Blogs: Agriculture and Natural Resource
Mark Bolda's Berry Blog
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Watsonville Strawberries Ready to Rip
Just on a walk this morning (or was it afternoon, time change) on the levee outside of Watsonville and spied the gorgeous site below. Lots of red, and more importantly plenty of flowers, which with no rain in the forecast for the next couple of...
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Anthracnose is Around Right Now – Caution Advised
We had picture brought in by a grower on Friday of some fruit from his field showing clear signs of anthracnose. That is to say, dark, lens shaped lesions on the fruit. It's understood that these are very early fruit and they have been exposed to some...
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Computer Coaching for Public Speaking?
2/22/2024 Just working this morning on a talk happening two weeks down the road and came across the option from the Powerpoint menu pictured below. I'm curious, have any of you ever used this? While I think this would be useful in a...
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Recording of February 14 UCCE Annual Strawberry Production Research Meeting
In case you missed it because of other obligations or you simply want to re-view favorite parts of our February 14 UCCE Annual Strawberry Production Research Meeting our Program Support Unit has provided me with a recording of the whole show. It...
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Current Chill Calculations for the Central Coast - CIMIS Station #129
I had a local grower in our area call me last week about comparing the amount of chill accumulated so far this growing year, so I directed him to the UC Davis Fruits and Nuts site, which has a great chill calculator and also affords the opportunity...
Santa Cruz Forests
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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...
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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...
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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...
Livestock and Range Update Blogs
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Please Fill Out the 2023 Crop Report Survey
The San Benito County Agricultural Commissioner's Office is accumulating figures for the 2023 County Crop Report and they would greatly appreciate your assistance in collecting accurate data. If you've got cattle in San Benito County, please fill out the...
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Midpen Grazing Leases
Please see below announcement from Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (District), regarding a Request for Proposals (RFP) to lease District property for conservation grazing... The District has released an RFP for three grazing units in San...
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San Benito County Cattlemen's Membership Drive with Dinner and Dancing
Join the San Benito County Cattlemen's Association for their membership drive, which will include dinner and dancing. This will be a fun event with live music by Jesse Daniel. You'll also hear from key note speakers and get updates from other local...
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New factsheets on fire for ranchers
The UC ANR Fire Network recently developed three factsheets that might be of interest to the ranching community. Keeping Livestock Safe and Healthy During Wildfires Land Stewardship and Vegetation Management Wildfire Preparedness for Farms,...
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Rancher Seminar - December 6, 2023
Join the San Benito County Weed Management Area for the 22nd Annual Continuing Education Seminar for Ranchers. It will be at the Oaks Room at Bolado Park this year. 2.5 hours of pesticide continuing education credit (including 1 hour of Laws and...
Salinas Valley Agriculture
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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...
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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...
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CropManage Hands-on Workshop and Drop-in Office Hours, Watsonville CA, March 7
Date: Thursday, March 7, 2024 Course 10:30 am – 2 pm Drop-in office hours 2-3:30 pm Location: Watsonville Public Library 275 Main St., Suite 100, Watsonville, CA 95076 Learn how to use CropManage to support irrigation and...
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2024 Irrigation and Nutrient Management Meeting
2024 Irrigation and Nutrient Management Meeting Tuesday, February 20 7:55 am to 1:30 pm Habrá traducción al Español Registration Link: 7:30 Sign-in and...
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Alternaria head rot (pin rot) of broccoli and research update on fungicide evaluation
Broccoli head rot, also known as pin rot, can cause significant problems, especially in fall broccoli production in Salinas Valley. Two types of head rot are affecting broccoli, including bacterial head rot and Alternaria head rot (Koike 2010)....
Small Farm News
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
Bug Squad
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Lagoon Fly: Seeing Spots
Ever seen a lagoon fly? It's a syrphid fly, Eristalinus aeneus, distinguished by small black spots patterning its eyes. Syrphids, also known hoverflies or flower flies, hover over a flower before foraging....
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Ootheca! Ootheca! Ootheca!
If you've been pruning bushes or trees, check to see if a praying mantis egg case (ootheca) is attached to a limb. If you do, you're in luck! A mantis deposits her egg case in late summer or fall, and usually on twigs, stems, a wooden stake...
