If you are a walnut grower, chances are you’ve heard of Joe Grant. He has been instrumental in developing pheromone mating disruption to control codling moth (scourge of many a walnut orchards), helping growers optimize irrigation with the aid of pressure bombs as well as the use of cover crops in walnut orchards. And those are just a few of his accomplishments. Despite his accomplishments, Joe remains an easy to approach kind of guy, as those growers he has worked with will tell you.
After a stellar 30 year career with UCANR in San Joaquin County as Farm Advisor, Joe Grant is calling it a day. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be active in the walnut industry. He will serve as the Director of Research for the CWB, guiding production research. He will replace another long time stalwart, Dave Ramos, who guided production research for 18 years and is very well regarded throughout the industry. Thank you, Dave!
Owing to Joe’s research work on the biocontrol of codling moth, the industry was able to move away from its reliance on chemical controls, something that earned him and the Entomology Working Group within PRAC the IPM Innovator Award from the California Department of Pesticide Regulations in 2013.
Joe has Master’s degrees in Pomology and Plant Protection and Pest Management from UC Davis. His stint as a UC Cooperative Extension Advisor began in April 1987 in San Joaquin County. Over the last 29 years, he has been busy helping not only walnut growers but also those in the cherry, apple, olive and other tree crop industries.
So, if you had not heard of Joe before, now you know his impact on your walnut orchard operations. We are pleased to have Joe’s expertise onboard to guide walnut industry research forth.