Agroecology Consulting is led by Tommy Fenster. Tommy has been conducting research quantifying the ecosystem services of regenerative farming systems since 2017. Tommy graduated in 2011 from Pomona College where he majored in Environmental Policy. After graduation Tommy worked for the British Embassy’s Science and Innovation Teams and Research Councils. From there Tommy worked for Alameda County, CA working on expanding composting and recycling at County buildings. He then worked for 6 years with the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (StopWaste) where he mostly worked on expanding composting, as well as Bay Friendly and edible landscapes across Alameda County.

Tommy earned his MS in Biology from Cal State East Bay in 2021. During his masters Tommy was with the Ecdysis Foundation, the Oikawa Lab at Cal State East Bay, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. His research focused on regenerative management in almonds orchards and using eddy covariance to compare carbon fluxes in rangelands with and without compost applications. This work resulted in three first author publications, including the first paper to quantifiably define regenerative farming systems, Defining and validating regenerative farm systems using a composite of ranked agricultural practices.

Tommy is currently a PhD Candidate in the Horticulture and Agronomy Program at UC Davis and will graduate in June of 2025. He is a member of the Gaudin Agroecology Lab and the Ecdysis Foundation. The goal of his PhD research is to rigorously evaluate the environmental and economic outcomes of integrating sheep grazing on commercial vineyards with different management legacies along the conventional-regenerative gradient. To fund this research Tommy led the writing of the USDA Western SARE grant. Between March 2022 and October 2024 data collection took place on 49 vineyards spanning Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Napa, San Joaquin, Solano, and San Benito Counties.

In addition to producing at least four peer reviewed manuscripts the research will be used for the development of a Best Management Practice Guide, a cost-return calculation tool and identify new leverages for adoption. For more information on this research please refer the grant’s Progress Report. Tommy also serves on the Contra Costa County Integrated Pest Management Advisory Committee where he works to protect and enhance public health, County resources, and the environment.

For more detail information on Tommy’s background please see his CV, Linkedin, or Google Scholar.