Blogs: Agriculture and Natural Resource
Mark Bolda's Berry Blog
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PDF for September 14, 2022 Fumigation and Fumigation Alternative Presentation in SLO
I made the attached presentation this past Wednesday for the CAPCA group in San Luis Obispo, and some in the audience requested that it be posted. It's nothing fancy, and doesn't have the bells and whistles of Camtasia or something like that. ...
By Mark Bolda
Author - County Director, Santa Cruz County and Farm Advisor, Strawberries & Caneberries -
UCCE Cost of Production for Central Coast Organic Strawberries Now Available
Our updated for 2022 Organic Strawberry Cost of Production Study is now available, finished it a couple of weeks ago. Nice work once again with Jeremy Murdock and the team at the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC...
By Mark Bolda
Author - County Director, Santa Cruz County and Farm Advisor, Strawberries & Caneberries -
Have a Good Day!
I walk to and from work every day, and while the walk is short, there is frequently a lot to see and think about. A big apartment construction going on, the people living and not in the cemetery and the comings and goings around the markets on...
By Mark Bolda
Author - County Director, Santa Cruz County and Farm Advisor, Strawberries & Caneberries -
Biodegradable Mulch Field Day September 9
Just letting you all know that we are having our field day for an update on our biodegradable mulch work in strawberry this coming September 9 at the Naturipe Berry Farms, 154 CA-156. Starts at 9 am and goes until 11. For those of you...
By Mark Bolda
Author - County Director, Santa Cruz County and Farm Advisor, Strawberries & Caneberries -
Fruit Sanitation in Strawberry and SWD
I am currently underway with a field trial investigating the relationship between spotted wing drosophila and leak rot in strawberry. The hypothesis is that the flies, which wound the fruit with their egg laying are also accelerating the...
By Mark Bolda
Author - County Director, Santa Cruz County and Farm Advisor, Strawberries & Caneberries
Livestock and Range Update Blogs
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Preliminary Results from Targeted Rotational Grazing Study
This article is a follow-up to Testing Targeted Rotational Grazing for Ecological and Financial Benefits, which was published on this blog on July 7, 2021. For those of you who have not yet read that article, Liz Reikowski co-owner of Willow Creek Land...
By Devii R. Rao
Author - San Benito County Director and Area Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor -
Video for Carbon Sequestration on Monterey County Rangelands: Ranching is part of the climate change solution! workshop
Did you miss the Carbon Sequestration on Monterey County Rangelands: Ranching is part of the climate change solution! workshop? If so, not to worry. We recorded the workshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNb3bZXi69U&t=11029s. The workshop was...
By Devii R. Rao
Author - San Benito County Director and Area Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor -
Reminder: Rangeland Carbon Sequestration Workshop in Salinas on September 22
I just wanted to remind everyone to please register for the workshop titled Monterey County Rangeland Carbon Sequestration: Ranchers and Rangelands Are Part of the Climate Change Solution. This is a great opportunity to learn about the latest science,...
By Devii R. Rao
Author - San Benito County Director and Area Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor -
Workshop - Monterey County Rangeland Carbon Sequestration: Ranchers and Rangelands Are Part of the Climate Change Solution
Please join us for a workshop titled, Monterey County Rangeland Carbon Sequestration: Ranchers and Rangelands Are Part of the Climate Change Solution. Discussions from this workshop will help information Monterey County's Climate Action Plan. Date:...
By Devii R. Rao
Author - San Benito County Director and Area Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor -
E. coli workshop August 23 in Salinas
Please join us for a workshop on E. coli on August 23, 2022. Workshop title: E. coli 0157: What is it, how does it spread, and can it be prevented? Date: August 23, 2022 Time: 8:30 am to 12:30 pm Location: UCCE Conference Room, 1432 Abbott Street,...
By Devii R. Rao
Author - San Benito County Director and Area Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor
Salinas Valley Agriculture
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New approaches to using polyacrylamide (PAM) to reduce sediment and sediment bound pesticides and nutrients in runoff: Part I
As the drought continues on the central coast, growers are trying to utilize water as efficiently as possible to produce their crops. Retaining and reusing sprinkler runoff, also referred to as tail water, can be an important strategy to increase...
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New tool for Salinas vegetable pests: web-based app for thrips, aphids, and diamondback moth trapping network
Authors: Ben Lee, Daniel Hasegawa, Ian Grettenberger We would like to announce the creation of a new web-based tool that will provide more seamless access to pest population data from a pest trapping network. Pests included are thrips, diamondback moth,...
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Keeping cool season vegetables cool during heat waves
Once again, we are experiencing a prolonged heat wave in the Salinas Valley. Maximum air temperature in the King City area reached 112 °F earlier in the week (Fig. 1). Recent maximum air temperatures in South Salinas...
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Fall-Grown Cover Crop Evaluations
Richard Smith1, Eric Brennan2 and Patricia Love1 1. University of California Cooperative Extension, Monterey County. 2. USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Salinas. Fall-grown cover crops (planted August-September and incorporated...
