Zach Bagley

Managing Director | California Tomato Research Institute

Zach Bagley leads research-program development and coordination for the California Tomato Research Institute (CTRI), an independent 501(c)(5) nonprofit agricultural research organization founded in 1968. He has served as Managing Director since April 2017, working with a grower-led Board of Directors and university, government, and private research partners to address critical challenges in processing tomato production.

His work connects scientific research with commercial field conditions: identifying research questions, developing collaborations, coordinating field studies, evaluating project progress, and helping growers apply findings.

Research leadership and responsibilities:

Zach manages CTRI’s research portfolio across crop protection, plant pathology, weed science, genetics, agronomy, and agricultural automation. His responsibilities include:

Identifying emerging production challenges and translating them into research priorities.
• Working with investigators and growers to develop relevant research questions, project objectives, and field-validation opportunities.
• Coordinating funding, research partnerships, access to commercial fields, and industry participation.
• Reviewing proposals, monitoring project progress, and assessing the practical implications of findings.
• Contributing to study logistics, sampling protocols, and field data collection where appropriate.
• Communicating results through research reports, grower meetings, field demonstrations, and practical guidance.

CTRI operates through a collaborative research network rather than a single laboratory. University and partner investigators lead individual scientific projects; Zach leads the Institute’s research-program coordination and contributes directly to selected field studies.

Published Scientific Publication for 50 Year Anniversary

Presentation for CTRI’s 50 Year Anniversary

Selected research programs and contributions:

Broomrape management and spread prevention
Zach coordinates CTRI’s participation in a multidisciplinary research program addressing parasitic broomrape in processing tomatoes. Working with UC Davis, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, CDFA, USDA, and industry partners, he helps identify research needs and coordinate work on field management, equipment sanitation, detection, and prevention of spread. His role includes organizing grower and processor participation, connecting investigators with field-validation opportunities, and translating findings into operational guidance.

Explore selected broomrape research and resources

Agricultural automation and field evaluation:
Zach supports collaborative evaluations of technologies intended to improve production efficiency and reduce labor requirements. His work includes coordinating industry participation and commercial-field access, supporting trial logistics, and communicating findings relevant to equipment adoption.

Crop health, genetics, and agronomy:
Zach coordinates research partnerships addressing tomato diseases, insect pests, nutrient management, and genetic improvement. This includes connecting grower priorities with scientific expertise and supporting the extension of research findings into practical production decisions.

Professional background:
Before joining CTRI, Zach served as Agricultural Operations and Tomato Crop Supervisor at Olam West Coast from 2013 to 2017. His responsibilities included grower coordination, variety selection, planting and harvest planning, agricultural operations, and management of a 600-acre farm utilizing processing wastewater for irrigation.

Education:
• M.S., International Agricultural Development, University of California, Davis, 2013.
• B.S., Wildlife Sciences, Purdue University, 2007.
• Business Development Fellow, UC Davis Graduate School of Management, 2013.
• Class 46 Fellow, California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, 2015–2017.

Selected research and public-service appointments:
• UC ANR Foundation Board of Directors.
• California State University Agricultural Research Institute Board of Governors.
• USDA IR-4 Project Commodity Liaison Committee.
• CDFA Specialty Crop Block Grant Technical Review Committee.
• CDFA Beet Curly Top Virus Control Board.
• Processing Tomato Advisory Board Research Committee.

Zach regularly presents at university production meetings, scientific and industry workshops, and national and international tomato research gatherings.

Contact
Zach Bagley
Managing Director, California Tomato Research Institute
zach@tomatonet.org
530-405-9469
P.O. Box 2437, Woodland, CA 95695