San Luis Obispo, California, USA
March 13, 2012

The College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences Center for Sustainability will add a new faculty fellowship in organics to the Horticulture and Crop Science Department as a result of the Lundberg Family Farms' pledge of support to the organic program at Cal Poly.

With this fellowship, Cal Poly students will benefit from year-round training and research opportunities in organic farming methods, food safety, and sustainable agricultural systems.

The Center for Sustainability's valued industry partners at Lundberg Family Farms, in combination with support from the Clarence C. Heller Charitable Foundation, have provided for the establishment of the summer-quarter faculty fellowship dedicated to the field of organic and sustainable farming methods.

"The Center for Sustainability is delighted to have the opportunity to support education in this rapidly growing sector,” said Hunter Francis, the center’s director, “and we are so grateful for the generosity and vision of the Lundberg family in helping our college respond to growing student demand for it.”

This new fellowship will bring expertise in California production techniques in organic and sustainable agriculture systems, and will oversee Cal Poly’s 11-acre organic farm, where faculty, staff and students jointly manage the production, care, harvesting and marketing of organic produce.

“We are pleased to announce the selection of David Headrick as the recipient of the first summer fellowship in organics as a result of the support from Lundberg Family Farms,” said John Peterson, head of the Cal Poly Horticulture and Crop Science Department. “This position bolsters the strength of our coursework and programs in organic crop production and sustainable agriculture. This summer quarter, our students–who graduate to become industry leaders–will benefit from the knowledge and expertise that Dr. Headrick brings to Cal Poly’s Organic Farm.”

“Our family heritage and our brand identity are firmly rooted in the practice of organic and sustainable farming,” said Grant Lundberg, chief executive officer of Lundberg Family Farms. “Our partnership with Cal Poly is the perfect complement to our Raising Organic Family Farms initiative, which is our way of encouraging responsible land stewardship and sustainable agriculture among the next generation of farmers.”

For more information on the Cal Poly Organic Farm, go to http://aeps.calpoly.edu/organics/.

Website: http://www.calpoly.edu/

Published: March 19, 2012