Message from UCCE Director
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Welcome to our second edition of our UCCE monthly newsletter. In this issue we bring you new information from our UCCE Advisors and Community Education programs on topics ranging from landscaping for fire prevention to growing agave to food system mapping. We hope you find resources and information useful to you.
Our local UCCE works to improve the lives of local residents by working with growers, families, volunteers, and partners to advance science-based solutions in agriculture, natural ecosystems, community health, and youth development.
If you want to stay connected with us in the months ahead, please click the link below to subscribe.
We hope that you will opt-in and stay engaged with us. -Shannon Klisch, UCCE Director in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara & Ventura Counties
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System Mapping of Farm-to-School Partnerships to Enhance Student Access to Healthy, Local Foods
Melissa Guillen & Katherine E Soule
Farm-to-school partnerships connect schools with local producers to enhance student access to healthy, local foods and support regional food systems. UCCE researchers in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties examined system-level structures that facilitate effective and sustainable farm-to-school partnerships. Their study utilized a mixed-methods system mapping approach to analyze four farm-to-school partnerships systems on California’s Central Coast. This research also demonstrates how Cooperative Extension professionals can apply system mapping across diverse programs to strengthen collaboration and drive systems-level change.
To learn about the features that lead to a successful farm-to-school partnership, access the research article here.
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Decreasing Burnout and Increasing Retention for Healthcare Providers
Katherine E Soule
August 19, 2025 – University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), in partnership with the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA), announces collaborative programming entitled: Exploring Threads of Connection within ‘Little by Little’: An Experiential Workshop to Build Resilience through Reflective Practice. Sponsored by Adventist Health, this new workshop series uses art, movement and guided reflection to strengthen provider well-being and enrich patient care.
Read more here....
| | Picture credit: Katherine E. Soule, PhD: Engaging in experiential arts-based practices with oral healthcare providers at the SLOMA in early August. | |
Landscaping defensible space: Plant flammability testing informs recommendations to reduce community fire hazard
Max A. Moritz
The wildland urban interface (WUI) presents a unique planning challenge. Landscaped residential properties intersect with wild, fire-prone vegetation; however, WUI residents lack clear guidance on which plants pose higher or lower risk and how to manage vegetation to reduce fire hazard while also prioritizing landscaping design. This is largely due to the lack of information regarding how landscaping plants burn. This study provided a community-led approach to plant flammability testing, suggested an index to rank landscaping plant flammability, and offered landscaping guidance for residents of Southern California WUI communities.
Read more here....
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Disaster Resilience
Lilian Thaoxaochay
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Report Gifford Fire Losses
Farmers, ranchers, and business owners impacted by the Gifford Fire are asked to report damages. Whether losses are insured or not, reporting helps officials better understand community-wide damages.
Fill out the form HERE or contact the County Office of Emergency Services (OES) at (805) 781-5678.
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California Underserved and Small Producers
Small and medium-scale farms impacted by the recent wildfires and/or other extreme weather may apply to the CDFA California Underserved and Small Producers (CUSP) Program for direct relief up to $20k. Applications are open right now with deadlines in October. Farmers may apply directly with partners at Inland Empire RCD or Sierra RCD. For application assistance in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, contact: Claire Tuohey Mote at (805)781-5949 or ctuoheymote@ucanr.edu.
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'Tis the Season for Some Reason for Some Different Pests
Ben Faber
It never rains, but………. yeah, this is California, and we have had outbreaks of False Chinch Bug and Stink Bug since July, also whitefly especially on citrus.
These insects aren’t so particular about avocado and are more or less generalist pests that feed on a variety of plants. They just happen to feed on avocado because the orchards are up against the hills - where after fire and summer drought, the insects run out of food and look for good feeding.
Read More Here...
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Questions about growing agave? UC ANR has answers
Caroline D Champlin
Agave may be a slow-growing plant, but the rush to farm the drought-tolerant crop in California has been rapid. Since 2023, agave acreage has quadrupled in the state, from 50 acres to over 200.
With all those new agave farms popping up, more farmers are seeking advice to best care for this hardy succulent. To meet that need, agricultural experts from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and UC Davis surveyed English-speaking and Spanish-speaking agave growers on their top concerns. So far, they’re received over 50 responses and counting.
“With this survey, we’ve identified 30 farmers that we didn’t have on our radar before,” said Yessica Fernandez Galicia, a UC ANR and UC Davis agave researcher.
