The Vantage Point
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
As we turn the corner from Thanksgiving to the upcoming winter holidays in this year of quarantine, it feels like change is finally in the wind. With the heated election and fire season behind us, the arrival of our first rains and snow, and a COVID vaccine on the horizon, maybe we can truly begin the process of healing and rebuilding. Although UC ANR managed to pivot quickly and keep our research and programs moving forward, there remain many challenges to overcome. I’m extremely grateful during this season and all year long for the many community partnerships and donors that make our work possible.
In this month’s newsletter, you will find articles highlighting everything from best practices for nut storage to the cost and returns of CA lemon production to findings on farmer’s market food safety. We’re very pleased to showcase UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program’s (SAREP) participation in a recent $10 million grant from USDA for research on adoption of the perennial grain, Kernza, as a means to shift U.S agriculture towards reduced tillage and increased carbon sequestration. We’re also pleased to highlight the donation of over 101 bins – more than 70,000 pounds – of butternut squash grown at Westside Research and Extension Center to the Central Valley Food Bank.
Sharing information, finding solutions and caring about the communities we live in – this is what it means to move the UC ANR mission forward – in times of crisis and beyond. COVID-19 may have thrown some roadblocks in our way, but as we move forward, it has also pushed us to find new ways to work and deliver our mission. We hope you will join our #GivingTuesday campaign this year to support the research, Cooperative Extension and many local programs that UC ANR delivers to California.
