Paul M Vossen

UC Cooperative Extension
133 Aviation Boulevard
Suite 109
Santa Rosa, CA 95403-2894
(707) 565-2621
pmvossen@ucanr.edu

Website

Also in:
Marin County

Specialty

Tree fruits and nuts, vegetable crops, small farm specialty crops; marketing, Master Gardener Program, organic - sustainable production, olive oil, chestnuts, apples

Education

Paul Vossen

University of California

Cooperative Extension

Farm Advisor

(707) 565-2621

pmvossen@ucdavis.edu

http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu

 

Paul Vossen has been a University of California Cooperative Extension – Farm Advisor in Sonoma and Marin Counties since 1980.  He works in the areas of fruit tree, berry, and specialty vegetable culture; pest control; and marketing of farm products.  He also manages the Master Gardener and Sudden Oak Death Programs.  He helps local farmers with the evaluation of their land, selection of appropriate specialty crops, cultural practices, and advice on selling their produce.  He was one of the founders of the Sebastopol Apple Promotion Committee (1982), Sonoma County Ag Marketing Program (1986), and the California Olive Oil Council in 1990.  He has developed statewide and international expertise in olive oil production, processing, and sensory evaluation, including management of the first olive oil taste panel in the USA to become recognized by the International Olive Oil Council in 2001.  As a UC researcher he worked on the scientific evaluation of organic production practices for various crops including apples and olives, primarily in the control of apple scab, codling moth, and olive fruit fly.  Then he authored two UC manuals on organic production for apples and olives.  He teaches many UC short courses and seminars on specialty crops production, continues to work closely with the SRJC Sustainable Ag Program, and has recently completed a new cost study on coastal olive oil production.  He has coordinated the Sonoma County Master Gardener Program for over 30 years.  This program annually donates over 15,000 hours of volunteer service to the community on the subject of sustainable gardening techniques via two help desks (Santa Rosa and Sonoma), library workshops, community gardens, fairs, festivals, farmers’ market booths, a food gardening specialist group, and a Sudden Oak Death outreach program. Their home composting program, funded by Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, has helped reduce landfill inputs by 5,500 cubic yards by educating the community to compost and reuse of yard and kitchen waste.  The Master Gardener Pesticide Use Reduction Education (PURE) Project disseminates information to over 10,200 people through workshops, information tables and a demo garden. The PURE Project has been supported by a grant from City of Santa Rosa and the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency. The PURE demonstration garden at the Sonoma County Fair annually showcases sustainable gardening techniques such as integrated pest management, water conservation, appropriate plant selection and habitat gardening.  Paul also oversees the Sudden Oak Death (SOD) program that is conducting research into documenting the extent of this exotic fungal infestation in Sonoma County.  The program, which is funded by a USDA Forestry Dept. grant teaches landowners, arborists, parks and recreation staff, and the general public about oak tree management issues to prevent SOD and to minimize its spread into uninfested areas.