San Mateo and San Francisco Counties

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Quarterly News & Events September 2019

Welcome (back) County Director, Igor Lacan!

Igor Lacan In July we welcomed our new/old County Director Igor Lacan. Igor has been our Cooperative Extension Advisor in Environmental Horticulture since 2013, specializing in Urban Forestry . Igor’s program of applied research and outreach helps arborists, landscapers and other “green industry” professionals improve their management of urban trees and urban water. Igor also provides training and programmatic guidance to our Counties’ excellent UC Master Gardener Program.  A Cal graduate (Go Bears!), Igor is based at UC Elkus Ranch, but also maintains an office in San Francisco, and regularly roams across the five Bay Area counties meeting with his clients.  He can be reached by email at ilacan@ucanr.edu.

Program Happenings

HLA Meeting Hosted by Yummly The Healthy Living Ambassadors' (HLA) Midway Meeting was hosted by Yummly, a local tech company in Redwood City. Yummly is a recipe aggregate website, culling recipes and organizing them according to user interest. This was a great enrichment opportunity for the teens because their work is a mix of technology and food. The teens were even able to sample and name a chocolate cake recipe. Read More... EFNEP Partners with Fresh Approach The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) recently partnered with Fresh Approach through a grant, allowing participants to receive Farmers' Market vouchers plus a bonus cooking class with Fresh Approach. To increase voucher redemption, a competition was started where participants sent pictures of themselves with what they purchased at the Farmers' Market. By popular demand, the cooking class given by Fresh Approach focused on sauteing eggplant. Read more...

Hank Sciaroni Agricultural Research Plot Commemoration UC Cooperative Extension SMSF welcomed friends, county partners, supporters and family to the commemoration of the  new   Hank Sciaroni Agricultural Research Plot at Elkus Ranch on July 10 th . The new research plot currently hosts a coastal grain variety trial led by UC Master Food Preserver volunteer Jeff Crofton and Whole Grain Connection founder Monica Spiller , and is contributing data to a statewide grain cropping systems research project. Read more... 4-H State Leadership Conference The 4-H State Leadership Conference was held at UC Davis July 18-21. The conference's mission is to give youth the tools to create change in their own communities. At this event, youth were able to connect with almost 300 other 4-Hers from across California, with 11 youth members representing San Mateo/SF county. Sarah Betschart, Pacifica 4-H member, stated, " Besides learning about college, I also learned about ways to help the community. When they gave the presentation about living on one dollar a day, I learned a lot about how small things can make a big impact." Read more...

4-H Summer Camp We had another fun and successful 4-H Summer Camp! Of the 117 youth, 25 participated as the teen camp staff. The camp was once again held at YMCA Camp Jones Gulch from July 14-19. 4-H campers spent their time with nature —no cell phones or internet! Campers were able to pick activities to do during the day such as swimming, boating, archery, arts & crafts, hiking, and rock tower climbing. During the evenings, the campers were able to enjoy a movie, night hike and a dance. Read more... Master Gardeners Build Compost Bioreactor In June, 4 Master Gardeners took a class at California State University Chico, hosted by the Center for Regenerative Agriculture. Dr. David Johnson introduced them to his Johnson-Su Bioreactor system , a static aerobic compost pile that sits unturned for 12 months. The compost greatly improves plant health, growth rates and crop production. Master Gardeners and friends helped fill the  Johnson-Su Compost Bioreactor at the San Mateo Garden Education Center.   Read more...

4-H San Mateo County Fair Wrap-Up 4-H members across San Mateo County competed in youth exhibition categories during the fair (June 8-16), including animal showmanship, arts & crafts, and food science. For the first time this year, we had two goats that were born at UC Elkus Ranch participate at the County Fair. Both goats placed well in their class: Reserve Champion and 3rd place! We received over 75 new families interested in learning more about our 4-H program. Read more... GoFundMe for 4-H Volunteer  We are very sad to inform the 4-H community that Raymond Juballa was in a serious car accident in July. Raymond has touched so many lives in San Mateo/San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Merced Counties. Raymond has been a 4-H member for over 10 years and continues to volunteer his time by teaching others about his passion for raising livestock. Please feel free to share and post comments and pictures on his GoFundMe page. Raymond’s family thanks you all for the out-pour of support and love during this difficult time.

