By Jackie Taylor
Let me introduce you to the Dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Dr. Dennis Nef. This humble and extremely talented economist is the head of about two-thousand agricultural majors at California State University- Fresno. This leader is one that values faith, family, and the future of agriculture. The following is a Q & A session that I had with Dean Nef at the World Ag Expo this year.
Q: Where did you receive your education from?
A: I received my PhD from Iowa State, Masters in Ag Economics from Utah State, and Bachelors from Brigham Young University in Business.
Q: How did you get involved in the agriculture industry?
A: My family had a dairy and I determined I wanted a different path. I worked in retail during my undergraduate work but someone convinced me that I would like agricultural economics so that’s how I got back into the agriculture. I received a job offer from CSU-Fresno, and that’s how I ended up in California and the agricultural industry.
Q: What agricultural organizations are you involved in?
A: I am apart of many organizations as a part of my duties as the Dean but I am mainly involved in agricultural business associations. As of right now, I am a member of the Fresno County Agricultural Land Conservational committee.
Q: What are the three biggest challenges you face as the Dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at CSU-Fresno?
A: My three biggest challenges as the Dean are the University Fiscal Situation regarding the farm, low transfer and student enrollment numbers, and deepening community relationships. When I became the Dean of the Jordan College, I was asked to help improve the University Agricultural Laboratory’s farm income and I did that by planting almond trees. I also assessed the financials and suggested recommendations. The last two years have been profitable and I am proud of that. Due to COVID-19, student enrollment
numbers are down and that poses a risk to funding and student enrollment in our university. The hard part is attracting, retaining, and educating the students who are coming into the university underprepared and new to the area. The third challenge is deepening community relationships that can benefit our students, faculty, and University in a variety of ways. We are constantly looking for new agricultural partnerships that can aid us in the University Agricultural Laboratory, agricultural research, student internships, and educational methods.
Q: What current irrigation methods is the Jordan College using?
A: We have three different types of irrigation methods currently. We utilize drip on most of our University Agricultural Laboratory grounds lately, mostly in our tree nuts, vegetable crops, and perennials. We have one 40 acre block that is flood irrigated, as well as all pastures in our livestock units. There is one center pivot for educational purposes. We are currently using sensors. delivery, and monitoring systems as well as ground penetrating radar to aid us in agricultural research.
Q: What are the current agriculture water related majors in the Jordan College?
A: There is not a specific water related major but many our agricultural majors include water as apart of their curriculum. To my knowledge, the undergraduate majors that involve water are: Plant Science and some engineering coursework. As far as graduate work, there are Masters available in :Plant Science, Water Resource Management, and Agricultural Sciences.
Thank you Dean Nef for taking the time to chat with Water Wrights at the 2022 World Ag Expo. We look forward to our future collaborations with CSU- Fresno and the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. If you are interested in an intern or hiring a CSU-Fresno graduate, please contact Imelda Dudley, Coordinator of Internships and Professional Experiences, at isdudley@mail.fresnostate.edu
Jackie Taylor is WaterWrights.net’s Social Media Specialist. Photo by Taylor, Dr. Dennis
Nef and Omar Hernandez former student.
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