responses will be instrumental in enabling SPR to facilitate diverse academic programs as they rebuild from the CZU Lightning Complex Fire of 2020. Please take just a couple of minutes to complete a brief survey.

Survey link for faculty: https://forms.office.com/r/M83WrK3QzH 

Survey link for students: https://forms.office.com/r/htQ1kLyJyr

Please see below for links to upcoming events and opportunities in sustainable food and agriculture: 

Upcoming Events
 

Cal Poly
1. Artisanal Cheesemaking course, Dairy Products Technology Center: 6/17-18
2. Strawberry Field Day, Cal Poly Strawberry Center: 7/24
3. Cal Poly Meats and Poly Provisions: open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays
4. Ice Cream Drive-thru: Fridays
5. Citrus U-Pick, Cal Poly Farm: Saturday

San Luis Obispo & Central Coast
6. Sheep Shearing Shindig, City Farm SLO: 5/10
7. Olive and Lavender Festival, Paso Robles: 5/10
8. Santa Barbara Culinary Experience: 5/12-18
9. New Righetti Hill Open Space Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, San Luis Obispo: 5/13
10. Paso Wine Fest: 5/15-18
11. SLO County Range Improvement Assoc Annual Meeting, Arroyo Grande: 5/15
12. UC Strawberry Breeding Field Day, Day-Neutral Cultivars, Lompoc: 5/15 
13. Rancher to Rancher, Carrizo Ranch, Santa Margarita: 5/16
14. Open Garden Day, UC Master Gardeners, San Luis Obispo: 5/17
15. SLO Ranch Farms Blueberry Festival: 5/17
16. Exploration of Birds and Botany at the SLO Botanical Garden: 5/18
17. Vineyard Team Tailgates: Dry Farming Site Tour, Templeton: 5/21 
18. Permaculture Workshop: Fruit Tree Thinning, Our Global Family Farm SLO: 5/25
19. Irrigation Deep Dive, Soloro, Creston: 6/1
20. Avocado Field Day Innovations and Insights, Ventura: 6/3
21. Open Farm Days, FARMstead ED: 6/20-22

California
22. California Agritourism Summit, San Diego County: 5/14-15
23. AgTech 12 Workshop, TomKat Ranch, Pescadero: 5/14-15
24. 2025 California Co-op Conference, Davis: 5/16-17  
25. Salinas Biological Summit, Woodland: 6/24-25
26. Organic Stone Fruit Jubilee and Small Farm Expo, Kingsburg: 6/28
27. Organic Produce Summit, Monterey: 7/9-10

Virtual & Hybrid
28. Organic Markets for Grain Farmers Webinar Series, Rodale Institute: 5/7, 5/14, 5/21 
29. Beaver Restoration Program proposal application workshop, CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife: 5/12
30. Climate Resilience in Action- Restoring Rivers for Flood Protection, Sustainable Conservation: 5/15
31. UC Ag Experts Talk: Mealybug Management in Citrus Orchards in California: 5/21   
32. Where Land Meets the Sea: Exploring Calif Estuaries, Conservation Lecture Series: 5/29
33. LEED Green Associate Training: 5/31 or On-Demand  [Discount code ‘green’]
34. Sustainable Pest Management & Production Webinar, Organic Fertilizer Assoc of CA (OFAC): 7/10

Opportunities
35. Volunteer opportunities at First Fruits Farm SLO
36. Compost Connector Grant Program for farmers and ranchers, Zero Foodprint 
37. UC Agroecology Field Quarter Summer 2025
38. Civic Spark Fellow applications open: through 6/2
39. 2026 EcoFarm Conference Content Proposals: due 6/15
40. Regeneration Field Institute Summer Field Experience, Manabi, Ecuador: 6/20-29
41. Americorps VIP Program for recent graduates: due 7/15
42. Leopold Conservation Award nominations due: 7/18
43. Seeds for Bees Program application for free seeds now open: through 8/31

  

To request to have your sustainable food and farming announcement included,
please send information and link to cfs@calpoly.edu