California Ag Network

Tag: Fresno State

  • Students Recognized for Excellence in Support of Ag Industry

    Four Fresno State students in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology were recognized with ag scholar awards at the Jordan Agricultural Research Center.

    Plant science graduate students Margaret Fernando (of Ames, Iowa) and Bianey Medina Garcia (Salinas), plant science senior Kiera Searcy (Hanford) and agricultural business senior Ashleigh Sorensen (Sanger) were selected for the honors based on their passion, growth and innovation in various industries. The awards were presented at a ceremony on April 21, when each student received a $500 scholarship from 23rd District Assemblyman Jim Patterson.

    Fernando has published her master’s research on cover crops as a weed management tool and her oral presentations won first place among graduate student entrants at the 2022 Central California Research Symposium and third place at the 2022 California Weed Science Society conference.

    Her emphasis on sustainable agriculture led her to a biological science technician position at the USDA Agricultural Research Service station. At the Parlier research station, she has studied ways to improve soil health, weed pressure, grapevine development and crop water dynamics in a vineyard cover crop project. She has shared her agronomy experience with others through the FFA pruning contest, UC Master Gardner’s workshop and Avenal State Prison Insight Garden Program. She has also been active in community outreach efforts that share produce with community and campus food shelters. She will pursue a doctoral degree in soil and water science with a focus on agroecology at the University of Florida.

    Medina Garcia has shared her experience raising strawberries and other vegetables in the Salinas Valley to help her fellow campus Plant Science Club students to grow produce to donate to campus and local food cupboards. She worked with local companies to donate many of the seeds, irrigation equipment and other materials. Examples of the club’s professional development and community and industry outreach efforts helped it win the President’s Trophy at the Students of Agronomy, Soils and Environmental Sciences national convention.

    She also shared her agronomy experience with Fowler Lone Star 4-H students learning to raise vegetables, then shared a related recipe and emphasized the importance of good nutrition. Born in Michoacán, Mexico, she remembers seeing her immigrant parents work long hours in the fields in the Salinas Valley starting at a young age, and she said she is equally committed to helping feed the world. After an internship with FMC Ag Science studying field applications, she now works for Nutrien as an assistant research technician and studies technologies, tools and products that improve plant and soil health, which include various adjuvants that are part of her master’s research.

    Searcy has conducted research comparing chemical and no-chemical weed control methods for lavender plants in a nursery lathe house, and her poster presentation won first place in the 2023 California Weed Science Society undergraduate competition. She has also assisted in research with plant science faculty examining chickweed herbicide resistance in the Central Valley. As a campus horticulture nursery student assistant, she has helped propagate 3,000 to 4,000 seedlings for a Sierra Club Merced Chapter milkweed project to increase monarch butterfly forage areas.

    She has also been a part of community outreach programs tied to the Insight Garden Program at Avenal State Prison, Amendola Family Student Cupboard, 4-H groups and student tours at the campus nursery. A national tri-society student recognition recipient, she has shared her agronomy experience as a campus irrigation club treasurer, FFA Field Day volunteer, and member of the campus soils club, Plant Science Club and arboretum task force. This summer she will travel to the University of Kentucky to start a graduate program in weed science.

    Sorensen, who is a third-generation stone fruit, almond and citrus farmer, has analyzed the latest trends in nearby land choices for the nation’s leading farming area for her Jordan College Honors Cohort research project. She has identified correlations between acreage, production and total value for a recent, 20-year range to help policymakers better understand how technology, environmental conditions and technology advancements are affecting the production of various commodities.

    The 4.0 student has also served as a campus ASI senator and Agricultural Business Club outreach coordinator, and as a member of the Smittcamp Family Honors College student board, Jordan College Student Leadership Council and Ag Ambassadors. The former intern for Farm Credit West, Family Tree Farms and Wagon Wheel Farms looks forward to working as the director of business for California Berry Genetics after graduation.

    For more information on the awards, contact Alisha Gallon at Alisha.Gallon@asm.ca.gov or 559.446.2029.

    Fresno State Jordan College Dean Rolston St. Hilaire at Ag Scholar Awards presentation on April 21, 2023, Jordan Agricultural Research Center (photo by Geoff Thurner).

