Recent News
Director Gerald Holmes interviewed by The Packer
May 5, 2023
Director Gerald Holmes discussed our Center's mission, student engagement and research activities in a recent interview published in The Packer, a leading online news source in the produce industry reporting on industry updates, consumer trends, retail operations and more.
"Industry innovation flourishes at the Cal Poly Strawberry Center"
Check it out! https://tinyurl.com/Holmes-packer
Ryan Harrison and Rick Taggesell (Red Dog/Mar Vista Farms) give joint AEPS 450 lecture
May 2, 2023
Ryan Harrison and Rick Taggesell (Mar Vista Farms, Santa Maria, CA, middle and left respectively in photo below) gave a joint lecture at Cal Poly on "Introduction to Strawberry Production in Santa Maria CA". We have some of the world's best strawberry farmers in our backyard and hearing directly from them is something you can't get anywhere else in the world.
View full presentation on our Center YouTube channel @ https://youtu.be/hNaZCRQjhFE
Thanks to Ryan and Rick for making the trip to Cal Poly and imparting your unique strawberry production knowledge and experience to our students!
First harvest of the season: Fresh off the plant and into your hands!
Apr 28, 2023
Last week marked the start of our 2023 strawberry season and we couldn't be more excited! Shown here is Drew Summerfield, our Farm Manager, holding the very first picked clamshell. Our strawberries are now available for purchase (in very limited supply) in stores like Vons in San Luis Obispo, Campus Market, Village Market, Grand Ave Market and Cal Poly Meats. So be sure to pick up a clamshell!
Drew Summerfield leads tour for high school students
Apr 25, 2023
We had the pleasure of hosting Center student alum Beth Noel's Intro to Agriculture class (Frontier High School, Bakersfield, CA) for a Strawberry Center tour, led by farm manager Drew Summerfield! These amazing students not only visited the Center, but also the Cal Poly Dairy, Meats and the Swine Units. They were treated to a full campus tour as well, which was led by the CAFES (College of Ag) Ambassadors. As Beth put it: "It was awesome to apply the information the students have learned in class to a real life scenario like the Strawberry Center!" It was an enriching experience for the students and as always fulfilling for us to be a part of educating the next generation about agriculture and the strawberry industry.
Earth Day is tomorrow, April 22!
Apr 21, 2023
As we celebrate this special day, let's take a moment to reflect on the importance of agriculture in sustaining our planet. Agriculture plays a critical role in ensuring that we have access to nutritious food, while also preserving our natural resources and biodiversity.
Thank you to all the farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers who are helping to build a more sustainable and resilient world! Let's work together to protect our planet for future generations.
#sustainability #earthday #savetheplanet #regenerativeAgriculture
Another fruitful year at Cal Poly Open House!
Apr 19, 2023
The Strawberry Center's booth was a hit, featuring a spinning prize wheel and informative displays on our cutting-edge automation projects. Our amazing student employees and staff members had a great time chatting with prospective students and their families about all the exciting opportunities and resources available at the Center.
Come visit the Strawberry Center booth this Saturday at Cal Poly Open House!
Apr 13, 2023
Cal Poly’s 30th annual Open House is upon us! This annual event happens this weekend and serves to welcome new students, families, and supporters to learn about student life at Cal Poly. The Strawberry Center team can’t wait for you to come by on Saturday and visit our booth located in the Cal Poly Farm Shop! Stop by and talk with some of our staff and student employees about our mission and activities as well as agriculture student internship opportunities. And don't forget to spin our prize-wheel to win a fun surprise!
We hope to see you there!
Introducing graduating student Emmi Ly!
Apr 11, 2023
Emmi is a fourth year Animal Science major and Dairy Science minor at Cal Poly, planning to graduate this coming spring. "I’m currently working with the entomology team at the Strawberry Center for my senior project, which will be about Lygus bug behavior and UV light attractants. After I graduate, I plan to continue my passion for research, whether that’s with exotic animals or insects!"
We can't wait to see what you accomplish, Emmi!
Save the date for Annual Strawberry Field Day: August 3, 2023
Apr 4, 2023
Save the Date!
ANNUAL FIELD DAY
Thursday • August 3, 2023
The Cal Poly Strawberry Center will host its 7th annual FIELD DAY on August 3, 2023
Join over 400 strawberry growers, researchers and industry representatives for this year’s Strawberry Center Field Day. Participants rotate through stations, hearing from Cal Poly students and staff about the latest research taking place at the Strawberry Center. Topics range from the newest automation technology to predatory mites to soil-borne pathogens of strawberry, and much more!
Check-in opens at 7:30 am
Lunch will be served!
Event registration opens in May.
RECAP VIDEO: 2022 Field Day
Check out this recap of 2022 Field Day, our most attended Field Day yet, with over 440 attendees and 40 sponsors!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tByJq0a8sg0
Thank you to the California Strawberry Commission's marketing team for this nice production.
--------------
Interested in sponsoring Field Day?
Contact Julie @ jutillma@calpoly.edu for information and details
See images below for sponsorship package features and details.
Thank you to our 2022 Field Day event sponsors and in-kind donors! See images below.
Want to learn about the quality of predatory mites you are receiving for your strawberry fields?
Mar 30, 2023
We can test the quality of strawberry growers’ predatory mites (BOTH bottles or bean leaves).
The freshest predatory mites guarantees the best results! We don’t want the mites to wait in the weather, so contact us the day before the mites arrive to schedule a drop-off or pickup.
See our latest research blog post to learn about sample submission procedure, optimized sample storage, and more!
