Blogs: Agriculture and Natural Resource

Soils Saturated Heavily - What Now?

Along with the rising waters of the past few weeks, concerns about the status of our strawberries have risen as well. For their part strawberry roots, as you can see from paragraph #6 out of the book "Small Fruit Management” by Galleta and...

Announcing February 7 Annual Strawberry Production Research Meeting

I am looking forward to sponsoring together with UC ANR Event Services this year's UCCE Annual Strawberry Production Meeting on February 7. It's going to be a monster meeting, with a ton of new information for Central Coast strawberry growers -...

2023 CA Strawberry Acreage to Hit All Time Highs

The Jan 4 edition of the weekly California Farm Bureau newspaper "Ag Alert" had a very good article written by Ching Lee about the huge amount of strawberry acres planted for 2023.  31,852 acres of strawberries are already in the ground, and...

Thoughts on the New Year

I was asked by a newsletter to which I contribute for a few remarks on coming 2023; thought they might be worth sharing here too:    Get ready for a more muscular and responsive UC Cooperative Extension.  This last year we added three...

All Hands on Deck to Bring in the Harvest in Japan

Interesting take on resolving labor shortages in this morning's Wall Street Journal in an article written by Miho Inada. Very much like our strawberry industry, Japan has been experiencing a real worker shortage but for the time being at least...

2023 Central Coast CalTREX (Prescribed Fire Training) announcement

Hello lovers of good fire, The CCTREX planning team is excited to announce the Central Coast Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (CalTREX) June 3-10 2023. The CCTREX will take place throughout the Monterey...

New Fire Advisor's Share Needs Assessment Survey

A team of new UCCE Fire Advisors would like to hear from you about your needs related to fire. Please click this link if you'd like to provide them with guidance as they develop their research and education programs.

U.S. EPA proposed changes to rodenticide labels for agricultural use: opportunity for public comment

Authors of this article are: Roger A. Baldwin, Professor of Cooperative Extension, UC Davis and Niamh Quinn, Cooperative Extension Advisor, UC South Coast Research and Extension Center   Rodents cause substantial damage and health risks in...

Pile Burn Webinar and Workshop

Join UCCE for a two-part pile burning workshop. Part One: Hand Pile Burning Fundamentals Webinar Date & Time: January 31st, 2023 from 6-8 PM PST.Format: Free Zoom-based webinar.Sign up by January 30, 2023 here. Part Two: In-Person Hand Pile...

Coyote Brush Control Study Proposal

UC Cooperative Extension San Benito County is going to collaborate with San Jose State University to develop a CAL FIRE Forest Health Research grant proposal. We are interested in looking at different methods to control coyote brush (Baccharis...

Information and resources for assessing food safety risk after flooding events

Erin Dicaprio, Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California Davis has summarized information and resources for assessing crop food safety after a flooding event.  There are...

Workshop; Agricultural Greenhouse Gas & Soil Carbon Accounting with COMET

2023 Irrigation and Nutrient Management Meeting

Tuesday, February 21; 7:55 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. 1432 Abbott St, Salinas CA Habrá traducción al Español Free Workshop + Pizza! 7:55        ...

Soil Heath and its Impact on Soilborne Disease

Richard Smith1, Eric Brennan2, JP Dundore Arias3, Daniel Geisseler4, Peter Henry2, Danyal Kasapligil5, Nicholas LeBlanc2, Karen Lowell6, Jeff Mitchell4, Joji Muramoto7, Radomir Schmidt4, Kate Scow4 and Yu-Chen Wang1 1 – UCCE Monterey; 2 –...

U.S. EPA proposed changes to rodenticide labels for agricultural use

U.S. EPA proposed changes to rodenticide labels for agricultural use:  opportunity for public comment   Roger A. Baldwin, Professor of Cooperative Extension, UC Davis Niamh Quinn, Cooperative Extension Advisor, UC South Coast Research...

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...

Bee Biologist Lauren Ponisio to Discuss Disease in Plant-Pollinator Communities

You won't want to miss bee biologist Lauren Ponisio's UC Davis seminar on "Disease in Plant-Pollinator Communities." Ponisio, who grew up in Fresno and holds degrees from Stanford University and UC Berkeley, is an assistant professor of biology at...

UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day Officials Launch Crowdfunding Site

If you'd like to support the 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb. 18 on the UC Davis campus, you can do so in memory of a loved one--or to honor a friend or family member--by accessing the newly launched crowdfunding...

'A Water Leak' That Turned Into a Surprise Birthday Party

It's Saturday night, and UC Davis professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, is home, thinking about "what's for dinner" and concerned about the  historic storms that recently drenched the campus. Then around 5:30...