  • Runze Cliff Yu Joins the Fresno State Department of Viticulture & Enology

    The Department of Viticulture and Enology at Fresno State has a new assistant professor joining the faculty. This new assistant professor is Dr. Runze Cliff Yu. A Fresno State V&E alumnus, Yu finished his master’s degree at Fresno State in 2016 before moving on to UC Davis. He earned his PhD degree in June 2020 there and stayed for another year as a post-doctoral researcher.

    Yu is excited to share his knowledge and experiences with the students in the department. Yu also has an extensive research background. Working with his advisor Dr. Kaan Kurtural for many years, his research focuses on the current issues Central Valley wine grape growers have been experiencing, such as drought, heat and labor. He is planning to conduct research around these topics.

    “Teaching and research should be mutually inclusive in viticulture,” said Yu. “We need to provide our students with the latest research and innovations. They are the future of this industry and will need to be equipped to solve problems and move the industry forward.”

    Yu is very happy to back in the department. “It feels like coming back home,” he said. “I look forward to working with both students and grape growers to do my part to further the success of the grape industry.”

  • New Ag One President Brings over 30 years’ Experience to Fresno State

    Jim Razor had little inkling how much the key agronomic principles he learned 30 years ago in his Fresno State classes on weeds and vegetable crops would serve him every day.

    After he graduated with a plant science degree in 1990, he began a career as a pest control adviser and is now vice president for J.G. Boswell Company, an internationally-respected agricultural company.

    The newly-appointed Ag One Foundation president currently oversees processing facilities for two of Boswell’s premier products, tomatoes and pima cotton, as well as an edible oil mill, planting seed cleaning and packaging facility. He also manages areas that involve logistics, safety, risk management, workers compensation and environmental affairs.

    “I was fortunate to have wonderful instructors like Dr. (Mahlon) Hile, Dr. (Gary) Ritenour and Dean (Dennis) Nef,” Razor said. “They gave me an incredible mix of agricultural perspectives that range from the fields to economics. My job today is always changing, and the innovation, organization and ability to meet deadlines that I learned from my classes have served as a great foundation.”

    Born on a small farm near Exeter, Razor’s background mirrors many current students. He transferred from the College of the Sequoias to Fresno State as a junior and worked hard to graduate in three semesters. He took 23 units his final semester so he could find a job and support his young family.

    “We had to take out loans to support my education, and I had some scholarships, too,” Razor said. “Ag One’s role is so important to students, through its commitment to supporting scholarships and a wide network of industry ties and partnerships.”

    Razor and his company are also connected to the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State through an endowed chair position in the Plant Science Department. Dr. Sharon Benes currently holds the position.

    Additionally, the J. G. Boswell Foundation established a permanent fund in memory of longtime company farm manager Dave Cosyns to support the University Agricultural Laboratory. Cosyns graduated from Fresno State in 1971 and was an accomplished farmer and industry member.

    The Boswell company and foundation, a founding member of the Pinnacle Society for campus philanthropists and supporters, has contributed more than $2 million to Fresno State.

    “It’s great to have so many special bonds with Fresno State,” Razor said. “Getting to meet with the faculty and students confirms that the college still has the same mission today. Nearly half of our agronomy team are Fresno State graduates, including two district managers, and I know they are well prepared for anything.”

    Ag One, which was founded in 1979, has raised nearly $26.7 million in endowed funds. In that span, about 4,800 students have been awarded over $7.6 million in scholarships and another $950,000 is projected in 2021-22.

    Razor’s first Ag One event in his new role is the annual Ag Boosters BBQ fundraiser, tentatively slated for Sunday, Sept. 12, at the Panoche Creek River Ranch.

    As president, Razor succeeds Annie Stuhr, who completed her one-year term on June 30. Other current Ag One Foundation board officers include:

    • Stanley Kjar, Jr., vice president (Fresno, Pearson Realty)
    • Roger Isom, treasurer (Fresno, California Cotton Ginners/Western Agricultural Processors Association)
    • Nick Biscay, secretary (Madera, Stanislaus Farm Supply)

    New members on the 23-person board of directors include:

    • Jason Baldwin (Kerman, Panoche Creek Packing)
    • Fendley Ragland (Fresno, PGIM Real Estate Agricultural Investments)

    For more information on the Ag One Foundation, its programs and upcoming events, contact 559.278.4266 or agone@csufresno.edu.

