Blogs: Agriculture and Natural Resource

UC Cooperative Extension Santa Cruz County Has Moved!

Just to let you all know we completed our move from our office we've been at for 56 years into a new facility at 500 Westridge Drive which while on the other side of town.  This is part of a re-organization by the County of Santa Cruz to...

UC Experts Talk: Lygus bugs and Strawberry available on YouTube

In case any of you missed the talk (or missed a point, I went rather quickly) I gave last week for the UC Experts Talk on lygus bugs in strawberry, it is now on YouTube.  Thank you to all of you who listened in, I think it went well, in...

UC Ag Experts Talk: Lygus bugs in Strawberry

I've been invited to give a talk on lygus bug management in strawberry by the UC Ag Expert Talk series :   As all California strawberry growers, PCA's and farm managers know, lygus bugs are a serious pest of strawberry, and they cause big...

Three More Updated Cost of Production Studies Available for Central Coast Berries

My UC colleagues, including Emeritus Advisor Laura Tourte with whom I have worked together with so well on these studies for many years, and I have been working at a blistering pace over the past few months and completed updating three more studies...

UCCE Fumigants and Non-Fumigants Meeting Coming Up in Oxnard - May 23

My UCCE colleague Oleg Daugovish is holding an extension meeting in Oxnard this upcoming May 23 focused on fumigants and non-fumigant alternatives.  Have a look if you can, it will be hybrid, meaning online or in-person. You have to sign...

California Oak Moths Visible in Santa Cruz County

Are those moths? What are they doing to my oaks? Why are they out in the daytime? If you live in the Santa Cruz area (or much of the Bay Area) and have coast live oak or other oak species on your property, you have probably been wondering these exact...

Coast Redwoods Stewardship Webinar planned for June

I'm excited to announce we have a great webinar planned in June covering coast redwood ecology and stewardship both pre- and postfire! Join me and two of my amazing UCANR colleagues Kristen Shive and Cleo Wölfle Hazard. Sign up free at...

Ceanothus in the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Burn Footprint

Whether you've been hiking or driving through the CZU Fire burn footprint in the Santa Cruz Mountains, you might have noticed that the understory of the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests look quite different from how...

Pile Burns in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Conditions in the Santa Cruz Mountains have been ripe for pile burning recently. You may have noticed slight hints of smoke in the air as regional forest managers work quickly to burn woody material that has been carefully piled in fuel and forest health...

Please participate in rangeland restoration survey

Maxwell Farmer is a graduate student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He is doing a survey for his master's program on perspectives of rangeland restoration practitioners. This survey is being conducted with support from the Central Coast Rangeland...

Board of Forestry looking for committee members for Range Management Advisory Committee

The Range Management Advisory Committee (RMAC) is a program of the Board of Forestry. They are currently looking for two members to serve on the committee. They are particularly looking for committee members who are rangeland owners or who represent...

Livestock Pass Fire Safety Meeting

Do you have livestock in San Benito County? If so, you'll want to attend the livestock pass fire training which will be hosted by the Ag Commissioner's office and presented by CAL FIRE. A holder of a San Benito County Livestock Pass may have access to a...

Conserving Your Legacy - Workshop on June 5, 2024

Are you interested in learning more about transitioning your ranching operations to future generations? If so, this workshop is for you.   Date: June 5, 2024 Time: 8:00 am - 1:00 pm Location: San Luis Obispo Farm Bureau Office Cost: $25,...

Bay Area Carnivore-Livestock Interactions Project

Please see request below from UCCE Human-Wildlife Interactions Advisor Carolyn Whitesell...   The Bay Area Carnivore-Livestock Interactions Project (BACLIP) is examining various aspects of carnivore-livestock conflict. One part of the project...

2024 Automated Technology Field day

University of California Cooperative Extension 2024 Automated Technology Field Day Thursday, June 27, 2024 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Hartnell East Campus, Salinas, CA 1752 East Alisal Road, Salinas (follow signs to demonstration...

Denomination of Pe: 20, a new race of downy mildew in spinach

Predators by drone: Biological control research

Two of the worst pests plaguing lettuce growers in the Salinas Valley area are aphids, specifically lettuce-currant aphids (Nasovonia ribisnigri), and western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis). Lettuce-currant aphid is an invasive pest that sets...