Other News / Events / Opportunities

This fundraiser supports Elkus Ranch Educational Programs. Interested in being a vendor or sponsor for this event? Email Maggie Gunn: MLGunn@ucanr.edu NEW! Celebrating Our Coastal Fibershed September 21 • 11a-3p This new public day is dedicated to celebrating and supporting regenerative agriculture –including food, fiber, and farms –and building a coastal fibershed community. Demos & Presentations Sustainable Fiber Vendors Friendly Livestock Picnic Lunch by Chef Tim Edmonds (included) Ranch Tours & more! Learn More

UC Elkus Ranch Fall Preschool Days SEPT 12 & 13 • 9:30am-1pm Preschoolers and their families can visit stations throughout the ranch that are specifically geared towards this age group. Visit the friendly livestock , plant a seed , make a wooly craft , explore the gardens , and more! Pack a picnic lunch and spend the day at Elkus Ranch. Register today! ucanr.edu/fallprek2019 Register Master Gardener Fall Plant Sale SEPT 7 • 9am-3pm The Master Gardeners are having a Fall Plant Sale! Available for purchase will be veggies , herbs , some pollinator plants and native plants. These are all plants that should be planted in the fall. Where:  MG Gardening Education Center (GEC) located at the San Mateo Event Center. Address: 2495 S. Delaware St, San Mateo, CA Directions to the GEC : To arrive at the site do not go to the Event Center pay parking off of Saratoga. Enter from S. Delaware St. going toward the Jockey Club. After you enter the parking lot, drive immediately to the left where you will see a green lawn and large eucalyptus trees on the side backing on Saratoga Ave. More information : smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.org More Info

UC Elkus Ranch Vet Tech Intern This summer, Elkus Ranch had the pleasure of hosting veterinary technician student, Leandra Siahaan! Lea completed a summer internship at Elkus Ranch for her veterinary technician degree at Foothill College. In addition to helping out with stall cleaning, Lea assisted with various animal husbandry tasks such as vaccinations, hoof trimmings , and even presented a lesson to our Summer Campers about general animal health and well-being! Her vet technician skills and willingness to jump in and lend a hand were valuable and appreciated! Lea is returning in the fall to Foothill College for her final year in the program. Thank you for your hard work, Lea! Interested in internship or extended volunteer opportunities? Contact Maggie Gunn at mlgunn@ucanr.edu

Conference Center Available for Group Rentals Looking for a unique venue for your corporate retreat, special training, or club meeting? Consider the Elkus Ranch Conference Center for your next event! A full commercial kitchen is on-site and the location and price can't be beat! Now taking reservations for 2019-2020! Learn More

As a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit, UC Cooperative Extension and Elkus Ranch are always in need of monetary and in-kind donations. Check out the Elkus Ranch Wish List to see what else we need! Wish List

Thank you for being a member of the UC Cooperative Extension community!

UC Cooperative Extension Offices San Mateo / San Francisco Counties

Main Office: (click for directions) Located at Elkus Ranch 1500 Purisima Creek Road Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 650-726-9059 Email: cesanmateo@ucanr.edu Nutrition Office: 300 Piedmont Ave., Building B, Rm 227 San Bruno, CA 94066

Master Gardener Helpline: 650-276-9030 / mgsmsf@ucanr.edu Mondays - 9am to 4pm Elkus Ranch Conference Center 1500 Purisima Creek Road, HMB Wednesdays - 10:30am to 2pm San Francisco Botanical Garden Library 1199 9th Ave., San Francisco Thursdays - 9am to 4pm Veteran's Memorial Senior Center 1455 Madison Ave., Redwood City

ANR NONDISCRIMINATION AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICY STATEMENT FOR UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   It is the policy of the University of California (UC) and the UC Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources not to engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person in any of its programs or activities (Complete nondiscrimination policy statement can be found at  http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/215244.pdf )  Inquiries regarding ANR’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to UCANR, Affirmative Action Compliance & Title IX Officer, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2801 Second Street, Davis, CA 95618, (530) 750-1397.