  • $100,000 Gift Completes Fundraising for New Fresno State Viticulture Greenhouse

    Fresno State graduate students Leah Groves and Moriah Mehlman are the perfect example why Oro Agri, an international leader in biorational crop products, continues to invest in the future of California agriculture through a partnership with Fresno State.

    Mehlman, a research chemist at the company’s local U.S. headquarters, is working on a joint master’s project in the 120-acre campus vineyard with Groves, the campus vineyard manager.

    They are studying the effects of a calcium-based supplement, NANOCAL, in table grapes to examine how this product is used by the plant to improve grape quality and storability after harvest.

    That collaboration is another chapter in a series of partnerships that now includes a $100,000 gift to complete a campus viticulture greenhouse fundraising project. The new facility is tentatively slated to break ground this winter with an estimated $250,000 total cost.

    “When we started Oro Agri 20 years ago, we knew California and the Central Valley’s unlimited agriculture opportunities would be our stepping stone to a successful future,” said Errol Pullen, Oro Agri founder and CEO.“This donation to Fresno State is our way of showing appreciation to all the growers and others involved in California agriculture for allowing us to follow our dreams and build our business here. But perhaps more importantly, the greenhouse will provide new generations a chance to follow their own dreams and make California and the Central Valley a land of opportunity for them and their families.”

    The 30-foot by 30-foot greenhouse will be located at the center of the campus viticulture and enology complex and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2021. Working in it, faculty, students and staff can grow and graft an array of vines for the University Agricultural Laboratory and work on industry-supported research projects.

    Half of the facility will be dedicated to projects that involve plant pathogens such as nematodes and powdery mildew, a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Treatments could be tested in this area and kept separate from healthy plants in the other part of the greenhouse and the campus farm.

    “The new greenhouse is a vital link between our research laboratories and the campus farm,” said Dr. Stephan Sommer, campus Viticulture and Enology Research Center director. “Faculty, staff and students can now propagate plants and prepare their field trials in a controlled environment to help us continue to expand our internationally-recognized research.”

    The initial fundraising drive began more than seven years ago by the Fresno State Viticulture Club, and has been boosted each year by its Fall Harvest BBQ fundraiser. Two of the earliest gifts from that event came from John Duarte, who owns Duarte Nursery near Modesto, and John Arellano, a 1996 alumnus, whose company serves as a wine grape consultant and broker for Duarte Nursery.

    Other funding sources include the Viticulture and Enology Research Center, a crowdfunding campaign, the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and other alumni and friends.

    Fresno State Viticulture Club adviser, faculty member and researcher Dr. Sonet Van Zyl has been a vital link for project supporters and students.

    The associate professor joined the campus faculty in September 2011, and specializes in the areas of table and raisin grape production, organic product development and grape pest and disease management strategies. She has been an active research partner since 2016 with Oro Agri technical managers, all who also coincidentally hail from South Africa. That partnership has included campus projects that studied issues related to yield and quality enhancement of tomato, corn and soybean crops, as well as a multi-season grape color enhancement project.

    The company has also conducted campus research projects related to weed control with viticulture and enology department chairperson Dr. Anil Shrestha and new bio-pesticide formulation screenings with plant science pathology faculty Dr. Margaret Ellis.

    “We sincerely appreciate industry partners like Oro Agri that are creating new research opportunities,” said Van Zyl. The new greenhouse will offer an important area to address key issues that are affecting growers and companies alike.”

    More details about a virtual groundbreaking event during the spring semester will be released when finalized.

  • Meet Stephan Sommer, Director of Viticulture and Enology at Fresno State

    Have you met Stephan Sommer, Fresno State Director of Viticulture & Enology?  He joined the team at Fresno State last year, and growers will get to hear from him at Fresno State’s Grape Day coming up on August 4th, 2020 in a virtual format for the first time ever.  Watch this brief interview with Sommer, and read more about what’s going on at the Viticulture & Enology Research Center in American Vineyard Magazine.
    Please Thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Enology Building Named in Honor of Jordan College and Winery Supporter

    Donald Emil Gumz was a Valley native, who like many lifelong residents, had a love and passion for the region, including Fresno State. He came from a family of grape farmers but worked with numbers, in an accounting career that started with a local entrepreneur and developer, and ended with the Vie-Del Company, which produced brandy, wine and juice concentrates, where his love for wine and the winemaking process began. He also developed an interest in water education through his second cousin, Dr. David Zoldoske, who oversaw Fresno State’s Center for Irrigation Technology and the University’s water initiatives for 35 years.

