Robert Craig McNamara
Encyclopedia
Craig McNamara, born as Robert Craig McNamara, is the president and owner of Sierra Orchards, a diversified farming operation that includes field, processing, and marketing operations, producing primarily organic walnuts and olive oil. McNamara also serves as the founder and president of the Center for Land-Based Learning. The goal of this innovative program is to assist high school students in becoming lifelong learners, overcoming barriers to change, and building greater social and human capital in their communities. Craig McNamara is currently the president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture
.
, Michigan
. He is the only son of three children of the former United States secretary of defense, Robert McNamara
(d. 2009) and Margaret Craig
(d. 1981).
McNamara enrolled at Stanford University
in 1969. After McNamara left Stanford, he spent several years traveling through Mexico
, Colombia
, Ecuador
, Peru
, Bolivia
and Chile
. After working on local farms across South America , including starting a dairy cooperative business on Easter Island
, he discovered his passion for sustainable farming. He returned to the United States and enrolled at University of California, Davis
and graduated in 1976 with a degree in plant and soil science
. After a 3-year apprenticeship with Ton Lum, Craig McNamara founded Sierra Orchards.
, a small city in Yolo County, on the border with Solano County. The orchard is approximately 450 acres in size and produces mostly organic walnuts. Sierra Orchards is recognized for its use of sustainable practices and conservation techniques. McNamara has also been recognized for his outstanding agricultural work and commitment to ensuring a healthy, sustainable food system for California and the nation.
Craig and Julie McNamara are the founders of the FARMS Program, a partnership that started in 1993, joining Sierra Orchards (the operational farming entity of McNamara's family), UC Davis
, the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and the Yolo County Resource Conservation District. FARMS is now integrated as a curriculum of the Center for Land-Based Learning.
. In 2004, FARMS Leadership, Inc. was renamed as the Center for Land-Based Learning. The program now reaches nearly 2,000 students annually.
since 2002. On February 1, 2011 Governor Jerry Brown
appointed Craig McNamara president of the state board. McNamara is working to ensure that the goals of Ag Vision 2030 are met. McNamara is passionate about sharing his knowledge of sustainable agriculture and leadership with the world around him.
His professional activities include: board member of American Farmland Trust
, Roots of Change Stewardship Council
, University of California, Davis Dean’s Advisory Council and Agricultural Sustainability Institute advisory board member, Public Policy Institute of California advisory board
, past member of the Foundation Board of Trustees University of California, Merced
.
.
, the California Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, the UC Davis Award of Distinction and Outstanding Alumnus Award.
California Department of Food and Agriculture
The California Department of Food and Agriculture , is a cabinet-level agency in the government of California. Established in 1919 by the California State Legislature and signed into law by Governor William Stephens, the Department of Food and Agriculture is responsible for ensuring the state's...
.
Early Life and Career
Craig McNamara was born in Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He is the only son of three children of the former United States secretary of defense, Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
(d. 2009) and Margaret Craig
Margaret McNamara
Margaret Craig McNamara was the founder of the nonprofit children's literacy organization Reading is Fundamental....
(d. 1981).
McNamara enrolled at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1969. After McNamara left Stanford, he spent several years traveling through Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. After working on local farms across South America , including starting a dairy cooperative business on Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
, he discovered his passion for sustainable farming. He returned to the United States and enrolled at University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
and graduated in 1976 with a degree in plant and soil science
Soil science
Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils.Sometimes terms which...
. After a 3-year apprenticeship with Ton Lum, Craig McNamara founded Sierra Orchards.
President and Owner of Sierra Orchards
McNamara established Sierra Orchards in 1980. Sierra Orchards is located within the limits of Winters, CaliforniaWinters, California
Winters is a city in Yolo County, California. The population was 6,624 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is near Lake Berryessa. It is noted as the one-time residence of cartoonist R...
, a small city in Yolo County, on the border with Solano County. The orchard is approximately 450 acres in size and produces mostly organic walnuts. Sierra Orchards is recognized for its use of sustainable practices and conservation techniques. McNamara has also been recognized for his outstanding agricultural work and commitment to ensuring a healthy, sustainable food system for California and the nation.