Addie Abrams Targeting Aphids and Thrips in California Lettuce

Graduate student Adelaine "Addie" Abrams of the laboratory of Extension agricultural entomologist Ian Grettenberger, assistant professor,  UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will present her...

'Super Science Day' on Saturday, Feb. 18 on UC Davis Campus

The 12th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, set Saturday, Feb. 18 on the UC Davis campus, is really a Super Science Day at which you can browse exhibits, talk to the scientists, take photos and videos, and go home feeling "That was really...

New UCCE advisors bring fresh ideas to protect lettuce from INSV, Pythium wilt

Salinas Valley lettuce growers lost about $150 million in 2022 due to diseases A stormy winter could portend another devastating year for the lettuce industry in the Salinas Valley, which saw approximately $150 million in lost gross revenue in 2022...

Growers invited to see benefits of cover crops in orchards, vineyards

  Searchable database of growers experienced in growing cover crops launched Growers are invited to tour orchards and vineyards and hear from other growers about their experiences with cover crops.  UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and...

NIFA funds $3.8 million project to find climate-resilient pistachio trees

Growers invited to participate in study by sharing their experiences A multi-state team led by Patrick J. Brown has been awarded nearly $3.8 million over the next four years for a project to improve pistachio production as the industry faces warmer...

Hotel refrigerators vary in temperature

For food safety, storing leftovers at 33 F to 40 F is ideal A few years ago, I was in Reno overnight for work and wanted to save my delicious dinner leftovers for breakfast. But when I opened the mini refrigerator in my room, my first reaction was,...

Teaching Kitchen course helps improve college students’ food security

Cooperative Extension researcher: Nutrition course a boon for UC Berkeley students College students across the nation are struggling to meet their basic food needs. Within the University of California system of 280,000 students, 38% of undergraduate...

NIFA otorga 3.8 millones de dólares para producir árboles de pistache adaptados al cambio climático

Invitan a agricultores a compartir sus experiencias y participar en un estudio Un equipo multi estatal, encabezado por Patrick J. Brown, profesor asociado del Departamento de Ciencias de las Plantas de UC Davis, recibió 3.8 millones de...

¡Cuidado con la temperatura de los refrigeradores en los hoteles!

Por seguridad alimentaria, lo ideal es guardar las sobras de comida a una temperatura de 33 a 40°F Hace unos años, cuando pasé una noche en Reno, por cuestiones de trabajo, intenté guardar las sobras de mi deliciosa cena para...

Productores de aguacates buscan ayuda para controlar el costo del agua

El condado de San Diego solía albergar 25 mil acres de árboles de aguacates, pero actualmente hay solo alrededor de 14 mil. La drástica reducción se debe, en gran parte, al aumento en el costo de producción del...

Descubren genes resistentes a enfermedad en la fresa y UC Davis recibe fondos para impulsar la producción mediante herramientas genéticas.

El subsidio de 6.2 millones de dólares se enfoca en proteger los cultivos a futuro. Con su color rojo intenso y su corona de reina, la fresa se mantiene entre las frutas preferidas y es un cultivo importante en California. Aquí se...

Para los niños resulta divertido cosechar calabaza y cempasúchil en el laboratorio agrícola de UC ANR.

El otoño que trae el anhelado descanso tras el tremendo calorón del verano, también nos ofrece dos de las celebraciones más populares del año: Halloween y Día de los Muertos.  Son dos festividades masivas...

Invasive pests kill thousands of trees, but scientists see some successes

Reposted from UC ANR news Early detection increases the chances of eradicating pests Trees provide shade to keep us cool, produce oxygen for us to breathe and calm our nerves. Numerous studies have demonstrated that even brief contact with trees...

Unprecedented Levels of High-Severity Fire Burn in Sierra Nevada Forests

Reposted from UC Davis news The ‘Wrong Kind of Fire' Is Burning Compared to Historical Patterns A firefighter helps containment efforts during the Creek Fire response in 2020. (USDA, Pacific Southwest Forest...

Now is the time to plant climate-ready trees, says UCCE researcher

Reposted from the UC ANR news     In a drought-prone region like Southern California, working with Mother Nature is not only wise but necessary, according to Janet Hartin, UC Cooperative Extension horticulture...

UC ANR experts highlight grazing as tool for land management, fire resilience

Reposted from the UC ANR Employee News Field day offers demonstrations, practical advice for landowners Part of the First Rain Farm targeted grazing team at work In 2020 a team of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources land management experts...

Forest Stewardship Workshop Participants Speak Out About Their Forest Management Goals and Objectives

“We all have a strong emotional attachment to the land and so that's the thing that drives us to work hard to maintain it and keep it healthy.”  For those of us within UC ANR who are actively involved with the Forest Stewardship...

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...