Projects and Research
Ongoing applied research is an important component of agricultural activities at Swanton Pacific Ranch which support the Mission and "Learn by Doing" philosophy of Swanton Pacific Ranch. These lands lie within the ecosystem of the Scotts Creek Watershed described as a hot spot for evolutionary processes which remain in balance through the careful management of sustainable agriculture practices. Field based research projects support educational goals and serve to improve long-term land productivity and net profit.
Students have completed a broad array of research studies including more than 100 senior projects, graduate theses and ranch-based internship projects. In addition to short-courses and field trips, faculty from throughout Cal Poly State University are encouraged to develop their own post-doc research projects on site. Many of research endeavors support on-going, long-term research projects in the disciplines of forestry, watershed management and rangeland studies.
The Ranch also provides cooperative support to research projects external to Cal Poly conducted on-site. These collaborative endeavors are based upon inter-university cooperation, federal and regional agency research, and industry based research and monitoring.
Cal Poly students and faculty are invited to propose research projects which will serve to support the objectives of the university and Swanton Pacific Ranch. We are currently seeking to expand research efforts in several areas including organic apple crops, soil science, and micro and macro scale biological research.