(SOQUEL, CA. — September 22, 2009) – SureHarvest announced today that Dr. Cliff Ohmart is joining the company as the Vice President of Professional Services. “Dr. Cliff Ohmart is an exceptionally talented and visionary leader in sustainability who combines the rigors of agricultural science with the experiential wisdom from implementing on-the-farm innovations with thousands of growers,” stated Dr. Jeff Dlott, President of SureHarvest. “The addition of Dr. Ohmart allows SureHarvest to meet the growing demand for agrifood sustainability solutions.”
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to combine my interest in information technology and farming innovations to achieve greater protection of our natural resources while increasing the bottom line for growers,” said Dr. Ohmart. “The agrifood supply chain will increasingly need data-driven management strategies to optimize resources. I look forward to working with food companies who seek to stimulate continuous environmental improvement with their growersuppliers.”
Dr. Ohmart has served as the Sustainable Winegrowing Director at the Lodi Winegrape Commission (LWC) for the past 13 years. Working with the Commission’s 750 growers who farm over 100,000 acres, Cliff established the LWC as a national and international leader in sustainable farming practices. Most notably, Cliff is the senior author of the Lodi Winegrower’s Workbook: A self assessment of integrated farming practices, to guide grower innovation and adoption of sustainable farming practices. The Workbook then became the model for the Wine Institute and California Association of Winegrape Growers’ Sustainable Winegrowing Program. Cliff was the architect of the LodiRules for Sustainable Winegrowing program for third-party certification by Protected Harvest. Today, 35 growers farming 16,000 acres are recognized for sustainably-grown winegrapes on more than a dozen wine labels bearing the Lodi Rules logo.
Prior to the LWC, Dr. Ohmart was a pest control advisor for Scientific Methods, a pioneer in data-driven pest management decision-making, where he implemented Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs for orchard crops. In 1990, he designed what was likely the first computer database system for commercial pest management, including programmable hand-held data loggers for in-field data collection using barcodes. This innovation was the inspiration for SureHarvest and its Farming MIS technology.
Dr. Ohmart received his PhD in Entomological Sciences in 1976 from the University of California-Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in Forest Entomology from the SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry. He spent the first 13 years of his career as a research scientist for the CSIRO Division of Forest Research in Australia. Dr. Ohmart has delivered over 300 lectures and presentations around the world and has written over 50 publications.
About SureHarvest: (www.sureharvest.com) Sure Harvest provides a full set of solutions for growers and agrifood companies pursuing sustainability strategies – farming management software, sustainability management software, consulting services and third-party sustainability certification. Since 1999, SureHarvest has helped growers farming a total of over 300,000 acres to improve profitability by increasing efficiencies and practicing environmental stewardship. SureHarvest Professional Services has experienced double-digit growth over the last four years.