Mar 11, 2025UC Davis expands pistachio research with major gift
The University of California Davis (UC Davis) is expanding its Pistachio Breeding Program with a $335,000 gift from philanthropist and pistachio farmer Rod Stiefvater. The donation, spread over three years, aims to develop new rootstocks resilient to climate change and support research on scions and rootstocks in Kern County.
Stiefvater is also providing research plots at his Oro Vista Farms in Kern County, where UC Davis researchers will test the performance of different pistachio varieties under the supervision of his farm managers and workers.
“I view it as a way to give back to the industry that has provided for my financial success in ways that I never dreamed possible,” Stiefvater said in a press release. “They’ll receive daily attention to whatever needs arise, whether it be planting or irrigation or whatever.”
The donation establishes the Louise Ferguson and Craig Kallsen Pistachio Research Fund, named after two prominent researchers in the field. Ferguson, a UC Davis professor of cooperative extension specializing in pistachios and other crops, emphasized the importance of Stiefvater’s contribution.
“What is so uniquely valuable here is the opportunity to leverage the expertise of experienced professionals who understand how to manage this material,” Ferguson said in the release. “There’s no way we could purchase what he’s giving us.”
Addressing climate challenges
The research, led by UC Davis associate professors Patrick J. Brown and Giulia Marino, seeks to address challenges posed by warming temperatures, water scarcity and declining winter fog, which threaten California’s $3 billion pistachio industry. The Oro Vista test plots will help evaluate the resilience of new pistachio varieties in the drier and saltier conditions of the Bakersfield area.
“This would be an extension reaching further south but would hopefully add to the diversity of the test plots,” Stiefvater said in the release. “What you want to be able to do is to have both rootstocks and tops that will thrive in different climatic conditions.”
Industry collaboration
The California Pistachio Research Board and philanthropic donors like Stiefvater play a crucial role in supporting UC Davis research. Helene Dillard, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said partnerships like these are essential for the industry’s future.
“This gift from Rod will have a tremendous effect on the success of the Pistachio Breeding Program and the industry itself,” Dillard said in the release. “Only by working together can we meet the challenges of a changing climate and safeguard the future of this valuable crop.”
