Jeff Vargas

The Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Research Foundation Recognizes Student Research in Soil Disease

Posted on August 30, 2022August 30, 2022 by Jeff Vargas

Founded in 1987, the Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Foundation was created in honor of the three founders of TriCal: Richard Storkan, Jerry Hanes and Bob McCaslin. Their spirit still lives on today, as the Foundation continues to further the work of the three founders who were always willing to provide time, money, fumigants, and equipment to further research […]

Soil Fumigation: Helping to Overcome Destructive Crop Pests

Posted on June 21, 2022June 21, 2022 by Jeff Vargas

Destructive pests – such as nematodes, fungi, insects, weeds, and other pathogens – can be devastating to a crop. Many times, these pests are actually a non-native, invasive species that readily establish themselves throughout farms within California and other parts of the U.S. Did you know, on average, that California alone acquires 9 new invasive […]

Ag News: A blog by Dr. Mike Stanghellini, Dr. Kristi Sanchez & Guests

Our Authors

Dr. Mike Stanghellini
Director of Research & Regulatory Affairs Dr. Mike Stanghellini received a dual-major Ph.D. in Entomology and Horticultural Science with a minor in Plant Pathology from North Carolina State University. Since 2005, he has served as the TriCal liaison to federal, state, and international regulatory agencies, agrochemical companies, grower organizations, and third-party research entities. Mike directs and supervises our research on product defense, new product registration, and lab/field research on soil fumigants, novel products, and non-fumigant soil pest control tactics.

Dr. Kristi Sanchez
Senior Researcher and Nematologist Dr. Kristi Sanchez received her Ph. D. in Plant Pathology, specializing in Nematology, from the University of California, Davis. She has over a decade of combined research and field experience with UC Davis, the agrichemical industry, and the Plant Pest Diagnostics Center with the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Kristi’s expertise includes pest management of nematodes, morphological and molecular diagnostics of plant parasitic nematodes, and the development of experimental assays for nematode studies in the lab and field. Kristi is a regular invited speaker on topics related to soil health, nematode control, and integrated pest management in orchards.