Cooperative Extension Area Citrus Advisor - Serving Tulare, Fresno and Madera Counties (25-26

Cooperative Extension Area Citrus Advisor

Serving Tulare, Fresno, and Madera Counties

The University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) invites applications for a UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Area Advisor at the Assistant rank. The advisor will develop an innovative, multi-county applied research and extension education program to support the large citrus industry in Tulare, Fresno, and Madera Counties.

The advisor will develop problem-solving and educational programs that address high-priority challenges affecting citrus production, including warmer temperatures, reduced water availability, decreased water quality, and nutrient management. Research and extension solutions may include rootstock and cultivar selection, irrigation and soil management, and emerging innovative farming practices. In addition to developing horticultural solutions to production challenges, the incumbent will collaborate with colleagues in agricultural engineering, irrigation, plant pathology, entomology, and other relevant disciplines to address increasingly expensive production inputs (labor, water, nutrients, etc.),

the threat of huanglongbing disease (HLB), and other emerging pests and diseases affecting California citrus production. A critical priority for citrus growers in the region is adapting to the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which is reshaping how water is allocated and managed throughout California. The advisor will provide research-based solutions and extension programming to help growers navigate evolving water regulations while maintaining crop productivity, fruit quality, and economic viability under water-supply constraints.

UCCE Advisors develop integrated applied research and extension programs that generate and deliver science-based solutions to address the needs of California’s agricultural industries and communities. Research activities are needs-driven, mission-oriented, and focused on solving real-world challenges through collaboration and applied investigations. Extension is the educational process by which Advisors translate research findings into practical information and decision-support tools for growers, agricultural professionals, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

Extension activities may include organizing and presenting at educational workshops and short courses, field demonstrations, on-farm consultations, webinars, podcasts, radio programs, fact sheets, policy briefs, newsletters, news blogs, social media, and other outreach methods that expand access to research-based information. Advisors are expected to disseminate research findings through a variety of publication formats, including newsletters, popular-press articles, curricula, conference proceedings, extension publications, and peer-reviewed journals.

Successful research and extension programs result in new information that improves knowledge or understanding and adoption of new skills, practices, changed attitudes, policies, and improved environmental, health, agricultural, economic, and/or social conditions. UCCE Advisors are evaluated through an academic advancement system based on four criteria: extending knowledge, applied research and creative activity, professional competence and activity, and university and public service.

Location Headquarters
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The position will be headquartered at the Tulare County Cooperative Extension Office, 4437 S. Laspina Street, Tulare, California 93274.

Position Details Sustaining citrus production in Tulare, Fresno, and Madera Counties is critical to the long‑term viability of the region’s agricultural economy and the success of its citrus growers, many of whom are small‑scale family farmers. Together, these three counties represent approximately 58% of California’s citrus acreage, contributing billions of dollars to the regional economy and supporting thousands of jobs. Citrus is a high‑value crop with the potential to sustain rural agricultural economies in the decades to come.

However, citrus crops face increasingly complex challenges that require locally relevant research‑based solutions. The advisor…