CAFES News

Interim Dean Named

Please welcome Dr. Jeremy James as the interim dean for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES). He will serve in this role through August 31, 2025, or until a permanent dean assumes the position, whichever occurs first. Jeremy replaces the CAFES interim dean, Bill Hendricks, who retired after serving Cal Poly for 30 years.

James joined Cal Poly in 2020 as department head for the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences (NRES) Department, which serves more than 850 students across three majors. In this role, he has emphasized shared governance, distributed leadership and applied student-centered research to enhance student success and advance the university’s polytechnic mission.

During his tenure, the NRES Department has experienced significant growth. Applications for the forest and fire sciences major have doubled, and enrollment capacity has increased by 60% to meet rising student demand. Jeremy also collaborated with faculty and Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch to secure a $4.2 million CAL FIRE grant to prepare students to address California’s mounting wildfire challenges.

Jeremy teaches a range of courses related to his scholarship and offers students hands-on opportunities supporting his ecosystem management research. For example, a recent student-led paper published in Environmental Research Letters evaluated how climatic variation impacts carbon capture across California’s diverse ecosystems.

Events

Open House Student Volunteers Needed

Preparations for the 32^nd CAFES Open House on April 10-12 are underway and student volunteers are needed for a various planning committees. Upcoming planning meetings are at 7: 10 a.m. on Wednesdays; Jan. 22, Feb.18 and March 19 are on Zoom, and Feb. 5, March 5, April 2 and April 9 are in person in room 10-206. Welcome prospective students and parents at this hallmark event of the university.

Student News

CAFES Students Help Lead Rose Float to Victory

Cal Poly students brought the mythic Loch Ness monster out of the depths to join some land-dwelling friends in “Nessie’s Lakeside Laughs,” the Cal Poly universities Rose Float team’s 2025 entry for the 136th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1, winning the Leishman Public Spirit Award. Cal Poly and California State Polytechnic University in Pomona team up for the Pasadena classic every year. This year, two CAFES students served on the team: third-year plant science major Mia Brown as the greenhouse manager and second-year plant science major Haley Kost as the assistant decorations chair.

Cal Poly’s 2024-25 team of 27 students is a multidisciplinary group; this year representing five of the university’s six colleges, who were assisted by scores of student volunteers at weekend workshops in the summer and fall. “I have been fortunate enough to work on two past floats,” Brown said. “This is my second year in leadership as the greenhouse manager.” Brown plans to pursue a doctorate in plant science or horticulture. “With that, I ultimately want to teach about plants and spend the rest of my life studying and learning about them,” she said.

Kost joined the program for the 2023 float, ‘Road to Reclamation,’ as a participant in the team’s Decoration Department, and for this past year’s ‘Shock N’ Roll,’ was the flower fields manager. “I hope that the skills I learn while in the program will help me in my future career in landscape design with native plants.”

Student News

MAP to host resume workshop

With the opening of the Multicultural Agriculture Program comes a CAFES resume review workshop with career counselor Monica Contreras-Suarez on Jan. 15 from 1-3 p.m. in 10-202. Monica will help students develop their resumes to optimize student success. Light snacks are available, and the event is open to all students. No RSVP necessary. Please contact MAP Director Maria Grando with any questions at mgrando@calpoly.edu.

Student News

Field Training Workshop at Swanton Pacific Ranch

On Feb. 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch is hosting a field training workshop for all students at the ranch in Davenport, CA. The event includes post-fire restoration, reforestation, opportunities for involvement at Swanton Pacific Ranch and engagement with industry professionals. Additional information and registration is available on its website.

Events

Fresh Tracks: First Genration Student Panel

All students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the annual Fresh Tracks event, featuring a panel of four first-generation students who will share their personal stories of navigating the college experience and offer advice for all students. The event will be held Thursday, Jan. 16, from 11 a.m. to noon in 181-205.

Fresh Tracks is organized by the CAFES Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee as part of the college’s DEI Strategic Action Plan goal to create, retain, and sustain a more diverse community of students, staff and faculty that reflects and serves the diverse people of California.

Events

World Ag Expo

The college will host an informational booth staffed by CAFES Ambassadors at the World Ag Expo in Tulare from Feb. 11-13. World Ag Expo is the largest annual outdoor agricultural exposition with over 1,200 exhibitors and an attendance of more than 100,000 each year. It is held at the International Agri-Center in Tulare. The college is also hosting an alumni and friends reception at the World Ag Expo on Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres, Cal Poly wine and beer from Cal Poly alumni owned Dust Bowl Brewing will be served. RSVP today.

Events

Career Services Upcoming Events

Cal Poly Career Services is offering a number of workshops for students this quarter on resume and cover letter design, career fair preparation, job and internship applications and more. For a detailed list of events, please visit Cal Poly Now.

Student News

Pest Management Conference

EcoFarm and Wild Farm Alliance are hosting a conference on practical whole farm solutions for pest control advisers and growers on Jan. 22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California. Cal Poly faculty, including Matthew Grieshop, will present their research. The conference addresses soil health and habitat diversity on the farm and will cover techniques on how to reduce the use of pesticides and come into compliance with California’s pesticide reduction strategy. This event is approved for 6 DPR CE credits and 7 CCA credits. Registration is $99 with lunch included.

Student News

Job Opening: Midland School Farm Faculty Assistant

Midland School, a co-educational boarding school for high school students in Los Olivos, California, is seeking to fill its farm faculty assistant position. Midland School operates a 10-acre certified organic farm and a 1.5 acre orchard. Beginning salary is $40,000 and the expected start date is late June. View qualifications and full job description here, or visit Midland School’s website to learn more.

Blog