UCCE North Bay Specialty Crops Program
Sonoma, Marin, and Napa Counties
The UCCE North Bay Specialty Crops Extension and research program serves a diverse community of 200+ specialty crop growers of orchard crops, vegetables, berries, and other high-value and niche crops. (Vineyards are served by the UCCE Viticulture Advisors, Chris Chen who covers Sonoma County and Monica Cooper who covers Napa County.) Most specialty crop growers are small to mid-scale in size and use organic, regenerative, and/or agroecological practices. Local partners include technical service providers, grower-focused organizations, processors, and marketers. This UCCE program promotes commercial specialty crop production and the expansion of growers’ contributions as foundational members of our local food system.
This program directly addresses high-priority sustainable production needs through diverse outreach and advising methods, robust science-based educational programming, and applied research focused on key needs. This work advances climate-adaptive production strategies, sustainable management of plant health and water and soil resources, and ecologically oriented Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This program advances UC ANR's goals to increase the ecological sustainability of agriculture, agricultural efficiency and profitability, and preparedness and resilience to extreme weather and climate change.
Email: eandrews@ucanr.edu
Instagram: @specialtycrops
UCCE North Bay Specialty Crops YouTube Channel
Donate to the UCCE North Bay Specialty Crops Program!
If you would like to provide a gift donation to support this program, please click the link above scroll down the Giving Destination list to select "UCCE Sonoma, Marin, Napa Specialty Crops."
Specialty Crops Events, Opportunities & Grants for Growers
Upcoming and Past Events
Grant Opportunities
Educational Resources for Specialty Crop Production
Orchards, Fruits, and Hops
Vegetables and Grains
Soil and Nutrient Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Water Management
Low Water Use Crops
Small-Scale Farming Equipment
Where can I learn more about local farms?
You can explore information about local farms through the Sonoma County Farm Trails Map, local farmers market websites like Farmers' Markets of Sonoma County, Farmers' Markets of Marin County, Farmers' Markets of Napa County, and FEED Sonoma's "Get to Know Your Farmers" webpage. Many local farms are on social media!
Other Resources
What are specialty crops? Check out the USDA definition of specialty crops here and the UC Small Farms Specialty Crops webpage to learn more. If you are just beginning to consider specialty crop production, you can check out this resource:
You can read the UCCE Specialty Crops Program Initial Needs Assessment Summary to learn more about local growers' needs and interests. If you would like to learn more about the UCCE Specialty Crops Advisor's background, check out this Introduction Letter in English or in Spanish.
Explore UC resources like production manuals and other publications at the UC ANR Publications Catalog website and the UCSC Center for Agroecology Grower Guides for Specialty Crops.
See the UC SAREP website to learn more about cover crops & hedgerows.
Check out this resource list about food safety for small scale farmers.
This recording guides you through conducting research on your own farm with farmer examples.
If you have questions about land access, you can explore these land access, assessments, leasing resources.
If you are wondering about how to think through crop-specific costing and time studies, check out this resource:
Backyard Growers
If you are a backyard grower, please learn about our excellent Master Gardener Program and reach out to them with any questions. If you are a backyard grower exploring going commercial, please see Resources for Backyard Growers Interested in Going Commercial.
(The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed on the above Instagram page and YouTube channel do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.)