Jim Thompson Retires

From an early age, Jim Thompson, UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialist, knew what he wanted to do for his career. During his elementary school years, he frequently got up very early to watch the television program “White Collar Farmer,” fascinated even in those days with agricultural research. 

“I first wanted to be an engineer who built bridges, but later in college I learned about agricultural engineering where I could combine both my interests,” Thompson said.

Thompson, who retired on June 28, 2010, spent 35 years pursuing that fascination, applying agricultural engineering to solve problems.  Early in his career, he developed energy conservation techniques for prune, walnut and rice drying systems and conducted an energy extension program for a wide range of agricultural operations.  He had an extensive program in postharvest handling of perishables including introducing forced-air cooling technology to the cut flower industry, developing packing equipment design criteria to reduce damage to sweet cherries, and evaluating electricity use of produce coolers. 

His recent research activities have included developing methods of determining freeze-damage to oranges and mold contamination of processing tomatoes, evaluating methods for improving rice quality and developing a special package for shipping soft, ripe fruit.

Thompson earned his M.S. in Agricultural Engineering at UC Davis in 1974 and began working as a specialist in 1975. He became affiliated with the Postharvest Technology Research & Information Center from its inception. From 1999 through 2009, he served as the Academic Director of the Center.  He was the faculty coordinator of the Management of Fruit Ripening & Ethylene Management Workshop for 12 years, and offered numerous county-based programs on a variety of topics, including the Rice Quality Workshop and a popular Walnut Dehydrator Workshop in 2009 and 2010.

“Jim’s practical and grower-friendly information has always been appreciated by both those he worked with off campus in the industry, and those participants attending campus workshops,” said Beth Mitcham, current Academic Director of the Postharvest Center.

Cass Mutters, long-time colleague and coauthor of the “Rice Quality Manual,” recounted Thompson’s tenacious approach to solving problems.

“He brought a level of confidence to the field, persuading farmers to risk thousands of dollars of crop value in an experiment to find a better solution,” said Mutters. “Somehow he always found a win-win solution for everyone, and many of the techniques he developed over the years are still at the forefront of agricultural practices.”