Craig and Julie McNamara are the founders of the FARMS Program, a partnership that started in 1993, joining Sierra Orchards (the operational farming entity of McNamara's family), UC Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and the Yolo County Resource Conservation District. FARMS is now integrated as a curriculum of the Center for Land-Based Learning.
Center for Land-Based Learning
The SLEWS Program was formed in 2001, after partnering with Audubon California's Landowner Stewardship Program. This effectively doubled the number of students served annually. As a result of this dramatic growth and increased demand, in February 2001 FARMS Leadership, Inc. a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was formed and moved to new headquarters at The Farm on Putah Creek in Winters, CaliforniaWinters, California
Winters is a city in Yolo County, California. The population was 6,624 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is near Lake Berryessa. It is noted as the one-time residence of cartoonist R...
. In 2004, FARMS Leadership, Inc. was renamed as the Center for Land-Based Learning. The program now reaches nearly 2,000 students annually.
President of California Department of Food & Agriculture
Craig McNamara has served on the State Board of Food and AgricultureCalifornia Department of Food and Agriculture
The California Department of Food and Agriculture , is a cabinet-level agency in the government of California. Established in 1919 by the California State Legislature and signed into law by Governor William Stephens, the Department of Food and Agriculture is responsible for ensuring the state's...
since 2002. On February 1, 2011 Governor Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
appointed Craig McNamara president of the state board. McNamara is working to ensure that the goals of Ag Vision 2030 are met. McNamara is passionate about sharing his knowledge of sustainable agriculture and leadership with the world around him.
Other Affiliations
McNamara is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program and a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum.His professional activities include: board member of American Farmland Trust
American Farmland Trust
The American Farmland Trust is an organization founded to preserve farmland and ranchland in the United States and to promote sustainable agricultural practices....
, Roots of Change Stewardship Council
Roots of Change
Roots of Change is a food system advocacy group that aims to create a sustainable food system in California by 2030. In 1999, a group of foundations came together to explore the challenges facing the modern industrialized food system. They sought to maximize the impact of their philanthropy in...
, University of California, Davis Dean’s Advisory Council and Agricultural Sustainability Institute advisory board member, Public Policy Institute of California advisory board
Public Policy Institute of California
Public Policy Institute of California is an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit research institution. Based in San Francisco, California, the institute was established in 1994 with a $70 million endowment from William Reddington Hewlett...
, past member of the Foundation Board of Trustees University of California, Merced
University of California, Merced
The University of California, Merced, commonly referred to as UC Merced or UCM, is the tenth and newest of the University of California campuses. Located in the San Joaquin Valley in unincorporated Merced County, California, near Merced, UC Merced was the first American research university to...
.
Personal Life
Craig McNamara is married to Julie McNamara. Together with his wife and three children he lives in Winters, CaliforniaWinters, California
Winters is a city in Yolo County, California. The population was 6,624 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is near Lake Berryessa. It is noted as the one-time residence of cartoonist R...
.
Awards
Craig McNamara is the recipient of several awards including the Leopold Conservation AwardSand County Foundation
Sand County Foundation, located in Monona, Wisconsin, USA, is a non-profit private land conservation organization formed in 1965. Its work is inspired by world-renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold’s land management philosophy.- Landholder Leaders :...
, the California Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, the UC Davis Award of Distinction and Outstanding Alumnus Award.
External links
- "Craig McNamara's Official Website"
- "The Center for Land-Based Learning"
- "Terroir Lessons in a Nutshell" - An article referring to Craig McNmara's orchard on SFGate.com
- An article mentioning the young Craig McNamara's opposition to the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
- Craig McNamara: Interview, 1997 - an article by Jan Goggans about Craig McNamara's sustainable agriculture and FARMS Program, a partnership that started in 1993 joining Sierra Orchards, UC DavisUniversity of California, DavisThe University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and the Yolo County Resource Conservation District - Article and updating on FARMS Program by Mary Kimball, project coordinator, Yolo County Resource Conservation District
- Craig McNamara receives the 2007 Leopold Conservation Award, article written by Bob Krauter on 2007 December 7