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Presenting: A Butterfly and a Fly
A gray butterfly and a fruit fly... Each has "fly" in its name but one is a member of the order Lepidoptera and the other, order Diptera. Etymology does not agree with entomology. Ever managed to photograph a butterfly and fruit...
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Today's Honorary Bee Image Award Goes to...a Fly
Today's Honorary Bee Image Award goes to...drum roll...an image of a humble hoverfly appearing on the National Geographic Facebook page. The caption reads "A bee sits on a marigold flower in Coronado National Forest, Arizona, USA." Bee? Umm,...
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Mary Louise Flint's Article in The Acorn: 'Butterflies in Decline'
You won't want to miss the cover story, "Butterflies in Decline," in the spring 2024 issue of The Acorn, the quarterly magazine published by the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. The center, operated by the American River Natural History...
Food Blog
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Understanding cattle grazing personalities may foster sustainable rangelands
Matching herds to landscape can support animal growth and ecological needs Not all cattle are the same when it comes to grazing. Some like to wander while others prefer to stay close to water and rest areas. Recognizing those personality differences...
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Pork prices may reflect uncertainty around Prop 12
California's farm animal welfare act, approved in 2018, fully implemented in January 2024 after delays Since being passed by California voters in 2018, Proposition 12, a farm animal welfare law, has faced a series of legal challenges that have...
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Organic strawberry yields boosted by technique refined through UCCE research
Anaerobic soil disinfestation helps suppress weeds, disease without fumigants Troubled by puny plants, low yields and persistent mite problems, third-generation Southern California strawberry grower Glen Hasegawa was ready to give up on his transition...
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REC System Director Haver encourages systemic approach to agriculture
Agriculture generates $59 billion and employs nearly 400,000 individuals in California. The industry, however, is often threatened by challenges like climate change, land conversion and water scarcity. Motivated to act, Sustain Southern California...
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Climate-smart crop production workshops March 5-7 in Ventura, Salinas and Tulare
Growers invited to learn how to manage risks to fruit, nut, vegetable production UC Cooperative Extension is offering workshops in Ventura, Salinas and Tulare to help growers adapt their fruit, nut and vegetable production practices to variable...
Blog de Alimentos
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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...
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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...
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Productores de almendras en alerta ante posible brote de patógeno
El invierno húmedo y El Niño crean condiciones favorables para una infección con el patógeno Phytophthora aéreo Antes los pronósticos de lluvias torrenciales en California, expertos de Extensión...
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Recuerdan a los centros de distribución de alimentos sobre la importancia de evaluar sus sistemas de seguridad alimentaria
Los meses de invierno que proceden a las fiestas decembrinas, cuando los centros de distribución de alimentos registran una de las mayores actividades del año, ofrecen una buena oportunidad para que estas empresas realicen una...
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Asesora de UCCE orienta y aprende al mismo tiempo sobre el sistema de ordeño robotizado
Los sistemas de ordeño automatizados se usan cada vez más en California en respuesta a problemas laborales La escasez de mano de obra de calidad y las crecientes regulaciones en torno a la producción de leche, obligó a Fred...
Forest Research and Outreach
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Forest Stewardship and Industry: Mendocino and Humboldt Redwood Co.'s John Andersen
Before he became the director of forest policy for a timber company, John Andersen was working next door to one. During his time as a consulting forester, several family forests Andersen visited were adjacent to parcels of industrial forestland that...
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New Film Profiles Immediate Actions to Restore California's Wildfire-vulnerable Forests
The new film "California's Watershed Healing" documents the huge benefits that result from restoring forests to healthier densities. UC Merced's Sierra Nevada Research Institute partnered with the nonprofit Chronicles Group to tell...
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Wildfires Also Impact Aquatic Ecosystems
In devastating cases dotting the globe in recent years, climate warming has led to an increase in the number and severity of destructive wildfires. Climate change projections indicate that environmental and economic damage from wildfires will spread...
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Professors Create Exhibit That Explores California’s Fiery Future
Charred land may not look like much at first glance, but a controlled burn can benefit a landscape by rejuvenating the soil, maintaining healthy ecosystems and reducing the impact of future wildfires. Pyro Futures is a new exhibit at the Manetti...
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In Hotter Regions, Mammals Seek Forests, Avoid Human Habitats
The cool of the forest is a welcome escape on a hot day. This is especially true for mammals in North America's hottest regions, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The study indicates that, as the climate warms, preserving...
Oak Conservation
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...