CropManage Hands-on Training, Salinas CA Wed. April 3, 2024

Date: Wed. April 3rd,  2024 Course 8:30 am – 12 pm Location: Monterey County Agriculture Conference Room 1432 Abbott St, Salinas CA 93901  Learn how to use CropManage to support irrigation and nutrient...

Workshop on adapting Vegetable, Berry, and Grapevine Production to Changing and Variable Climates, Wed. March 6, 2024

Date: Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 (8 am – 2 pm) Location: UCCE Monterey County 1432 Abbott St., Salinas, CA 93901 With: UC Davis, UC Merced, UCCE Monterey County, Land IQ, UC ANR Free Registration includes coffee breaks, lunch, workshop...

Exploring Bay Area Wholesale Market Options

On June 13, the Small Farm Program partnered with UCCE Small Farm Advisor Margaret Lloyd to conduct a tour of wholesale produce markets for Sacramento region farmers. During the bus ride from Woodland to San Francisco, I described the packaging and...

Ag labor management seminars offer keys to success in times of labor uncertainty

UC Cooperative Extension will hold workshops in Temecula Feb. 1 and 2 to help California agricultural employers facing many challenges including labor shortages, wage & hour laws, joint liability, worker safety, workers comp insurance, and...

USDA Announces Streamlined Guaranteed Loans and Additional Lender Category for Small-Scale Operators

USDA recently announced the availability of a streamlined version of USDA guaranteed loans, which are tailored for smaller scale farms and urban producers. The program, called EZ Guarantee Loans, uses a simplified application process to help beginning,...

Economic Impact of Local Food Marketing in the Sacramento Region

Consumers often say that they buy locally produced foods because they want to support their local economy. Our newly released report confirms that buying locally produced foods does support the local economy. Our University of California Cooperative...

UC Small Farm Advisor works with grower to push the "Horticultural Envelope"

This article by Matt Kettman was published in the Santa Barbara Independent on October 6, 2015.  UC Small Farm Advisor, Mark Gaskell, has been providing technical assistance to small-scale growers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties for...

Why It's Called a 'Boys' Night Out'

Ever seen the male longhorned bees, Melissodes agilis, zipping around your garden, trying to bump all critters, large and small, off of "their" blossoms? They own them, ya' know. These male bees are SO territorial. We've seen them target honey...

The Heat. The Butterflies. The Butterfly Guru.

Don't expect to see UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus Art Shapiro monitoring butterflies on the 4th of July. There's a good reason why. Shapiro has monitored the butterfly populations of central California since 1972 and maintains a research...

Bumble Bees at Bodega Bay: Lovin' the Lupine

What a beautiful sight...a yellow-faced bumble bee, a queen, foraging on yellow bush lupine blossoms at Bodega Bay. She buzzed from blossom to blossom at Doran Regional Park while packing a ball of red pollen that seemed to increase in brilliance...

A Mantis on the Milkweed

So here's this immature praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, perched on a narrow-leafed milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis, in a Vacaville pollinator garden. She's camouflaged quite well. She's as green and thin as the leaves. Me: "Hey, Ms....

The Art of the Bee

Thought for the day... Every time we see a honey bee "posing perfectly" on a Gaillardia, commonly known as blanket flower, we think of a quote by internationally known honey bee geneticist, Robert E. Page Jr., a UC Davis doctoral alumnus and professor...

UC food-safety specialist tests biosensors to ensure safe produce

  Ahmed El-Moghazy joined UC Agriculture and Natural Resources as a UC Cooperative Extension food safety specialist in February and is based at UC Riverside. Food safety, according to El-Moghazy, are measures that ensure food is free from...

Report outlines top concerns in California organic agriculture

Organic Agriculture Institute needs assessment refines how it can address pressing challenges The explosive growth of organic agriculture in the U.S. – reflected in a 90% increase in organic farms from 2011 to 2021, according to U.S. Department...

Postharvest Center: New research focus and outreach

Still providing the world with top-notch information UC Davis has been a leading source of information for people handling, packaging and transporting crops since the beginnings of the Postharvest Research and Extension Center in 1979. Now, the center...

West Side REC study: A cradle of California regenerative agriculture

In 20-year study, UCCE specialist Mitchell, colleagues, growers advance no-till and cover cropping practices In the 1990s, long before “regenerative agriculture” was a buzzword and “soil health” became a cause...

Controlled environment agriculture courses offered online

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education and The VINE launch indoor farming classes A new, comprehensive and advanced learning experience in indoor farming is now available for growers. The VINE, an initiative of University of California...

