New California Farm Advisor

Gurreet Brar, University of California-Davis

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Editor’s Note: Gurreet Brar is the University of California (UC) Cooperative Extension’s newest farm advisor. He will be focusing on nut crops in Fresno and Madera counties. Brar furnished us with the following brief biography, and then genially agreed to answer questions.

Born and raised in Punjab, North India, I did my B.S. in Agriculture, majoring in Pomology/Horticulture at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. Punjab Agricultural University is the first land-grant university in India and it led the nation in the Green Revolution of the mid 1960s. The term was used to describe the exponential rise in food grain production due to significant emphasis on production and breeding research, which led to the introduction of high-yielding food grain varieties and mechanized farming. I earned my M.S. in Pomology from the same school and first worked for Pepsi Foods and then at the University Fruit Research Station for a couple of years. I graduated with my Ph.D. in Horticultural Sciences from the University of Florida in December 2012.

1) What interests you about tree nuts? Why?

I am passionate about trees in general. Punjabi folklore compares trees to sages having great composure and endurance, the traits that we as human beings need to learn from them. Having formal training in horticulture/pomology, the science of fruit trees, I think it’s a great thing to be working with fruit trees. Secondly, nuts as a commodity are a major part of California agricultural production and a great contributor to the state economy. Working with tree nuts and helping growers gives me a sense of satisfaction that I am contributing to the economy and to the society in general.

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2) How familiar are you with California? With the San Joaquin Valley? What drew you to this place?

This place seems like home to me. I have been raised in a family that had been farming for generations. What else can be a better place for a farmer’s son than the Central Valley? California’s San Joaquin Valley is one region on this planet with a wonderful climate where we grow almonds, walnuts, citrus, cotton, and avocados within less than an hour’s drive of each other.

3) Are you very familiar with the industry? Sometimes it’s good to not be too familiar so you can bring a fresh perspective. Do you agree?

I am getting familiar with the industry and I would like to acknowledge that the California Pistachio Research Board and the Almond Board of California are providing great help to me in establishing my program. I agree that it’s always good to bring in a fresh perspective. I hope my international work as well as the training I received in Florida adds another dimension to my work.

4) Being in Extension, you’ll likely do both research and work with growers. Both are valuable and necessary. Do you think of yourself more as a researcher or a hands-on advisor?

That’s a tough one to answer. I am a researcher by training but as a person I can relate to the farm and the soil by default, and I think that is the best tool I have. Being a field/outdoors person is something that brings me closer to my goals as an applied researcher looking to solve problems by field studies and also communicating the lab research for the benefit of growers. I will choose to be both, with a little tilt towards being a hands-on advisor, because that’s what defines a farm advisor.

5) Have you set any short-term goals as of yet? Any long-term goals?

Short-term goals are:
• I would start with getting to know my clientele by meeting growers, listening to their field problems, and trying to answer their questions.
• In the process, I would identify the issues and challenges faced by growers and then prioritize them to build a research program.
• I have started a nut crops newsletter “From the Shell,” through which I plan to communicate updates in research and the latest advisories.
• I am also working to host an Almond Symposium in June. This will help bring growers from Fresno and Madera Counties together on a platform with UC specialists, helping find answers to some issues.

I only have one long-term goal: Building mutually rewarding relationships for the years ahead to be able to serve the number one ag county in the nation through focused research and Extension programs.

6) As you know, tree nut crops have been doing extremely well of late. What can you bring to the table to help ensure growers’ continued success?

I will make sure that they keep doing so in the future. In agriculture, maintaining the production and the quality at the highest levels is always a challenge. I will work towards developing even better management practices, to include for example: environmentally sound pest management strategies, judiciously utilizing scarce water without affecting yield and quality, and introducing better performing rootstocks. These are just some of the avenues that need attention to help growers succeed. To help them achieve their goals, I also plan research in areas like the effect of water and soil salinity on growth and yield, the effect of fungicides on honeybee health, and developing novel ways to fight fungal diseases that infect the stems and roots of the trees.

7) If you could have dinner with one well-known person, who is either alive today or from the pages of history, who would it be? Why?

Abraham Lincoln. I have read stories about him and I know of him as a great visionary and a humble human being. If you are vested with some power to make a difference, then character, integrity, vision, and humility are the most important traits that will help you accomplish that. I consider myself a very down-to-earth person, who wants to stay connected to his roots as well as to the other people around. Giving back to the society as much as I can both at the professional and the personal level is what I believe in.

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