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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Learning About Wasps and Other Insects
They came to learn about wasps--"The Weird and Wonderful Wasps"--at the recent open house hosted by the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. They learned about such wasps as the Asian giant hornet...
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At Bohart Museum of Entomology: It Took Gall to Make a Ghost
It took gall to make a ghost. Really. When the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis recently hosted an open house on "Weird and Wonderful Wasps," the family arts-and-craft activity was to create a gall ghost. Tabatha Yang, the Bohart's...
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How to You Say 'Insect' in the Turkish Language?
How do you say "insect" in the Turkish language? That's a question posed by the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis, on its wall display of global flags and languages. That was an easy question for Dr....
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Prey Tell, Where Are All the Mantids?
Prey tell, where are all the praying mantids? Last fall, a Stagmomantis limbata deposited her egg case, or ootheca, on an clothespin on our outdoor clothesline. On April 9, the clothespin sprang to life. Hundreds of nymphs emerged,...
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Nissa Coit: Ethyl Oleate Pheromone and Honey Bees
Interested in honey bee research? Then you'll want to attend--or listen via Zoom--the next seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Nissa Coit, a master's graduate student in the laboratory of...
Food Blog
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Pitahaya/dragon fruit growers gather to learn from UCCE research and each other
Once you know what a dragon fruit looks like, you will never forget it. The bright red, sometimes yellow or purple, scaly skin makes for a dramatic appearance. One that will surely leave an impression. The flesh ranges from white to a deep pink...
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San Joaquin Valley farm and food project awarded $16 million in federal funds
Local food marketing, business and market support for small-scale farmers and food producers, new agricultural products and technology development are parts of a University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources project designed to boost jobs...
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The scent that could save California’s avocados
Scientists search for pheromone to disrupt insect mating UC Riverside scientists are on the hunt for a chemical that disrupts “evil” weevils' mating and could prevent them from destroying California's supply of avocados. Avocado weevils,...
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UC study breaks down costs of growing organic strawberries
Thinking about commercially growing organic strawberries on the Central Coast? To help prospective and current growers evaluate financial feasibility, the University of California has estimated costs to produce and harvest organic strawberries...
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More than a TikTok trend, preservation is the future of food
UC Master Food Preservers give live canning demonstrations at Orange County Fair If you visited the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa during the past month, you might have seen the Master Food Preservers of Orange County in their rustic...
Blog de Alimentos
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Expertos analizan costo y rendimiento en los cultivos de la fresa orgánica
¿Piensa cultivar fresas orgánicas comercialmente en la Costa Central? Para ayudar a los agricultores a evaluar su viabilidad financiera, la Universidad de California calculó el costo de la producción y cosecha de la...
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Educadoras de nutrición comparten recetas de su país: pupusas, arepas, gazpacho, y más.
Las recetas preferidas pasan de generación a generación entre las familias, los recuerdos de mamá cocinando esas recetas se convierten en algo invaluable. Son tesoros que se heredan y conservan un alto valor gastronómico y...
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Granjeros orgánicos recibirán asistencia técnica de la CDFA y UC ANR
El Departamento de Alimentos y Agricultura de California otorgó 1.85 millones de dólares a la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de California para mejorar la asistencia técnica para los granjeros...
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Los consumidores ahorran más de 41 dólares al mes con los talleres de nutrición
El alto costo de los alimentos sorprende a los consumidores, quienes ya no saben si sacudir la billetera o la cabeza de preocupación. Pero siempre habrá opciones prácticas para ahorrar un poco de dinero, tales como seleccionar las...
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How to have a great picnic this summer without the risk of food poisoning.
Among the snacks that children and adults like the most are, without a doubt, corn-prepared Mexican-style. Whether cooked in water or grilled, just add lemon juice, mayonnaise, grated cheese, and piquin chili, and enjoy! And on top of the tasty...
Forest Research and Outreach
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Five things you can do this weekend to help protect your home from wildfire
Reposted from UC ANR News Despite recent rains, fire remains a danger across California, as there's still plenty of time this fall for grass, woody debris and other flammable material to become dry and ignite. “The smaller...
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Promoting Forest Resilience with Fewer Trees
You may have seen historic photos of Sierra Nevada forests with cars driving between the large trees, or heard how one could ride their horse from the woods into town with little difficulties. Those open forests with fewer trees were highly variable in...
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New advisors share crucial wildfire expertise
Reposted from UC ANR News UC ANR hires more fire advisors to address growing threat to California communities Bringing more expertise to more places across the state, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources...
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Study shows how restoring California's overstocked forests yields multiple, diverse benefits
Reposted from UC ANR news Mechanical thinning of overstocked forests, prescribed burning and managed wildfire now being carried out to enhance fire protection of California's forests provide many benefits, or ecosystem services, that...
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Good Jobs Challenge awards $21.5 million for forestry, fire-safety jobs training
Reposted from the UC ANR News Butte, Feather River, Lake Tahoe, Reedley and Shasta community colleges, Chico State, UC ANR and Sierra Business Council to train workers for urgently needed work California's forested, rural...
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...