CSU Chico Soil Health Field Days 2026: Agenda & Insights
TL;DR: Immerse yourself in hands-on regenerative agriculture and soil health practices at the 2026 California Field Days, featuring expert-led demonstrations and farm tours.
- Learn practical regenerative farm techniques.
- Explore whole orchard recycling for soil renewal.
- Discover biochar applications for microbial health.
- Understand cover cropping in almond systems.
- Observe integrated livestock-crop operations.
Why it matters: Adopting regenerative practices improves soil health, enhances farm resilience, and increases productivity, benefiting both the environment and your bottom line.
Do this next: Mark your calendar for March 18-19, 2026, and explore the agenda to identify sessions most relevant to your operation.
Recommended for: Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural professionals in temperate and Mediterranean climates looking to implement practical, field-tested regenerative soil health strategies on their land.
The Spring 2026 California Soil Health Field Days, hosted by CSU Chico's Regenerative Agriculture Institute, offer immersive hands-on learning on practical regenerative techniques for soil health and farm resilience. Scheduled for March 18-19, 2026, the event features field rotations, expert panels, and demonstrations across multiple farms. Key sessions include Dr. Brent Holtz from UCCE San Joaquin County presenting 'From Orchard Removal to Soil Renewal—The Power of Whole Orchard Recycling,' detailing methods to chip entire orchards, incorporate biomass into soil for carbon storage, enhance microbial activity, improve water retention, and boost orchard productivity post-removal. Dr. Kristin Trippe from USDA ARS discusses 'Harnessing Biochar to Shape Soil Microbial Communities and Soil Health,' covering biochar production via pyrolysis, application rates (e.g., 5-20 tons/ha), inoculation with microbes, and field results showing increased nutrient cycling, reduced fertilizer needs, and resilience to drought in various crops. Cover cropping in almond systems is explored by Dr. Amélie Gauin from UC Davis Agroecology Lab, emphasizing keystone practices like multi-species mixes (e.g., legumes, brassicas, grasses) planted post-harvest, no-till integration, and metrics like soil organic matter gains of 0.5-1% annually, biodiversity boosts, and yield stability. Additional highlights: Machado Family Farms' holistic management by Drew Cheney, focusing on integrated livestock-crop systems; Paicines Ranch's regenerative vineyard design by Kelly Mullville, with compost applications, cover crops, and pruning for soil building; and Ben & Denise Carter's fully integrated crops-livestock lessons, including mob grazing on covers for nutrient recycling. The agenda includes catered lunches, vendor booths, farm rotations for direct observation of no-till drills, biochar applicators, and soil pits revealing structure improvements, plus social networking. This practitioner-focused event provides actionable benchmarks, such as Whole Orchard Recycling yielding 20-30% higher tree growth rates and biochar enhancing water-holding capacity by 15-20%. Ideal for farmers seeking field-tested systems in permaculture and self-sufficiency contexts, emphasizing reduced inputs, carbon sequestration, and profitability through regenerative living principles.[2]