UC Desert Research and Extension Center celebrates 100 years

Abstract

Research news UC Desert Research and Extension Center celebrates 100 years Agriculture in the Imperial Valley Alan W. Robertson and Bob Douthitt Initially called the Meloland Field Station and later the Imperial Valley Field Station, UC DREC was the first addition to what became the ANR REC system. The 255-acre center is in the middle of an agricul- tural region called the low desert that encompasses Courtesy of Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley W hen the UC Desert Research and Exten- sion Center (UC DREC) was established in the Imperial Valley in 1912, water from the Colorado River was so available that dairies were plentiful in this desert region, along with feedlots for steers born to milk cows and fields of alfalfa to feed all those cattle. While most of the dairies are long gone and the water supply has been tightened to meet urban de- mands on the Colorado River, the Imperial Valley’s cattle feedlots and field crops have grown. In addition, farmers there have expanded into high-value crops such as winter vegetables and melons. “The Imperial Valley is one of the largest agri- cultural areas in California,” says Bill Frost, director of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Research and Extension Center (REC) system, which has nine centers spanning the state to support re- search tailored to local needs. “DREC is right in the middle of the desert, enabling the University to focus on locally relevant critical issues.” Walter Eugene Packard established UC’s Meloland Field Station in the Imperial Valley in 1912 and served as superintendent until 1917. He lived in this house. California’s Imperial and Coachella valleys, Arizona’s Yuma Valley and Mexico’s Mexicali Valley. As a former Colorado River floodplain, the Imperial Valley has deep, rich soil. But rainfall aver- ages less than 3 inches per year and summer tempera- tures can reach 120°F. The winters, however, are sunny and mild, with highs in the 80s°F, allowing the year-round produc- tion that has helped make Imperial a top-10 agricul- tural county in California. The county had nearly $2 billion in gross agricultural production in 2011, and its top commodity groups are livestock, valued at more than $400 million; field crops, including alfalfa, wheat and sudangrass, at nearly $520 million; and melons and vegetables, including lettuce, broccoli and onions, at more than $900 million. About two-thirds of the vegetables eaten nationwide during winter are grown in Imperial County. “We have perfect weather for winter vegetables. It’s not too hot and hardly rains, so you can harvest all the time — the weather never gets in the way,” says UC DREC superintendent Fernando Miramontes, who started there 33 years ago as a part-time field-worker and now oversees all research projects. UC DREC research contributions The UC Desert Research and Extension Center is located in the heart of the Imperial Valley in southeastern California, on 255 acres. The area was formerly Colorado River floodplain, so its soils are deep and rich, but there is very little rainfall. Farming in this desert environment presents unique challenges. CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE • VOLUME 66 , NUMBER 4 DREC’s research facilities include greenhouses, a plant- and soil-processing laboratory, an insect- rearing facility, a fully automated sprinkler area and a research feedlot cattle facility. The center has an an- nual operating budget of about $800,000 and research operations budget of over $500,000; with the help of more than a dozen administrative and field research support staff, scientists from UC as well as the USDA Agricultural Research Station in Salinas, more than 25 research projects are currently under way. Over the past century of changes, UC DREC re- searchers have helped Imperial Valley farmers meet the many challenges of desert agriculture, including lack of water, extreme summer heat, and rampant pest