Cal Poly to Host Soil Health Assessment Field Day on May 5

For Immediate Release
May 2, 2017

Contact: Center for Sustainability
805-756-5086; cfs@calpoly.edu

SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Center for Sustainability will host the first of three Soil Health Assessment Field Days on Friday, May 5.

The event will feature a panel of soil experts and two special guests: Alan Franzluebbers, a professor with the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service and head of the Soil Ecology and Management Lab at North Carolina State University; and Ken Oster, soil scientist for Natural Resource Conservation.

A number of tools for assessing soil health will be discussed and demonstrated. Franzluebbers specializes in assessment methods of soil respiration and soil organic carbon sequestration, using these and other tools to interpret the effects of agricultural management practices on soil resources.

The workshop, which runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Cal Poly, is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is requested.

The next two field days will be held May 25 at Macon Seed in Turlock and June 22 at Full Belly Farm in Guinda. For information and to RSVP, visit: http://cfs.calpoly.edu/soilsworkshops.html. 

About the Center for Sustainability
The Cal Poly Center for Sustainability (www.cfs.calpoly.edu) is a cross-disciplinary initiative in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences dedicated to advancing education on sustainable food and agricultural systems through curriculum, professional development and on-farm education.

About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.

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