Emily Jane Freed brings experience in agriculture issues, logistics and emergency services administration

Not long after starting as a University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) area director, Emily Jane Freed saw, firsthand, the immense respect that Central Coast growers have for UCCE advisors. 

The advisors, UC experts who live in the communities they serve, collaborate to provide the latest research, education and solutions on a wide range of issues – from irrigation and pest management challenges for an array of crops to forest management and 4-H youth programs.

At a retirement party held recently for longtime UCCE specialist Steve Fennimore, Freed mingled with growers and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources academics alike – and was wowed by what she heard.

“Our advisors are having real impact with growers throughout the three counties,” said Freed, who began as UCCE director for Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties in June. “I was so touched to see this symbiotic relationship that was just so natural, and also the growers’ love for these advisors and the work they’re doing.”

Freed previously interacted with UCCE while working at Jacobs Farm/del Cabo, Inc., a bi-national company that is the largest producer of organic culinary herbs and edible flowers in the U.S. With pests and persistent disease threats to basil, Freed often had to drop off samples for testing by UCCE researchers.

“Throughout my work in sustainable agriculture on the Central Coast, I just heard so much about what a gold mine the Cooperative Extension advisors were, and how much knowledge and education they provide to the growers and the local agricultural community,” she said.

Freed brings extensive knowledge in organic agriculture, emergency management 

Prior to managing nine farms as regional production manager for Jacobs Farm/del Cabo, Inc., Freed had immersed herself in Central Coast organic and sustainable agriculture through the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden – “the Harvard of organic farming and gardening.”

“What was great about the program was we got experience with large-scale production farming, small-scale gardening, organic flower production and orchard management, and we also took farm business marketing courses,” said Freed. She noted that the six-month apprenticeship also provided an invaluable overview of key players in the region’s ag sector.

Freed continued to grow her knowledge of local food systems while working at Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County as its supply chain director, the position she held before joining UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“We are so fortunate to have Emily in this leadership capacity, given her experience across the entire food system continuum, from production to distribution,” said Brent Hales, UC ANR associate vice president for research and Cooperative Extension. “Throughout her career, Emily has shown great skill in managing logistics and nurturing partnerships, as well as a tireless ‘can-do’ spirit.”  

At the food bank, Freed oversaw the annual distribution of 11 million pounds of food through 100 partner agencies to 65,000 community members per month throughout Santa Cruz County.

“Working at a food bank was like no other job I've ever worked at,” she said. “Everything is urgent and there's a million different things happening all the time. Food is a right, a necessity, a basic need – so there was an immediacy in trying to get healthy and nutritious food to people.”

That urgency was further elevated by three federally declared disasters during her tenure at the food bank – the COVID pandemic, the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire, and the 2023 atmospheric river storms.

Those experiences – along with memories of family and friends evacuating because of the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County – spurred Freed to take the next step in applying her skills in logistics and operations. She earned a master’s degree in Emergency Services Administration from California State University, Long Beach in May 2024.

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Freed to champion UCCE expertise in wildfire resilience, other key areas

With that background, Freed has a profound appreciation for the work of the UC ANR Fire Network, and her area’s UCCE fire advisor, Barb Satink Wolfson. The network has “incredibly brilliant” people boosting wildfire resilience across the state, Freed said, adding that she would like to see even greater emphasis on preparing growers and farmworkers for wildfires, floods, severe weather and other emergencies.

Extending from her master’s degree research on disaster preparedness for farmworkers, Freed suggested that the topic become a part of their mandatory training. 

“The better we prepare our communities and agricultural workers for disasters, the more resilient they will be when that disaster comes,” she explained. “And as we say in emergency management: ‘It's not if, it's when.’”

In her first weeks as area director, Freed has been touting the work of UC ANR academics and staff on wildfire science, grower needs and the entire spectrum of Cooperative Extension research and outreach. She already has connected with the Farm Bureau, agricultural commissioners in her three counties, county administrators and other community leaders. 

“The staff and advisors have made my job very easy because I can go out and sing their praises about the great work they're doing,” Freed said. “I feel very lucky; I'm the head cheerleader for UC Cooperative Extension on the Central Coast, and I’m happy to facilitate the success of our staff and advisors and provide ongoing positive support and encouragement.”

A big part of her position, Freed said, is making sure her teams have everything they need to succeed – whether by streamlining administrative processes and units, seeking additional funds and resources, or encouraging ongoing career development.

“One of the main things I’m here to do in the area director role is invest in the staff and the advisors as people and as professionals,” Freed explained. “I want to promote their work and research so I can share with the world what they’re doing – and what we need for them to be even more impactful throughout California and beyond.”