April 2018 Volume 2, Number 4
UC ANR
In the Media
AgNetWest

Bloomberg

Western Farm Press

East Bay Times

Western Farm Press

Teen Vogue

Half Moon Bay Magazine

Capital Public Radio

Western Farm Press

Calaveras Enterprise

Western Farm Press

LA Times

NPR

Modern Farmer
The Vantage Point



Glenda Humiston 
Vice President
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Staff from throughout UC Agriculture and Natural Resources gathered in Ontario, California recently to share research and best practices . We were honored to be joined by inspiring speakers, such as UC President Janet Napolitano, who said “I think ANR is a unique function of the university, and I think the work of ANR in areas of climate change, agricultural innovation, food security, education and public service are important and need support. I’m going to continue to fight hard for funding for these programs. You’re in every county in the state and you have a broad community of people that you help.” 

California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross also visited ANR at the conference and said, “California is the state of innovation. I cannot tell you enough what an asset you are to this state.”

Antwi Akom energized us with a talk focusing on equity and how we must involve diverse groups in designing ANR programs. His Streetwyze app was recently named by PolicyLink as one of the top new health equity tools and mobile platforms designed to build power and self-determination with vulnerable populations.

I needed to leave the conference briefly to testify at the California Farm Bill hearing in Sacramento, where it was heartwarming to hear so many people tell legislators that ANR programs are important to them. 

One topic that kept coming up the conference was climate change. A recent paper  “ Climate Change Trends and Impacts on California Agriculture ” by UC scientists   Tapan Pathak ,  Mahesh Maskey ,  Jeffery Dahlberg ,  Faith Kearns ,  Khaled Bali   and   Daniele Zaccaria has received much notice , including a comment from climate scientist and author Peter Gleick who tweeted, “This may be the most important article on this subject I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen them all.”

In other news, the $1 million UC Cooperative Extension Presidential Chair for California Grown Rice has been awarded to   Whitney Brim-DeForest , UCCE rice advisor for Sutter, Yuba, Placer, Sacramento and Butte counties. Half of the funds for the endowed chair was provided by UC President Janet Napolitano; the other half was donated by the California Rice Research Board. The establishment of this endowed chair strengthens the long-standing public-private research partnership UC Cooperative Extension has had with the California rice industry. 

Speaking of public-private partnerships, save the date for the 2018 California Economic Summit , the seventh annual statewide gathering of private, public and civic leaders from across California’s diverse regions, which takes place on November 15-16 in Santa Rosa. The Summit’s bipartisan network of business, equity, environmental and civic organizations is unique in championing solutions that meet the triple bottom line—simultaneously growing the economy, improving environmental quality and increasing opportunity. These are values that ANR believes in and works toward . ANR scientists and programs are active in many aspects of the summit; however, we need more voices from rural California to join us at the summit.

As always, please share  Connected  with colleagues who would be interested in receiving it, and encourage them to  subscribe .
Engage with Us!
California Honey Festival
May 5, 2018
Downtown Woodland, CA 95695

The mission of the California Honey Festival , now in its s econd year, is to promote honey bees and their products, and beekeeping. This free family festival includes beekeeping classes, honey-themed dinners, honey tastings, cooking demonstrations, kids’ activities and more to help attendees understand the importance of bees as the lead pollinator of many of our crops. The festival benefits select bee and pollinator nonprofits doing the hard work of research and education to ensure bee health worldwide. Last year's festival attracted more than 20,000 people.
Annual Santa Maria Strawberry Field Day
May 9, 2018
Manzanita Berry Farms
1891 West Main Street
Santa Maria, CA 93458

UC Cooperative Extension's Surendra Dara hosts the annual event. Topics include a regulatory update on pesticides and fumigation; updates on pest, disease, weed and nutrient management; tabletop and field strawberry production; using a mechanical strawberry transplanter; and using drones for monitoring crop health. 2.0 DPR and 3.0 CCA CE units have been approved. Register.
Marin/Sonoma Agricultural Roundtable
May 11, 2018
Petaluma Veterans Building
1094 Petaluma Boulevard South
Petaluma, CA 94952

Marin County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni joins with Sonoma County Supervisors Lynda Hopkins & David Rabbitt to present a forum about how Marin and Sonoma farmers and ranchers can collaborate to best support robust and resilient agriculture in their counties. Farmers and ranchers from both counties will gather to hear from county staff and agricultural representatives at this forum, which will cover topics of interest to the agricultural community, including Farm Stays, product development, and building and permitting issues. Learn more and register.
This is just a sampling of our events. See more events in our calendar .
Spotlight on Practical Resources
California Oak Mortality Task Force
The California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) is a nonprofit group working to manage Sudden Oak Death in California. It is a consensus-driven coalition of research/educational institutions, Cooperative Extension specialists, public agencies, nonprofit organizations and private interests. Its primary purpose is to coordinate research, management, monitoring, education and public policy efforts addressing elevated levels of oak mortality in California resulting from Sudden Oak Death (SOD). Its goals are to minimize the impact and spread of Phytophthora ramorum in natural, agricultural, and human communities; coordinate an integrated response by all interested parties to address Phytophthora ramorum; and serve as liaison to local, state, national, and international groups. COMTF's website features a wide range of helpful resources, including information on diagnosis and management, maps and visual media, a newsletter, and a library and archive.
Notes From the Field
UC study seeks street trees that can
cope with climate change
The changing climate predicted for California – including less rain and higher day and nighttime temperatures – is expected to cause chronic stress on many street tree species that have shaded and beautified urban areas for decades. Realizing that popular trees may not thrive under the changing conditions, UC Cooperative Extension scientists are partnering with the U.S. Forest Service in an unprecedented 20-year research study to expand the palette of drought-adapted, climate-ready trees for several of the state's climate zones.
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!
2018 calendar image
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
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Davis, CA 95618
Website:  ucanr.edu
Email:  connected@ucanr.edu