PROFILE

Jerome B. Siebert

Former Director of Cooperative Extension retires!

April 2001

"Carmel is looking better everyday!"

Dr. Jerome Siebert received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1964 in Agricultural Economics. He was appointed as Cooperative Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Berkeley in April 1966. Over the period of time he has been with the University of California, he has carried out a number of assignments.

In the early years as a Cooperative Extension Specialist, he focused on agricultural marketing with special emphasis on the California dairy and poultry industries. During this time, he help assist the California Department of Food and Agriculture in constructing the current milk pooling and pricing plan. Dr. Siebert also taught an upper division class in agricultural marketing. He took a special leave of absence to the United States Department of Agriculture where he undertook a number of assignments, most notably as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture’s office and was responsible for policy evaluation. Upon his return, he was appointed as an Associate Director for Cooperative Extension in the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR), Office of the President. Thereafter, he was appointed as Assistant Vice President and Director of Cooperative Extension, DANR, with responsibility and authority for the overall statewide administration of Cooperative Extension. Following that, he undertook a special leave of absence from DANR, and was appointed as Cooperative Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Natural Resources, Berkeley. All through his career with the University of California, his programs have been significant, extensive, and diverse, having contributed to the ability of the California agricultural industry to remain viable and competitive in a world economy.

His programs have focused on the industrial organization of agricultural and food markets with a special emphasis on impact of government policy and regulation in a market economy. His research and extension programs have spanned the spectrum of structure and organization of the agricultural industry, marketing orders and commissions, cooperatives, competition, trade, environmental and resource regulation, exotic pests, and technological development. Dr. Siebert is recognized by the California agricultural industry for his ability to analyze and evaluate various policy issues, provide insights into alternatives and strategies, and provide educational programs that promote improved understanding and decisions. For this reason, numerous commodity groups approach him with requests to evaluate policy options for their members. He has achieved state, national, and international recognition for his programs and contributed to the prestige of the University of California.

In the area of exotic pests, Dr. Siebert has made a special contribution with a number of analyses and evaluations of economic impacts. He had undertaken an update of previous work on the economic impact of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Medfly). This work established him as an authority on the economics of exotic pests and soon led to studies of other pests as well. This work continues today as the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)and various commodity groups periodically request new studies. He has been involved in evaluation of impacts from the implementation of new regulation of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). As an Associate Director of the University of California Agricultural Issues Center, Dr. Siebert was a co-principal investigator for a major research and educational project on "Exotic Pests and Diseases: Biology, Economics, and Public Policy" in 1998-99. His work focused on an evaluation of the economic impact of Eutypaand Pierce’s Disease on the California wine grape industry and finished a study of the economic impact of the Olive Fruit Fly. Dr. Siebert has also been actively involved with the University of California Biotechnology Program assisting them with evaluations and outreach programs.

Dr. Siebert has provided an outstanding outreach program. He organized "The Executive Seminar on Agricultural Issues" which continues through the present. This seminar, held annually in December, has gained recognition as an event that addresses critical emerging and future issues of importance to the long run viability and competitiveness of the California agricultural industry. It is attended by agricultural and agribusiness leaders, government representatives, and public interest groups. This event has given the University of California a high level of recognition by presenting the latest research and information; interpreting it for relevance to the alternatives and/or consequences. He is also a frequent speaker to various agricultural, agribusiness, commodity, and government organizations. His contacts with various agricultural, agribusiness, and government organizations have been extremely valuable to faculty, staff, students, and other cooperative extensions specialists in their research and education programs. Dr. Siebert has been an active participant in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Policy Undergraduate teaching program.

Upon his retirement, Dr. Siebert will continue his active involvement with various agricultural and commodity groups. He is currently working with the American Vineyard Foundation on economic analyses of the impact of exotic pests and diseases and will serve as a member of a multi-disciplinary consortium to undertake research into the development of scientific and management alternatives. He's been asked to assist the California Department of Food and Agriculture in developing policy alternatives in preparation for a revision in U.S. farm policy. In addition, Dr. Siebert has agreed to keep serving on the Center for Sustainable Resource Development in CNR advisory committee. He'll still be available for consultation and discussion with faculty and students on research and extension projects as well as classroom teaching assignments and seminars.