Blogs: Agriculture and Natural Resource
Mark Bolda's Berry Blog
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Biodegradable Mulch and Plastic Waste Management in Strawberry Fields Meeting - September 12
The opportunity to learn more about new and current trials evaluating mulch technologies, including soil-biodegradable mulches and ag plastic recycling, is coming our way next week on Tuesday, Sept 12. A who's who of plastic mulch management...
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Psocids in Strawberry
We are now finding yet another interesting insect in the strawberries; these have been around before but this year their numbers are remarkably high in some areas and as such worth some of our time to examine more fully. See picture below of...
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What Kind of Bug is This?
We experienced some excitement this past week when we found a unique looking bug out of one of our samples in a spotted wing drosophila trial in strawberry. Have a look at it yourself - lots of spines all over and a swollen pair of first...
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Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze? Some Notes on the Utility of Seaweed Extracts in Berry Production on the Central Coast
Over the past year, I've had questions brought to me about the usefulness of seaweed extracts in the strawberries and caneberries of the Central Coast. Namely, are these extracts actually adding any benefit or value, and if so what precisely...
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Flower abortion in Central Coast Strawberries
There have been many, many questions over the past few weeks about why so many strawberry flowers are aborting in addition to a noticeable uptick in crooked, mis-shapen fruit. So, while I cannot present any empirical evidence as to why more...
Livestock and Range Update Blogs
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San Benito County Livestock Pass Program Training - September 25
The Livestock Pass Program allows for eligible San Benito County livestock producers access to their livestock in the event of a disaster such as flooding or wildfire. A holder of livestock pass may have access to a closed area during a disaster...
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Ranch Field Tour, Swanton Pacific Ranch
How are livestock managers working with Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) and scientists to explore improving the region's rangeland stewardship through work at Cal Poly's Swanton Pacific Ranch? Join Swanton Pacific Ranch to hear from and discuss...
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CCRC Fall 2023 Workshop
Join the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition for our Fall 2023 Workhsop in Santa Cruz County. See details below. Thursday, October 19, 2023, 8:30 – 4:15 Morning Location: Scotts Valley Community Center 360 Kings Village Road, Scotts...
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Job Announcement: UCCE San Benito is Looking for an Admin Assistant
The University of California Cooperative Extension is looking for a half-time administrative assistant. The position will be based at of our office in Hollister. We're looking for a great candidate to join our small, but dedicated team. Please share this...
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Vesicular Stomatitis Virus: An Unwelcome Guest in Livestock’s Mouth
July 2023 On May 18, 2023, Vesicular Stomatitis Virus was detected in a horse premises in San Diego County. Since then, several more counties in the southern half of California have reported positive cases of vesicular stomatitis, mainly in horses. Two...
Salinas Valley Agriculture
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Cost Studies Updated
Sample costs to produce and harvest the following commodities are now complete: Romaine hearts Film wrapped iceberg lettuce Broccoli – bunched 14's Broccoli – crown cut The cost studies are now posted on-line at the UC Davis Cost...
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Analysis of Sediments Deposited by 2023 Floods in the Salinas Valley
Richard Smith, Joji Muramoto, Tim Hartz and Michael Cahn UCCE Emeritus Farm Advisor, Extension Specialist, Emeritus, Extension Specialist and Irrigation and Water Resources Farm Advisor. The winter of 2023 had the highest rainfall years in the...
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What’s with all of the trash bugs this season?
I have received a handful of calls this season with concerns about “trash bugs,” a catch all term for various soil invertebrates. These soil invertebrates include root maggots, springtails, bulb mites, and symphylans, all which will happily...
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Fusarium wilt of lettuce cultivar trial field day
Join us for Fusarium wilt of lettuce cultivar trial field day, being held on July 28!
By Alexander I Putman
Author - Assistant Specialist in Cooperative Extension and Assistant Plant Pathologist -
Sources of Carbon for Salinas Valley Vegetable Production Soils
Richard Smith, Emeritus Vegetable Crop and Weed Science Farm Advisor; Eric Brennan, Research Horticulturalist USDA, ARS; Daniel Geisseler, Plant Nutrition Specialist, UCD; and Joji Muramoto, Organic Farming Specialist, UCSC In a recent blog on soil...
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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UC Davis Entomology and Nematology's Fall Seminars Begin Monday, Oct. 2
Conservation ecologist Paul CaraDonna, a research scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden and a professor of instruction at Northwestern University, will launch the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's fall seminar schedule on Monday,...
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Monarch Butterflies as Pollinators
"More than beautiful, monarch butterflies contribute to the health of our planet. While feeding on nectar, they pollinate many types of wildflowers.--National Park Service. Have you ever seen pollen on a monarch butterfly? This morning a male migrating...
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Bohart Museum Open House: What You Should Know About Mosquitoes
If you've been following the breaking news about the invasive mosquito, Aedes aegypti, detected recently in Yolo, Solano and Sacramento counties--you can learn more about these disease-carrying mosquitoes at the Bohart Museum of Entomology...
