Dr. Ferguson has worked as an Extension Specialist in the Pomology/Plant Sciences Department, University of California-Davis (UC-Davis) since 1984. Her appointment is 50% extension, 30% research, and 20% professional and public services. Her extension effort is in fruit trees such as pistachios, olives, figs, citrus, and other minor sub-tropical fruit crops. She tackles challenged research questions such as mechanical pruning and harvesting of pistachios and olives, developmentof disease resistant and salinity tolerant rootstock for pistachios, production of pistachios in saline soil, breeding of new olive varieties, and new mandarin variety evaluation trial. Dr. Ferguson coordinates and leads the California statewide extension programs for pistachios, table olives, and figs. Working with Farm Advisors throughout California, the team produce statewide meetings, short courses, and field days with strong industry support. The Pistachio Production Short Courses organized by Dr. Ferguson in 1990, 1995, 2005, 2008, and 2012 were attended by majority of the pistachio growers in California and overseas participants. The team also produced three versions of the Pistachio Production Manuals with Dr. Ferguson as the coordinating editor. She was also the editor for the California Olive and Citrus Production Manuals. Dr. Ferguson has 673 publications including 90 journal publications, 12 book chapters, 514 limited distributed publication (reports etc.), and 57 abstracts plus three edited books. Dr. Ferguson also received consistent and significant funding from the industries, federal agencies, and other sources for her extension and research effort. Dr. Ferguson pioneered in the establishment of the UC Fruit and Nut Research and Information Center (FNRIC) in 1996 and served as the Direct of FNRIC for 16 years. FNRIC has become a major source of cutting edge, online outreach tool for high value fruit crops. Dr. Ferguson also has served extensively and selflessly in numerous committees at UC-Davis, University of California system wide, and allied industries in the U.S.
In recent years, Dr. Ferguson has served beyond the call of duty for her international agricultural development effort in Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraqi, Jordan, and Pakistan. She is recognized as the leader in knowledge extension of fruit tree crop production in many countries around the global. She also guide and mentor numerous students, postdocs, visiting scientists, and colleagues in their career development and advancement in California, U.S., and internationally. Dr. Ferguson has served the ASHS extensively as Board of Director, member of many committees, as Chairs of several workgroups, and as Associate Editor of HortScience. She also served as the Vice President and President of PGRSA and very active in the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS).She has organized and as moderatorsfor many workshops and symposia in meetings of ASHS, PGRSA, and ISHS in the last 25 years. Overall, her record of extension activities and professional services domestically and internationally is impressive and highly appreciated by everyone who interacther. Dr. Ferguson has a distinguished career for 33 years as an Extension Specialist with high impact programs in pistachio, olive, figs, citrus, and other tree crop production in California. She carried out difficult and innovative research program and develop mechanical pruning andharvesting methods for the sustainable production of pistachio and olive in California. Dr. Ferguson demonstrates strong leadership in tree fruit production, mechanical harvesting, and agricultural extension.
Dr. Ferguson also has extensive and impressive record of serving the horticultural industries in California, U.S., and internationally, plus extraordinary effort in international agricultural extension activities.Dr. Ferguson also has participated extensively in ASHS activities in the past 25 years.
