Cal Poly's Grimm Family Organic Center Hosts First Field Day

The first Organic Field Day was hosted at the Cal Poly Organic Farm on August 3rd, immediately following the Strawberry Center field day.

The event included talks and demonstrations about the center's work, such as planting flower strips to support beneficial insects. Presenters Dr. Shunping Ding, Dr. Charlotte Decock, Riley Blair, Kelly O’Neill, and Dr. Matt Grieshop covered diverse topics including mineralization rates of organic fertilizers, organic pesticide effectiveness, downy mildew resistance in arugula, and the installation and benefits of flower strips. Eric Morgan from Braga Fresh also discussed their ongoing reduced tillage work in central coast vegetable production.

The event had a turnout of 75 to 85 attendees and offered 1 PCA credit and 2 CCA credits. It was a successful day and marked the beginning of many more to follow!