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CDFA tells expert panel fertilizer research will be matched with more outreach and training
Summary
California Department of Food and Agriculture officials told the State Water Board expert panel they are updating fertilizer guidelines, expanding technical assistance and translating materials to reach growers statewide — but staff and panelists urged more funding and coordination with regulatory timelines.
Sam McGill opened the State Water Resources Control Board agricultural expert panel on Oct. 31 and introduced a lineup of presenters from the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) who said they are refocusing research toward farmer‑facing outreach. CDFA Secretary Karen Ross framed that work as part of a broader regulatory alignment effort with the State Water Board and CalEPA.
"We cover about 4,000 growers that have gotten individual contracts," Ross said, describing the reach of CDFA climate‑smart incentive programs and technical‑assistance work that she said has been supported by hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding. Ross and her staff said the department is updating fertilizer research and education to make guidance and results more readily accessible in the field.
Why it matters: Panel members are preparing technical recommendations that the State Water Board could use to consider enforceable limits or stepwise targets on nitrogen application. CDFA officials and staff argued that ready access to guidance and on‑the‑ground technical assistance will be essential for growers to implement any new regulatory expectations.
Natalie Jacuzzi, the newly appointed director of the Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP), gave a 35‑year overview of the program, describing FREP as a small, long‑running research and extension program. "We have funded 282 projects in the last 35 years, and that we're a small but mighty program," Jacuzzi said, outlining FREP's crop fertilization guidelines, research database and training efforts for certified crop advisors and growers.
FREP staff emphasized three program priorities: maintain and update crop fertilization guidelines (currently published for 28 crops that together comprise most irrigated acreage), expand a searchable database of project reports and takeaways, and scale training that helps growers develop irrigation and nitrogen management plans. Jacuzzi said FREP has worked to translate materials into Spanish and to adapt grower training for regions where certified crop advisors alone cannot reach all operators.
Panelists asked how FREP guidance aligns with irrigated‑lands reporting and whether the program’s outreach capacity can be rapidly expanded to coincide with new regulatory schedules. CDFA and FREP presenters acknowledged limits to one‑time grant funding and urged more stable support for local technical assistance providers and cooperative extension to scale services statewide.
What’s next: Panel members asked staff to prioritize follow‑up presentations on specific technical assistance models, searchable database functions and how FREP data could feed into regulatory metrics. The panel will continue to consider FREP materials as it drafts technical recommendations for the State Water Board.
Ending: The meeting moved next to a State Water Board presentation on authority and enforcement, and then to Central Coast staff who walked the panel through ranch‑level calculations for applied minus removed nitrogen.
