Obituary

Cooperative Extension Specialist, Emeritus

John Mamer, Cooperative Extension economist, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics on the Berkeley campus since 1962. He grew up and worked on a farm in the Imperial Valley. He graduated with honors in economics from San Diego State University in 1946, with a B.A. in Labor Economics, a secondary teaching credential in economics, and later received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics with specialization in Agricultural Labor from the University of California, Berkeley in 1958. Soon after, he joined the faculty of Agricultural Economics at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, where he became associate professor and member of the Graduate Faculty, School of Business Administration, College of Agriculture.

He first joined the University of California serving as a junior specialist in the Experiment Station at Berkeley and later became a teaching assistant in Agricultural Economics at UC Davis. He served as the Dean of University Extension and Assistant Vice Chancellor for the University and Public Programs, at University of California, Davis, from 1969-1972. He returned to work full-time as a specialist at Berkeley, focusing on applied research and extension in agricultural labor. During his career in Cooperative Extension, he developed extension programs in three areas:

1. Community Resource Development (CRD) -- Working with county CE staff in the CRD program, Dr. Mamer introduced input-output (I/O) analysis as a means of bringing a quantitative and analytical approach to resource development choices. In doing this, they utilized the technical information about the crop production processes maintained by the farm advisors. As a result, they were able to do some of the first and best local I/O analysis in the country.
2. Farm Labor Economics -- In the farm labor economics extension program, he extended data and information about crop labor inputs, farm employment, the impact of mechanization on farm employment, and information with respect to farm labor unions. For example in the 1980's, he and several faculty members did a comprehensive economic analysis of the 1979 Imperial Valley lettuce workers strike. This research was published in three articles, two of which appeared in refereed publications. During that period, Dr. Mamer worked with UC Davis, agricultural economics faculty members, in efforts to improve their knowledge about the number of individuals who work for wages yearly in California agriculture, referred to as the hired labor force. These research reports included the number of farm workers who were hired in the course of the year, days of employment, the annual earnings of the workers, and by month or type of worker (seasonal or regular). Consequently, this research in labor economics had a tremendous impact on the preparation of reports and labor requirements in California agriculture.
3. Farm Labor Management - In initiating the farm personnel management* (labor management) extension program, Dr. Mamer responded to farm employer and farm employee needs, both of whom benefit from more effective labor management. In the early stages of development, he was able to finance the farm personnel management extension program with grant funds. In 1980 stable funding was provided for an expanded program, when the California State Legislature augmented the University budget to put the funding of this program on a permanent basis. The Agricultural Personnel Management Program (APMP) is the first such extension program in the United States, and it has been well received by California farmers and farm personnel management professionals in agriculture.

Susan Laughlin, Associate Dean of Cooperative Extension, said, "More than anyone else, John Mamer is responsible for having CE, and perhaps the Division, involved in the whole area of farm labor management. He was one of the most important people in establishing that program and its success." (March CNR Update '91).

John Mamer passed away on Friday, July 2, 2004. He was 83.