Personas sin hogar cultivan alimentos y una mejor salud en albergue del condado de Alameda

La conversión de un viejo jardín de flores en un huerto de verduras ha dado un nuevo significado a la vida de varias personas sin hogar que, con orgullo, cultivan y cosechan las verduras que complementan las comidas con las que ellos y...

Entender las diferentes personalidades de pastoreo del ganado puede promover pastizales sustentables

Adaptar a las vacas a los pastizales según sus preferencias podría, además, ahorrar dinero a los criadores de ganado Según un estudio de la Universidad de California en Davis, conocer las diferentes personalidades de...

Expertos en agricultura hablan sobre los desafíos a los que se enfrenta esta industria en California

La agricultura genera 59 mil millones de dólares y emplea a cerca de 400 mil individuos en California. La industria, sin embargo, frecuentemente se ve amenazada ante los desafíos que representan los cambios climáticos, la...

No solo sobre la preparación de comida aprenden jóvenes de 4-H en la Fiesta de los Alimentos

Podría sonar raro, pero para los participantes del Programa de Desarrollo Juvenil 4-H del condado de Orante, saber cocinar y tener habilidades para hablar en público van de la mano. Y eso se pudo observar durante la pasada Fiesta de los...

UC ANR ofrece talleres virtuales sobre el desperdicio de alimentos y nutrición

Cómo reducir el desperdicio de alimentos y mejorar el nivel nutritivo en el sistema penitenciario de California, son los temas de una serie de talleres virtuales gratuitos presentados por la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de...

2024 CA Tree School: New event brought forest stewardship education and connection to Mendocino and El Dorado counties

  “We have a responsibility now that we own a piece of land,” shared Antonio, a new forest landowner who attended this year's inaugural California Tree School with his partner. “It's important to take care of it.” A...

Forest Stewardship Branches Out with California Tree School- Hopland

5,000 acres of Mendocino County oak woodlands provided the backdrop for UC ANR's first California Tree School session on May 4, which saw 45 forest landowners, natural resource professionals, and students join the UC ANR Forest Stewardship...

Supporting Community Wildfire Preparedness: A Conversation with Tahoe RCD’s Jason Brand

When looking to improve a region's wildfire resiliency, considering the impact of neighborhood level action cannot be understated. By tapping into existing community ties, the Tahoe RCD's Network of Fire Adapted Communities (Tahoe Network) program is...

Connecting California’s forest landowners with CA Tree School

  While trees and forests are often emblematic of constancy in a fast-paced world, our state's forests are actually changing before our eyes. Since 2020, the UC ANR Forest Stewardship Education (FSE) program has been helping California's...

Trunk to Table: Forest Stewardship visits the modernized UC Wood Products Lab at the Richmond Field Station

Today, the revitalization of the UC Wood Products laboratory at the Richmond Field Station outpost is led by Berkeley's UCCE Assistant Professors and Extension Specialists Dr. Daniel Sanchez and Dr. Paul Mayencourt. Sanchez leads the Carbon Removal...

Proceedings Available - 7th California Oak Symposium: Managing Oak Woodlands in a Dynamic World

Overview: Beginning in 1979, there have been a series of symposia held every 5 to 7 years addressing the state of our knowledge about science, policy and management factors affecting California's oak resource. This program, held November 3-6, 2014 in...

Irrigating Oaks in the Drought

To water or not to water….an oak. That's the question. If only Shakespeare could answer our questions as eloquently as in his plays. In a state where the motto has become “brown is the new green” as people allow irrigated lawns to...

Call for Papers: 7th California Oak Symposium - Nov. 3-6, 2014 - Visalia, CA California

The 7th California Oak Symposium: Managing Oak Woodlands in a Dynamic California, will be held November 3-6, 2014 in Visalia, California. Complete details on the Symposium can be viewed on the website.  We are requesting abstracts for oral...

7th California Oak Symposium: Nov. 3-6, 2014 - Visalia, CA

General Overview Beginning in 1979, there have been a series of symposia held every 5 to 7 years addressing the state of our knowledge about science, policy and management factors affecting California’s oak resource. This upcoming program...

Oaks in the Urban Landscape - October 10

  Oaks in the Urban Landscape: Selection, Care, and Preservation is the most current and comprehensive handbook available for the management of oak trees. Join authors Larry Costello, Bruce Hagen and Katherine Jones, along with UC...