Welcome to Connected - Newsletter of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is pleased to announce March 5 - 9, 2018, as California’s inaugural Food Waste Prevention Week. During this week, a range of partners statewide, including the Governor, the Secretary of Agriculture, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, as well as many other agency leaders in public health, natural resources management, nutrition, and other sectors, are coming together in an unprecedented collaboration to raise awareness about the impacts of food waste in our homes, workplaces and communities.

Food waste is a significant issue. The United States is losing up to 40% of its food from farm to fork to landfill. That translates to $218 billion lost , including costs of food to consumers and retailers, as well as costs of wasted water, energy, fertilizer, cropland, production, storage and transportation. CalRecycle estimates that Californians throw away almost 12 billion pounds of food each year – 18% of all landfill use in this state. The food in landfills decomposes and releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas linked to climate change .

Reducing food waste requires action by partners throughout the food system. During Food Waste Prevention Week, stay tuned to the UC ANR Twitter and Facebook pages for food waste prevention resources, tips and ideas. Even incorporating a few simple food waste prevention actions has great potential to reduce food waste in California. Your efforts to be a Food Waste Reduction Hero this week, and into the future, will make an impact.

In other news, the tenth Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (known as ACE 10) is coming to California in October. The diplomatic exchange mission aimed at promoting trade partnerships among North, Central and South America will be sponsored by UC ANR in partnership with Central Valley AgPLUS and other California partners. Examples of innovation and entrepreneurship activity in California, with a special focus on food and agriculture, will be featured at the event, which takes place October 21-27, 2018. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting event.

Since my last column , I have met with President Napolitano concerning the Huron Consulting Group’s report on potential changes to the UC Office of the President’s (UCOP) organizational structure. As I mentioned last month, Huron offered options that we believe would harm ANR’s ability to deliver our mission of research, extension and bringing UC to local communities in every part of California. At the President’s request, we have developed a proposal that would strengthen ANR’s ability to deliver our mission and place more Cooperative Extension advisors in the field.

ANR is the only major operating division at UCOP that directly conducts research and program delivery, with over 1,400 employees deploying over $200 million in resources. A challenge we have faced for years is that about half of our budget flows through UCOP while we manage the rest directly. This has caused a great deal of confusion for auditors and has often led to budget cuts during calls to reduce UC administrative overhead. Our recommendation would place our entire budget into one operating unit/location, reduce layers of bureaucracy between ANR and the President, and allow for more transparency to the public. It would also provide ANR opportunities to rebuild our academic footprint and enhance program delivery. The President continues to analyze this, and other options, in her effort to ensure UCOP is best serving the UC system as well as all Californians. More on this as discussions continue to unfold.

As always, please share Connected with colleagues who would be interested in receiving it, and encourage them to subscribe .

Engage with Us!

Ag Business Workshop for San Joaquin County

March 6, 2018

Robert Cabral Agricultural Center

2101 E. Earhart Avenue, Suite 100

Stockton, CA 95206

Are you a small- to medium-sized ag business (farmers, processors, distributors, etc.) in the North Valley looking at ways to expand your operations or increase your bottom line? Join this free event, sponsored by Central Valley AgPLUS, City of Stockton and iHub San Joaquin, that will provide information on funding for employee training, tax exemptions for ag businesses, developing international markets, trade regulations, foreign investment and more. Learn more and register .

UC ANR Urban Agriculture Workshop #1: Marketing and Business Management for Urban Farmers

March 16, 2018

The Cannery Farm

1550 Cannery Avenue

Davis, CA 95616

Are you an urban or small farmer near Sacramento or San Diego? Learn the basics of urban farmin g from UC experts and local partners at this four-workshop series that covers legal basics of urban farming, production, marketing, food safety and more. Workshop #1 covers business planning, labor laws and more.

This is just a sampling of our events. See more events in our calendar .

Spotlight on Practical Resources

The Weed Research and Information Center is an interdisciplinary collaboration that fosters research in weed management and facilitates distribution of associated knowledge for the benefit of agriculture and for the preservation of natural resources. The website features a wealth of weed information and resources, including online education programs, a photo gallery, publications, a directory of weed scientists and a list of upcoming events, such as Diagnosing Herbicide Symptoms (July 10-11, 2018), Weed Day (July 12, 2018) and Aquatic Weed School (September 5-6, 2018).

Notes From the Field

Another strange year – Forage production on foothill rangelands

Researchers at the UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center (SFREC) in Browns Valley have been collecting rangeland forage production data since 1979. As a rangeland geek, grazier, and now livestock farm advisor , I find it fascinating to look back at the tremendous variability in forage growth over the last 39 years - partly, I suppose, to help predict the short-term future (in other words, this year's spring growth). From a practical standpoint, I find this dataset helpful for grazing planning purposes, as well. Experienced ranchers, obviously, know the difference between a good grass year and a poor one. The data collected at SFREC helps put numbers to this variation - numbers that can help all of us become better managers!

More news from UC ANR

UC ANR staff news

Calendar of Events

The UC ANR Calendar lists events hosted by our programs throughout California.

Check to see what's happening in your neighborhoood!

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

2801 Second Street

Davis, CA 95618

Website: ucanr.edu

Email: [email protected]