Volume 1 Issue 9
September 2025
The RECap
A newsletter from South Coast Research and Extension Center
and UC Cooperative Extension Orange County
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(left to right) Jason Suppes and Tammy Majcherek, South Coast REC's Community Education Specialists, and Lindsey Pedroncelli, Director, hosted a booth at Tanaka Farms to highlight the research and extension activities at South Coast REC.
Photo by Diana Cervantes
| | Lindsey Pedroncelli, South Coast REC Director, accepted the certificate of recognition from Mayor Agran. | | On September 13th, South Coast Research and Extension Center was recognized by the Mayor of the City of Irvine as an Irvine Harvest Hero. Held at Tanaka Farms, the inaugural Irvine Harvest Heroes event celebrated the rich history and exciting future of agriculture in Irvine, and recognized the farmers, nurseries, and families who have shaped the agriculture industry in the city and throughout Orange County. We are so honored to be recognized and to have the strong support of Mayor Agran! | | Ramiro Lobo, Small Farms Advisor, talks with workshop attendees about coffee seedlings in the greenhouse. | |
In collaboration with Ramiro Lobo, Small Farms Advisor for UCCE San Diego County, and Darlene Ruiz, Small Farms Research Associate for UCCE San Diego County, South Coast REC hosted a Coffee Workshop on September 15th!
The event was very well attended and featured presentations about the history of growing coffee, differences in coffee varieties, growing coffee in California, and more. Participants then had the opportunity to walk through a coffee cupping demonstration, experiencing the unique flavors and aromas of several different types of coffee. They then explored the lathhouse, where mature coffee plants are growing, and the greenhouse, where coffee seedlings are being propagated.
| Participants learned about and got to see first-hand the differences between natural (left), washed (middle), and honey (right) processed coffee beans. | |  | Lindsey Pedroncelli (right), South Coast REC Director, talks with event attendees about the cherimoya, a specialty crop grown at South Coast REC. | |
South Coast REC Director Lindsey Pedroncelli participated in Terra Madre Americas, a Slow Food event in Sacramento on September 26-28, 2025. The event brought together farmers, ranchers, artisan vendors, chefs, food-lovers, and more for a weekend filled with delicious food and drink tastings, educational panels, interactive demonstrations, music, and fun!
Lindsey is shown in the photo above talking with attendees about cherimoyas, which were previously used in a research study at South Coast REC and are now a focal point of outreach and education events at the REC. Attendees were excited to hear from Lindsey about the mission of the UC ANR Research and Extension Center System, and were especially thrilled to learn about Harvest Solutions Farm, the result of a unique collaboration that South Coast REC has with Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County and Solutions for Urban Agriculture. Harvest Solutions Farm uses approximately 40 acres at South Coast REC to grow fresh produce exclusively for the food bank. To learn more about Harvest Solutions Farm or to volunteer, visit their website.
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Biodegradable Mulches for a Greener Future
by Amrita Mukherjee, UCCE San Bernardino
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A recent UC Cooperative Extension study in San Bernardino County compared biodegradable and organic mulches with traditional plastic film in hillside strawberry production. Trials with the cultivars ‘Albion’ and ‘Portola’ showed that coconut liner and biodegradable plastic mulch produced 33–38% higher yields than bare soil, while black plastic and paper mulch performed similarly to the control. Read the full research article on “Comparative Analysis of Biodegradable Mulches in Strawberry Production’’ here.
Importantly, fruit quality (size and sweetness) did not differ by mulch type, though ‘Albion’ consistently had higher sugar levels than ‘Portola’. These findings suggest that biodegradable mulches can provide a sustainable alternative to plastic film, improving yield while reducing plastic waste in small-scale strawberry farming.
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Questions? Contact Amrita at amukherjee@ucanr.edu | | |
Pro Tips
Tips, tricks, and advice from our program experts
| | Urban Watershed Resilience: California Water Plan | | | |
By Dr. Esther Lofton, Urban Watershed Resilience advisor serving Orange, LA, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties; Laura Elisa Garza Diaz, Area Water Resources Management Advisor serving Mendocino and Lake Counties; and Dr. Laljeet Singh Sangha, Community Water Systems Advisor serving Kern, Kings, and Tulare Counties
Do you know potable reuse now serves nearly a million in OC? California’s 2023 Water Plan (CWP-2023) shows how wins like that can scale; three pillars (climate urgency, watershed resilience, equity) and seven case studies proving it works: LA County’s countywide roadmap, OC’s GWRS (130 MGD), Pure Water San Diego (~50% local by 2035), Santa Clara Valley Water’s purified supply and recharge, Sacramento’s Harvest Water (50,000 AFY), SAWPA’s OWOW, and FIRO on the Russian River.
Why it matters: less reliance on imports, stronger local supplies, cleaner waterways, and nature-based solutions that double as green infrastructure. We also share the “how”: crosswalk your plans to CWP-2023, set measurable targets, launch early pilots (reuse, stormwater, recharge, NbS), and report progress publicly; now turbocharged by new DPR rules and DWR’s Watershed Resilience Initiative.
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Read the full blogpost on the Water Resilience, Climate Change, and Water Systems (WrCcWs) blog.
- Tune in next time: We’re publishing Part 2 of our CWP-2023 series, a deep dive into the LA County Water Plan: targets, governance, funding pathways, and the 2045 supply build-out.
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And don’t miss updates; follow ANR Socal Water Resources on Instagram: @socal_h2o, TikTok: @socal_water, Twitter/X: @SoCal_H20 for tools, templates, and case-study breakdowns, and also join the conversation about building a drought-ready, climate-smart California water future.
Contact Information
Dr. Esther N. Lofton, Urban Watershed Resilience Advisor, UC ANR – South Coast REC Email: anrsocalwater@gmail.com | Website: ucanr.edu/site/socal-water-resources
| | | October 11, 2025 is our annual Urban Ag & Garden Expo with our Pumpkin U-pick! | | Watch the recap of last year's expo below. | | |
Activities include:
- A tractor tour of the research center
- A pumpkin u-pick (pending harvest availability)
- Presentations from our expert researchers
- Hands-on demonstrations from our program leaders
- Prizes and giveaways
| | 3-part Forestry Webinar Series | | H2O for HOAs: Free Education and Networking Event | | UC Landscape Plant Irrigation Trials Fall Open House | | 4-H Youth Development Book Drive | | Join OC 4-H in our Fall Community Service Project: 1000 New Books Drive for CHOC Hospital Little Library, which provides books to patients and their families during their hospital stay. Until November 16, drop off NEW BOOKS ONLY in the box in Building 103 at South Coast REC. | | | | |