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Bohart Museum Open House: Learn About Mosquitoes, Ticks, Bed Bugs, Lice, and Fleas
You won't want to miss the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on "Household Vampires," targeting mosquitoes, ticks, bed bugs, lice and fleas. The open house set from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 23 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge...
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Bee Flies: Pollinators with a Bad Reputation
The late Argentine-born biologist Beatriz Moisset (1934-2022) of Willow Grove, Pa., called the insect "A Pollinator with a Bad Reputation." Moisset, who received her doctorate from the University of Cordoba, Argentina, and authored the...
Food Blog
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Infected citrus pest that spreads disease found in Ventura County
Residents urged to check their citrus trees for Asian citrus psyllid An insect carrying the huanglongbing bacteria, a pathogen that kills citrus trees, has been found on a residential citrus tree in Ventura County, according to the...
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Global food security threatened by grain export disruptions
Wheat and corn prices have spiked after Russian aggression in the Black Sea The Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 caused wheat and corn prices to spike 30% and 13%, respectively, and threatened a worldwide food crisis. International efforts to...
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New avocado proves tasty, safer to harvest at UC ANR Research and Extension Centers
A new avocado, one that complements the widely known ‘Hass,' will hit the world market soon. The ‘Luna UCR' variety (trademarked and patent pending) has several characteristics that should be of interest to both growers and consumers,...
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Peach book guides growing quality fruit from planting to beyond harvest
Crisosto and team publish handbook for growing peaches and maintaining quality for canning In an experimental orchard a few miles west of the UC Davis campus, Thomas Gradziel plucked a nearly ripe nectarine from one of the trees. He whipped out a...
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New UC studies estimate production costs for coastal lettuce, broccoli
California Central Coast growers and others now have help estimating costs and potential returns for growing lettuce and broccoli. Four new cost studies for lettuce and broccoli grown in Santa Cruz, San Benito or Monterey counties have been...
Blog de Alimentos
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Los granjeros podrán saber el costo de cultivar tomates con anticipación
El costo y el rendimiento de cualquiera que inicia un negocio siempre causa incertidumbre, esto no excluye a los granjeros cuando se prepararán para el cultivo de verduras o frutas. Los productores de tomates para procesar ahora podrán...
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Estudio busca optimizar el riego en palmas datileras
Históricamente, las palmeras datileras han crecido a lo largo de las riberas de los ríos o en áreas con presencia de agua subterránea ya que requieren de agua en abundancia para producir una buena cosecha. A diferencia de la...
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Estudio encuentra impurezas y mala calidad en un 70 por ciento de las marcas privadas de aceite de aguacate
Investigadores identifican indicadores clave para apoyar a compradores minoristas en la elección de productos auténticos En años recientes el aceite de aguacate se ha convertido en una opción popular para muchas personas...
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El Hopland REC convierte la devastación del incendio forestal River de 2018 en una oportunidad de investigación
El Hopland REC convierte la devastación del incendio forestal River de 2018 en una oportunidad de investigación La destrucción causada por el incendio forestal se observa fácilmente, pero los peligros pueden esconderse bajo...
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La humedad genera condiciones óptimas para la presencia de patógenos en los cultivos
Son brotes similares a los causados por El Niño en los años noventa La ola de ríos atmosféricos que azotó todo el estado el invierno pasado creó las condiciones perfectas para los patógenos de plantas...
Forest Research and Outreach
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Fueling community knowledge: A conversation with UC ANR Fire Advisor Barb Satink Wolfson
In the wake of California's increasing wildfire concerns, UC ANR has made a concerted push to expand their fire network by hiring more academic advisors like...
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A mini-camp with major impact: California community college students are introduced to UC Berkeley’s Forestry Mini-Camp
The window of summer is closed, and that ‘back to school' feeling everyone knows has settled in- the excitement, the nerves, the first 7AM breakfast you've had in the last few months. However, the magic of summer lingers, and is a bit more...
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UCCE’s Post-Fire Resilience Workshops: Nurturing community growth post-wildfire
In Spring of 2022, UC ANR launched its first Post-Fire Resilience Workshop. Since 2022, the workshop has traveled to Alpine, El Dorado, Plumas, Mariposa, Fresno, Madera, and Napa counties, and has reached 97 participants. The program continues to gain...
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Lake Arrowhead’s Man with a Plan: A Conversation with David Kelly
With decades of forestry and community outreach experience behind him, David Kelly felt he had more to give after retiring as Division Chief for the U.S Forest Service. Now, he's the Forest Specialist for the Arrowhead Lake Association (ALA), where his...
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Forest Research and Outreach compiles forestry voices in new story map project
Visit the new Forest Stewardship Story Map! For the past four years, Kim Ingram, Forest Stewardship Education coordinator, has been listening closely to the private forest landowners who participate in her Forest Stewardship Workshop series....
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...