    Gumz, who died in September 2018, left $4.66 million in his estate plans to support the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. His generosity will provide $3.7 million toward renovation of the research winery while the other $933,000 will be used to support the Center for Irrigation Technology.

    To recognize this transformational gift, the enology building at Fresno State, which includes the research winery, will be named the Donald E. Gumz Enology Building. The California State University Trustees approved on Tuesday, May 12, the naming of the building in his honor.

    “We are deeply grateful for Mr. Gumz’s generous and impactful gift, which aligns perfectly with his passion in winemaking while also broadening the University’s national reputation for research in the fields of viticulture and enology,” said Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro.

    About a decade ago, Gumz started attending yearly wine-tasting events hosted by the Ag One Foundation at the Fresno State Winery. There, he met many enology students over the years and enjoyed learning about wine. His first cousin and Zoldoske’s father, Robert, would often accompany him to the wine tastings. It was through Dr. David Zoldoske that Gumz learned about the importance of water for growing grapes.

    Gumz’s father grew grapes, and his maternal grandfather was Henry Engelman, who started farming grapes near Biola in the early 1900s. The family continues farming wine grapes today and produces local wines at Engelmann Cellars and LoMac Winery.

    Gumz had many interests, which led him to make annual gifts that would improve the student experience in Jordan College programs that included horticulture, the Center for Irrigation Technology and the Viticulture and Enology Research Center.

    “While Don never personally attended Fresno State, he knew superior educational opportunities would help build a strong community,” Zoldoske said. “His many significant gifts will leave a lasting legacy here in the San Joaquin Valley.”

    Gumz’s generosity will help the winery bridge the gap between laboratory-scale wine research and commercial winemaking, said Dr. Stephan Sommer, director of the Viticulture and Enology Research Center.

    “By enhancing our abilities to make wine in small batches while still using modern technology, we enhance learning opportunities for our students and the potential for state-of-the-art research in the same space,” Sommer said. “This will build on Fresno State’s national reputation to provide students with an applied and hands-on learning experience. It will also intensify our collaboration and partnership with the grape and wine industries.”

    In addition to Fresno State, Gumz also supported a number of community organizations to help fight hunger, abuse, children’s health and the arts. Recipients include Valley Children’s Healthcare, Marjaree Mason Center, Poverello House, Fresno Art Museum, Ronald McDonald House and Hinds Hospice.

  • Improving Chill Accumulation to Boost Pistachio Yields

    Hoping to have a good winter, but concerned about chill accumulation in your pistachio orchard? Although you can’t control the weather, there are some things you can do to enhance chill accumulation in your orchard. Watch this brief interview with Gurreet Brar, pistachio plant physiologist at Fresno State, as he shares some insights based on his grower presentation at Malcolm Media’s annual Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo.  Read more about in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and see them at their booth at the California Almond Conference in Sacramento, December 10-12.

  • Ken Ramos Elected Ag One Foundation President

    Ken Ramos, Wells Fargo’s president for Central California business banking, began his one-year term on July 1 as the new president of the Ag One Foundation at Fresno State.

    Ramos, of Fresno, previously served as vice president for Ag One — a development organization for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State — and has also served as treasurer and secretary on its board of directors.

    Originally from Easton, he graduated from Cal Poly with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business. He joined Wells Fargo as a business banking manager in 2004 and was promoted to regional area manager in 2007 and his current position in 2010. He also serves on the board for the foundation of Valley Children’s Hospital of Central California and the Downtown Fresno Partnership.

    “It is a special pleasure to be chosen as the president for Ag One in its 40th year of serving Fresno State’s agricultural programs,” Ramos said. “It will be an exciting year with lots of events and opportunities for alumni, industry supporters and friends from across the Central Valley to continue to support and make a huge difference in our students’ lives.”