Read more here...
Photo Credit: Yessica Fernandez Galicia is a researcher who’s organizing a webinar series to meet the most pressing questions from California agave growers. Photo by Rob Padilla
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UC releases costs of growing cilantro, parsley
Pamela S Kan-Rice
For commercial growers considering planting cilantro or parsley, the costs and returns of producing in Ventura County are outlined in a new study by the University of California Cooperative Extension, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Institute, and UC Davis Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics.
“These studies provide growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help if they need to apply for production loans, project labor costs or market their crop” said Etaferahu Takele, UC Cooperative Extension farm management advisor and agricultural economist and study co-author.
Read more here...
Photo Credit: Between 2002 and 2022, cilantro acreage in Ventura County almost quadrupled from 1,257 acres to 4,065 acres.
| | UCCE Community Education Programs | | |
UC Master Gardeners of Santa Barbara County
Ready to improve your gardening skills? Join us for hands on workshops throughout the year, covering topics from mastering tomato growing to creating water-wise landscapes. We have an event for you.
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2026 Master Food Preserver Training Program
The UC Master Food Preserver Program trains volunteers to share safe, research-based home food preservation techniques with the public.
2026 Training Class Overview
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Online class tracks: Weekly, January–June 2026 — choose either Thursdays, 6:30–8:30 PM, or Fridays, 2:00–4:00 PM.
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In-person labs: Wednesdays, 1:00–4:00 PM at the UCCE Main Office Auditorium, 2156 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo.
Information Meeting
Attending the September 18 information meeting (or watching the recording) is a required prerequisite before applying. Please see the website for more information.
- Thu, Sept 18, 2025: Information Meeting, 6:30–7:30 PM (recorded)
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UC ANR receives $15.1 million to accelerate ag tech innovation
Hanif R Houston
UC ANR Innovate – the innovation program of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources – has been awarded $15.1 million to launch the state’s first coordinated agricultural innovation network, connecting California’s diverse food-producing regions to accelerate technology, support entrepreneurs and prepare the workforce of the future. This award is part of $28.6 million in new Jobs First funding for California’s agricultural sector, with UC ANR leading the statewide agricultural innovation cluster. The cluster spans agtech and food systems investments designed to strengthen competitiveness and resilience across the state.
Read More Here...
Photo Credit: A state award for UC ANR Innovate will help speed ideas from the lab into the hands of growers and producers, such as new technology to fine-tune irrigation.
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Speak UP for Science
This summer, the University of California system launched Speak Up for Science, a nonpartisan advocacy campaign building broad public support for federal science funding. This campaign urges Congress to sustain critical funding and oppose proposed cuts to agencies like the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation in next year’s federal budget.
I hope you’ll join many of our colleagues in speaking
up for science by sending an email to your federal lawmakers.
Read More Here...
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September is FEMA’s National Preparedness Month
This year’s theme is: “Preparedness Starts at Home”.
Know your risks. The California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) has an online tool called “MyHazards” which allows you to type in an address and learn more about your local risk. What is your danger of wildfire, flooding, and/or earthquake? Are you aware of all the potential hazards closest to you?
Make a family emergency plan. Visit PrepareSLO or ReadySBC for templates to help you develop an emergency plan. Whether you’re required to shelter in place or evacuate – are your family members aware of their roles and responsibilities? Consider a walk-thru of your plans.
Build an emergency supply kit. Do you have what you need to stay safe? A prepared go-bag with all of the essentials you may need reduces scrambling in the event of a disaster for supplies. FEMA’s “Build a Kit” provides a checklist of items you should consider including in your family’s go-bags.
Get involved in local preparedness. Emergencies can happen fast and sometimes help is delayed. Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) training can help prepare you to take action in the event of a disaster to protect yourself, your family, and your community. There are CERT programs in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
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Webinar: The Growing Threat to Our Trees
October 1, 2025 | 11:00 AM - 12:00PM
California’s forests and urban landscapes face growing threats from invasive tree pests like beetles and fungi, which have already killed hundreds of thousands of trees across the state. Join forestry expert Beatriz Nobua-Behrmann for an educational webinar exploring important invasive pests that impact California’s trees.
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| | UCCE in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties improves the lives of local residents by working with growers, families, volunteers, and partners to advance science-based solutions in agriculture, natural ecosystems, community health, and youth development. | | | | |
