CalCAN
Capital Public Radio
AgNet West
PBS
CNN
KTVU-2
Morning Ag Clips
Washington Post
Wall Street Journal
Fresno Bee
Morning Ag Clips
BYU Radio
C-SPAN
California Bountiful
Edible Ojai and Ventura County
AgNet West
KPBS
Morning Ag Clips
NBC News
California Ag Today
San Diego Union Tribune
Appeal-Democrat
Western Farmer-Stockman
myMotherLode.com
Santa Barbara Independent
KCBS Radio
Morning Ag Clips
YubaNet.com
Western Farm Press
Bakersfield Californian
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The Vantage Point
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
This partnership is providing $1.1 million to hire 10 UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) community education specialists, who will be deployed throughout the state, in Mendocino, Glenn, Yolo, San Joaquin, Merced, Kern, Imperial, San Diego, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties. The UCCE community educators will provide assistance to farmers and ranchers applying for grants to participate in three CDFA Climate-Smart Agriculture programs: the
Statewide Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP)
, the
Healthy Soils Program (HSP)
and the
Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP)
.
The partnership is a great way to encourage farmers and ranchers to try new practices they are interested in but need financial assistance to implement. The UCCE community educators can assist in the grant application process and by providing technical support to make changes on participating farms and ranches.
T
hree of our UCCE advisors will mentor and assist the new educators: water quality and management advisor
Laurent Ahiablame
(
Santa Cruz, Ventura, San Diego and Imperial counties)
; area dairy advisor
Betsy Karle
, (
Mendocino, Glenn and Yolo counties
); and irrigation and cotton advisor
Dan Munk
(
San Joaquin, Fresno and Kern counties).
In addition to working with the new community educators, the UCCE advisors conduct research on farming and ranching practices that boost efficiency and protect the climate, and therefore can support growers and help them find the right balance between food production and effective management of natural resources.
Doug Parker
,
director of the
UC California Institute for Water Resources
, is the UC ANR point of contact and liaison with CDFA.
In related news:
In other news, the House and Senate recently passed the compromise 2018 Farm Bill, and I am pleased that it includes an increase of $25 million a year for research on specialty crops. That's good news for California growers because nearly all of California's 400 crops are considered specialty crops and more than 50 percent of the nation's fruits and vegetables are grown in California. These federal research grants for specialty crops will cover many areas, from adapting farming to the effects of climate change to combatting California’s many invasive pests. In addition to specialty crop research, the bill contains strong support for organic agriculture research, and it includes programs for beginning farmers and ranchers, as well as veterans who want to get started in agriculture.
As you may remember, earlier this year a UC ANR Advisory Committee was formed to consider options for UC ANR’s structure, governance and funding. The Committee has recently made four key recommendations to UC President Janet Napolitano, who has approved them: (1) maintain UC ANR’s status as a system-wide program within the UC Office of the President; (2) create a UC ANR Governing Council to facilitate oversight and promote greater understanding of and participation in UC ANR’s mission across the University; (3) create a funding model that will establish more stable and sustainable budgets while enhancing governance; and (4) retain campus oversight of and reporting responsibility for State Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) funds. We look forward to implementing these recommendations and working with the new UC ANR Governing Council to bring the resources of UC directly to local communities through research and education programs that improve agricultural practices, enhance natural resources conservation, extend nutrition science, advance the economy and promote youth development.
As we leave 2018, best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season and a wonderful 2019. We look forward to seeing you and collaborating with you next year! Also, please share
Connected
with colleagues who would be interested in receiving it, and encourage them to
subscribe
. We thank you very much for your support.
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Soils Across Latitudes
International Soils Meeting
January 6-9, 2019
Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina
San Diego, CA 92101
The International Soils Meeting brings together scientific leaders from industry, government agencies and academic institutions in one unique environment. During the Tuesday Plenary Session, UC ANR's
Kate Scow
will give the Francis E. Clark Distinguished Lecture on Soil Biology, "Soil Is a Living Thing: Microbial Underpinnings of Soil Health."
Learn more.
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Farmer / Buyer Mixer
January 8, 2019
Sebastopol Grange Hall
6000 Sebastopol Avenue (Hwy 12)
Sebastopol, CA 95472
UC ANR is co-sponsoring the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)/The Farmers Guild’s Farmer/Buyer Mixer, a "speed dating" mixer, open to any food business looking to source more directly from local growers, as well as to professional farmers and ranchers ready to provide a steady supply of high-quality ingredients. Free;
RSVP required.
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Statewide Pistachio Day
January 16, 2019
Visalia Convention Center
Visalia, CA
Pistachio Day delivers the latest research-based production practices to prospective and current growers, production managers and pest control consultants so they are better able to achieve their pistachio growing goals. The diverse program will include an industry overview, as well as sessions on food safety and regulations, horticulture science and integrated pest management.
Learn more and register.
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Farm and Ranch Business Planning Course
January 31 - March 7, 2019
UC Cooperative Extension, Placer/Nevada
11477 E Avenue
Auburn, CA 95603
This course is for those who have been in business for a year or more, and want to get a better handle on the business aspects of their farm or ranch operation. It covers farm economics, cash flow management, operations planning and continuity, risk management, and marketing strategies.
The course is limited to 8 participants.
Learn more and apply.
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This is just a sampling of our events. See more events in
our calendar
.
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Spotlight on Practical Resources
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Beyond Fresh and Direct: Guides for Producers and Extension Educators
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Consumers’ interest in knowing where their food comes from has contributed significantly to the recent growth of the specialty foods market.The
Beyond Fresh & Direct
project team received a grant from USDA to identify ingredient sourcing opportunities in the specialty food business. The team developed
five fact sheets
providing tips for both manufacturers considering sourcing ingredients direct from farmers, and smaller-scale farmers interested in becoming ingredient suppliers to specialty food manufacturers (or perhaps developing their own specialty food business).
Download the fact sheets.
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4-H in the outdoors: Delivering environmental education to Latino youth
It's a bit of a paradox: Polling indicates that most Latinos in the United States place a high value on environmental conservation. But Latinos — especially in the younger age brackets — tend to participate in outdoor recreation at lower rates than members of other demographic groups. It's an imbalance that Claudia Diaz Carrasco decided to do something about. Diaz, a 4-H youth development advisor, recognized
a real need around her home turf of Riverside and San Bernardino counties
to provide urban Latino youth with environmental education.
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More news from UC ANR
UC ANR staff news
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The
UC ANR Calendar
lists events hosted by our programs throughout California.
Check
to see what's happening in your neighborhoood!
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University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
2801 Second Street
Davis, CA 95618
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