    Ramos replaced Don Parreira, co-owner of Ultra Gro Plant Food in Madera, who ended his one-year term as president on June 30.

    Bill Purewal, owner of PureFresh Sales produce marketing, was elected vice president. The Selma native graduated from Fresno State in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business.

    Annie Stuhr was elected treasurer. She is a vice president, agribusiness relationship officer and unit supervisor for Central Valley Community Bank. Stuhr graduated from Fresno State in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business.

    Jim Razor joined the executive committee as secretary. He serves as a district manager of the J.G. Boswell Company and oversees the production of Pima cotton, processing tomatoes and safflower. He earned a plant science degree from Fresno State in 1990 and joined the company as an agronomist the same year.

    Other new members on the 23-person board include Tyler Blagg, Peterson and Company Agricultural Real Estate (Fresno State 2007); Ron Fanucchi, Ron Fanucchi Farming Company (Fresno State 1989); Roger Isom, California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association and Western Agricultural Processors Association (Fresno State 1988); Demetrio Papagni, Papagni Winery and Packing House (Fresno State 1982); and Lorna Roush, Schultz Ranch (Fresno State 1998).

    A complete list of board members is available at www.fresnostate.edu/jcast/agonefoundation/board-of-directors.html.

    Since 1979, the Ag One Foundation has endowed more than $19.5 million in 120 funds to benefit, promote and support the Jordan College. About 4,400 deserving students and programs have received $6.2 million in scholarships and grants. Jordan College academic programs and students will receive about $700,000 in support in the 2018-19 academic year.

    For more information on the Ag One Foundation, upcoming events or to become a member, visit www.agonefoundation.org or call 559.278.4266.

  • Castanon’s 5th-Place Finish Leads Fresno State Soil Judging Team At Nationals

    Fresno, Calif., (April 17, 2018) – Fresno State senior Mark Castanon qualified for the International Soil Judging Contest in Rio de Janiero after finishing fifth overall among 88 individuals at the national competition. The Fresno State soil judging team placed 15th for its highest-ever team finish in the national competition.

    The National Collegiate Soils Contest was hosted by the University of Tennessee at Martin on March 22 and 23. Representatives from 22 of the nation’s most respected collegiate agriculture programs were tested in their ability to identify, evaluate, classify and describe soil profiles in individual and team competitions.

    Castanon will advance to the international contest from Aug. 7 to 11. The international competition is held every four years in conjunction with the World Congress of Soil Science meetings.

    The Fresno native was the top finisher from a university in the western United States with his combined score of 680 points, only 24 points behind winner Kelli Roush of Iowa State who scored 704 points.

    “Our team’s performance was a representation of all the hard work and dedication that we have put into making the soil judging team a reality at Fresno State,” Castanon said. “The team is thankful for all the support that we’ve received from our coaches, advisers and department staff to prepare us for these competitions with knowledge that will also be advantageous in our career paths.”

    Fresno State’s seven-person team also included plant science seniors Aldo Garcia (Shafter), Nancy Valdez (Wasco) and Ricardo Rodriguez-Baeza (Mendota); junior Georgina Reyes Solorio (Livingston); and freshmen Sandra Gaylord (Ivanhoe) and Vanessa Ramos (Porterville).

    To prepare for the event, the team members voluntarily met on Friday evenings and weekends to learn soil judging techniques and methodologies. The competition also exposed the plant science major students to southeastern soil conditions derived from wind-blown silt, coastal-plain sediment and fragipan layers.

    The University of Tennessee at Knoxville won the team contest with 2,566 points to edge Virginia Tech with 2,554 points.

    The event was sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Soil Science Society of America.

    Complete results are available at http://bit.ly/FS18-natl-soil-judging-results, and more event information is available at http://bit.ly/FS18-JC-natl-soil-contest-info.

    The third-year team is coached by Michael Sowers and Dr. Phil Smith. Plant science faculty Dr. Dave Goorahoo and professor emeritus Dr. Bruce Roberts serve as team advisers.

    “Mark and the team’s finish was a true testament to all their hard work since they were competing against the nation’s top students, many of whom are taking advanced soil science classes or are majoring in the field,” Sowers said. “The team’s future is bright with each year’s improvement and the addition of two freshmen who quickly understood the concepts without any formal classes.”

