Agronomic crop production in California faces a number of challenges related to farm economics, market demand shifts, environmental regulations, labor availability, and conservation of natural resources. Given the diversity of crops and production regions in California, combined with a reduction of University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) personnel, a statewide needs assessment was conducted to identify the major concerns of UCCE’s agronomic crops clientele and their preferences for different types of extension material programming. Between July - August 2020, 483 growers, consultants, and allied industry of agronomic crop production responded to an online survey. Based on the responses, water clearly ranked as the top concern for California agronomy, while weed control and irrigation/water management were identified as the top management challenges. Crop rotation benefits were a primary reason for growing agronomic crops, with profitability and tradition ranked closely behind. In addition to water and profits, land stewardship was a high priority for growers when making management decisions. From a broader list of topics covered by UCCE research and extension, the top gaps in issues that clientele consider to be priority vs. their satisfaction with delivery of information on these topics include testing new products, water conservation and storage, irrigation management, weed control, and soil health. Based on the gap in priority and satisfaction, UCCE’s agronomy advisors should consider focusing research and extension efforts on these topics. The results or this needs assessment survey provide insights into the priorities and decision-making process of agronomic crops clientele, helping to improve regional and statewide research and extension efforts, and identifying opportunities for collaboration.

Agronomic crops, including grains, forages, and fiber, are central to California agriculture, yet face many challenges. To ensure resilience, a statewide survey was conducted by the University of California Cooperative Extension service (UCCE) to identify high-priority needs and inform extension programming based on grower, consultant, and allied industry input. The goal was to compare the importance of different topics with the level of satisfaction regarding UCCE’s delivery of information on these topics. Survey respondents identified integrated pest management, nutrient and irrigation management, and variety testing as high-priority needs, with overall high satisfaction regarding UCCE’s program delivery on these topics. Topics needing more focus (high priority but below-average level of satisfaction) included testing new products, soil health management, and water conservation and storage. Areas of low priority and low satisfaction included niche marketing, emerging crops, organic production, harvest/post-harvest technology, salinity management, compost and manure management, and greenhouse gas emission reductions. To address stakeholder challenges, results from this study suggest that research and extension efforts should prioritize issues directly impacting on-farm crop production. At the same time, areas of low interest reflect a need for more support to engage farmers on these topics, particularly those concerning state environmental regulations and challenges to local and global food production and security.