About every two years, Cooperative Extension agricultural engineering specialist Jim Thompson submits a manuscript to be made into an ANR publication. Typically the manuscript is well organized, well written, targeted toward an identifiable audience, and accompanied by grant money to pay for its printing. The fact that Thompson is the only CE ag engineer left in the UC system and works on postharvest issues for 250 commodity groups makes his regular publications all the more impressive.

“My strategy when I started out in Extension 28 years ago was to develop expertise in particular areas at a time, and try not to do everything,” he says. “If I don’t know the answer to a problem, I refer people to someone who does, which works about 95% of the time.”

One of Thompson’s writing secrets is to convert class material into a manuscript. “A class that brings novices up to date in technology we’re working on gives people the opportunity to get more than just a research update,” he explains. “You write your notes for the class, and after five years rewriting and refining them you have an extension publication nearly ready to go.” Thompson and CE Adviser Cass Mutters have taught a rice quality workshop using a printed syllabus. According to Thompson, the California Rice Commission likes this material so much it is providing funding to help it become an ANR publication for rice quality issues. “There is nothing like it in the English-speaking world,” Thompson says.

How is Thompson so successful at acquiring grant money for production of publications? “I think to some extent people don’t think to ask,” he says. These funds directly benefit his programs. For instance, the printing costs of Thompson’s three transportation publications—Marine Container Transport of Chilled Perishable Produce, Refrigerated Trailer Transport of Perishable Products, and Air Transport of Perishable Products—were supported by USDA grants. With sales agreements set up with Communication Services, revenue from the sales of these publications and other postharvest technology publications he has written or helped write support about 40 percent of the UCD Postharvest Technology program.

Thompson is working on three major research projects right now: improving rice quality and preventing rice cracking in the field, detecting freeze-damaged oranges using a hand-held device similar to that used by the California Highway Patrol to identify drunk drivers, and completing the development of a box that allows avocados and pears to be shipped soft. This shipping box will be patented, and a commercial prototype will soon be in use.

“I don’t do any serious research without money,” Thompson says emphatically. He lists three reasons: he needs the money to do the research; he wants the industry to demonstrate commitment to the research; and he enjoys the regular communication links with the commodity groups.