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StumbleUponFacility Description & On-site Projects
The Hansen Agricultural Center is a 27-acre facility located near Santa Paula, Ventura County, 11 miles east of Ventura and the Pacific Ocean at an elevation of 230 ft. (34.33°N 119.11°W). The Center provides land, labor, equipment, facilities, and technical support to UC academics and personnel from cooperating institutions interested in conducting on-site projects.
Crops grown at the Center include lemons, avocados, strawberries, vegetables, and nursery stock. There is a small collection of tropical and sub-tropical trees including various citrus, banana, guava, mango, passion fruit, persimmon, papaya, and fig.
The climate is mild with an average annual maximum temperature of 75°F and an average annual low of 48°F. Frost can occur in December and January. Average annual precipitation is 18 inches. A CIMIS weather station, #198, is located on-site.
The soil is classified as a Salina Clay Loam (deep alluvial clay loam to silty clay loam from marine sediment parent material). The Center is underlain by a perched water table with subsurface drains installed a a depth of 5 feet in the research area.
The irrigation supply is groundwater from a 200 ft. well. Water quality is 1400 ppm Total Dissolved Solids (EC 1740 umhos/cm), SAR 1.9, pH 7.6, dominated by calcium sulfate.
Research topics include water quality and availablility, invasive species, and introduction and evaluation of promising crops. Facilities include meeting rooms for up to 80 people, glass single-bay greenhouse, and plant tissue drying oven, irrigation equipment, planters and farm equipment for field and vegetable crop production. Also available for research, an orchard with 158 trees grafted with 80 different hybrids of avocado.
Current Approved Research Rates
- Full Cost Rate for field research conducted at the Hansen Agricultural Center for the fiscal year is $47.34/hour.
- University of California researchers will be fully subsidized using Hansen Endowment Funds.
- All other researchers will be charged the Full Cost Rate plus a 29% Non-University Differential (NUD).
Criterea for Land Use
Those interested in conducting on-site projects must apply during the annual call for projects and submit an initial Letter of Intent (LOI). Successful candidates will be asked to provide full project proposals including Land, Labor, and Facilities Form and detailed plot map.
On-site Project porposals will be evaluated under the same criteria used to evaluate competitive grant proposals and asked to present annual and completion project reports.
Plot size should not be smaller than one half (1/2) acre or larger than five (5) acres.
Hansen will consider short term (up to three years) and long tern (up to six years) projects. Longer projects will be considered only if the Reasearch Advisory Committee (RAC) unanimously agrees on the need for a project of such length.
If required, field personnel are available for technical assistance with all farming practices, but projects leaders need to submit protocols for planting, fertilization, irrigation, and cultural practice needs.
Relevant off-cycle projects will be reviewed by the RAC and approved on case by case basis.