Conservation Agriculture
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MDs visit NRI Project in Five Points!

 

Dr. Daphne Miller MD and Dr. Jagdeep Singh MD visited CASI's long-term NRI Project field in Five Points, CA on January 21st to learn about how long-term reduced disturbance and cover crop management impact soil biology and to talk about connections between soil health and human health.  Dr. Miller is a Family Medicine Physician in the Department of Family Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and a Project Scientist in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, and Dr. Singh is a Psychiatrist at the US Veterans' Hospital in Fresno and almond farmer in Madera, CA.  Their tour and visit to the NRI Project field provided a good opportunity for them to see “up close and personal” how our no-till and cover crop management have affected soil function and health after twenty years of sustained implementation.  Their visit stemmed from the “Soil Health and Human Health – Bridging the Silos” workshop that was held in Berkeley and at the Paicines Ranch back in August of 2018 and the recent Ag Emerge conference that was held in Monterey related to moving beyond the ag paradigm and it provided a good opportunity for them to talk with CASI's Jeff Mitchell about the NRI study and related, ongoing work that our Workgroup is conducting.  Following their visit to Five Points, they were joined by Tom Willey of Madera, CA for a tour and discussion at Dr. Singh's almond orchard and then a quick visit out to Sano Farms with Alan Sano in Firebaugh to view the expansive cover crops that are being grown there this winter.  We thank Drs. Miller and Singh for their visit and we look forward to many strong connections with them in the future!