    Sowers works as a Cascade Earth Sciences senior soil scientist and was a former soil judging team instructor for Delaware Valley College that won a national group soil judging title in 2011 and was the northeast regional champion in 2008 and 2010.

    Smith is an area USDA-NRCS soil scientist and previously served as a consulting soil scientist in the private sector.

    Under their guidance, the team finished 20th nationally in 2017 and 18th in 2016.

    Castanon, Garcia, Valdez and Reyes Solorio competed at the national event both previous years, while Rodriguez-Baeza competed in 2017.

    Fresno State’s highest individual honor in 2017 was Jagdeep Basi (Sanger) who placed 40th overall.

    Plant science faculty, staff and students also support soil judging and evaluation by hosting high school FFA state contests each spring on its campus farm – an event that Reyes Solorio placed first in 2015 when she was a high school senior

    .

  • Building Named for ‘Father’ Of Fresno State Viticulture And Enology

    Fresno, Calif., (March 29, 2018) – The California State University Trustees approved Tuesday the naming of the Vincent E. Petrucci Viticulture Building at Fresno State, in honor of the late and esteemed professor emeritus of viticulture. The action item was approved by the Committee on Institutional Advancement.

    Among his many accomplishments during his 46-year career, Dr. Petrucci led successful fundraising efforts to support students, faculty and capital projects. Most notably, he raised more than $1.5 million for the viticulture building, which houses state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories, a discipline-specific library to serve students and industry and the Viticulture and Enology Research Center.

    “Dr. Petrucci was Fresno State’s first viticulture professor and played pivotal roles in developing academic programs and robust and collaborative research programs in viticulture and enology,” said Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro. “His extraordinary work transformed the lives of thousands of students at Fresno State and influenced an entire grape-growing and winemaking industry.”

    Dr. Petrucci taught at Fresno State from 1948 to 1993 and helped establish the University’s renowned viticulture and enology program. He was conferred an honorary doctorate of science by the California State University in 1994 before passing away in 2016.

    In 1985, Dr. Petrucci founded the Fresno State Viticulture and Enology Research Center, which includes the Vincent E. Petrucci Library, and he served as its director until his retirement in 1993.

    The Petrucci’s Crush wine, a limited Fresno State Winery edition of a student-produced vintage named in his honor, was introduced in December 2016 at a special release event that included Petrucci, family, friends and alumni, along with the department’s faculty, staff and many students. The wine also commemorated his wife of 69 years, Josephine, who supported him and his career.

    The Petrucci’s Crush is a red wine blend designed by Petrucci and former Fresno State winemaker Matt Brain. The vintage is comprised of area Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot grapes.

    Fresno State served viticulture and enology students since 1948 through several programs before the Department of Viticulture and Enology was established in 2000. Fresno was the first California State University campus to combine research and academic offerings in both disciplines.

    In 1997, Fresno State became the first university in the nation with a winery bonded to market student-produced wines commercially. Program graduates fill leading grape and wine industry positions worldwide.

    “Today, Dr. Petrucci’s name is synonymous with viticulture and enology at Fresno State, and our alumni and industry partners can be found in every corner of the world,” said Dr. Sandra Witte, dean of Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State. “It is a distinct honor to name the viticulture building in his memory, given his many enduring contributions to Fresno State and the San Joaquin Valley.”

    Since his retirement, Dr. Petrucci published numerous papers and books detailing wine and grape growing best practices.

    The V.E. Petrucci Library, which is part of the Henry Madden Library collection, supports and continues his legacy in academics and research in the heart of California’s Central Valley.

    Library resources reflect the diversity of its patron community with materials generated by the Department of Viticulture and Enology in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology by public and private research institutions and associations, and by other resources released regionally, nationally and globally.

    Among Dr. Petrucci’s many accolades during his career was lifetime service to the wine grape industry in the Valley by the San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Association in 2009.

    Originally from Escalon in the San Joaquin Valley, Dr. Petrucci earned a bachelor’s degree in pomology in 1947 and a master’s in horticulture in 1948, both from University of California, Davis. He served in the U.S. Naval Air Corps at the end of World War II.

    A naming ceremony of the Vincent E. Petrucci Viticulture Building will be held in the near future.