Blogs: Agriculture and Natural Resource

Announcing Plasticulture Field Day July 30

  Mark here - I've got an admin responsibility on the same day, so won't be at this meeting, but nevertheless encourage one and all who are interested in seeing firsthand our team's trial of various biodegradable plastics in the field to...

Sunscald on Blackberry

I made a visit to a beautiful blackberry field a few days ago and was shown this example of sunscald, in this case on mature Ouachita blackberry. Notice these are not tunneled, and also one observes immediately that only the part of the fruit facing...

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...

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...

San Benito County Wildfire Protection Plan Event on July 17, 2024

Please join UCCE Fire Advisor Barb Satink Wolfson and a host of other partners to provide your input on a new San Benito County Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Date: July 17, 2024 Time: 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm Location: 549 Mission Vineyard Rd., San...

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,...

2024 Fusarium wilt of lettuce variety trial field day

Register here: https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=43345  

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...

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...

Let Us Prey

So here's this female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, camouflaged on a narrow-leaf milkweed, Asclepias fasciculari, in a Vacaville garden. If she thinks she's going to ambush a monarch, she has another think coming. No monarchs in the...

Moths and Butterflies: What Are the Differences?

What are the differences between moths and butterflies? That was a key question asked at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's annual Moth Night, held both indoors and outdoors on the UC Davis campus on Saturday, July 20.  Doctoral student Iris...

Blacklighting at the Bohart: They Saw the Light

They saw the light. The insects, that is. Bohart Museum of Entomology research associate John "Moth Man" De Benedictus and colleagues set up a blacklighting display during the Bohart's annual Moth Night, held July 20, hoping to find...

Identify and Learn About the 73 Dragonfly Species (Anisoptera) in California

If you're like me, your heart skips a couple of beats when you encounter a dragonfly, especially the fire-engine red flameskimmer, Libellula saturata. Did you know that there are 73 species of dragonflies  (Anisoptera) in...

A Butterfly and a Bush: A Love-Hate Relationship

When a newly eclosed Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, lands on a butterfly bush, the colors are striking. The yellow and black butterfly contrasts well on the purple blossoms of Buddleja davidii. While the majestic...

Could empty lots be growing food, economic opportunity?

UCCE scientists study feasibility of specialty crops for small urban growers The vacant lots around your neighborhood could be growing fruits and vegetables and making local produce more accessible – while reducing energy needed to transport and...

Paper highlights how climate change challenges, transforms agriculture

As the climate continues to change, the risks to farming are only going to increase. That's the key takeaway from a recent paper published by a team that included UC Merced and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers. The paper dives into...

Almond crop yields threatened by disease new to California

Detection of fungus causing red leaf blotch spurs call for grower vigilance Symptoms of red leaf blotch (RLB), a plant disease caused by the fungus Polystigma amygdalinum, have been observed for the first time in California across the Northern San...

Diagnosing herbicide problems takes detective work

Field day offers examples, tips for solving the mystery A grower applies an herbicide to his tomato plants, or thinks a neighbor's treatment is drifting over her almond trees. A short time later, the leaves start to bleach or shrivel. Was it the...

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...

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...