The Vantage Point



Glenda Humiston 

Vice President

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources 



Thanks to perfect temperatures and sunshine, turnout was spectacular for this year’s Ag Day at the Capitol on March 19 in Sacramento, where UC ANR joined many of our partners to showcase the bounty, beauty and innumerable benefits of California agriculture.

It was incredibly uplifting to see so many state leaders, elected officials, legislative staffers and members of the public come together to celebrate the contributions of our robust ag sector. Agriculture not only feeds the world, it cultivates careers and grows prosperity for our families and communities. My thanks, as always, to California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross and her amazing CDFA team for hosting and organizing such a memorable event in front of the Capitol.

Agriculture – and the judicious use of our natural resources – form the bedrock of a sustainably prosperous, resilient and secure nation. And if agricultural and natural-resource communities are building blocks of our country’s foundation, UC ANR and our fellow land-grant institutions are the mortar. We connect those communities and help them stand strong by developing productive collaborations and the latest scientific advances and technological innovations.

On Ag Day and throughout the year, our Government and Community Relations dynamic duo of Anne Megaro and Sheron Violini do a phenomenal job highlighting the value UC ANR brings to all 58 counties across California.

I especially want to thank Sheron, who went above and beyond this year, and all the teams that wonderfully represented the broad spectrum of UC ANR programs at Ag Day: Cooperative Extension, UC Master Gardeners, 4-H (including young people from the Sheldon 4-H Club and longtime volunteer Rondalyn Solano, and State Ambassador Laurelyn Roeser), UC ANR Innovate (formerly The VINE), CalFresh Healthy Living, UC/UCCE, Invasive Shothole Borer program and Strategic Communications.  

I also want to give a special shout-out to Betsy Karle, UC Cooperative Extension dairy advisor, who had the honor of introducing to the stage Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, chair of the Agriculture Committee. We are grateful for and inspired by strong leaders such as Assemblymember Soria and state Sen. Melissa Hurtado – chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee – who both spoke powerfully on Ag Day about the need to protect California agriculture.

Alongside other leaders at UC ANR and across the UC, I will continue to amplify – at the state and federal levels – the profound, positive difference our research and extension programs make for the health, wealth and well-being of all communities.

Notably, we accomplish our work through partnership. This month, I had the honor of moderating a fantastic panel at the UC Academic Congress on Research, a systemwide gathering to generate cross-campus dialogue and collaboration on research.

During this event at UCLA, we had a lively conversation about UC collaborations with the State of California, with CDFA Secretary Ross; Meghan Hertel, deputy secretary for biodiversity and habitat, California Natural Resources Agency; Julianne McCall, CEO of the California Council on Science and Technology and Trelynd Bradley, deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). The consensus was that there exist great opportunities for even more innovative collaborations.

Finally, earlier this month, we learned that Tu Tran, UC ANR’s associate vice president of business operations, will be retiring on July 1. I want to recognize Tu and acknowledge his many invaluable contributions to advancing our mission.

In his 12 years with UC ANR, Tu guided us through a time of unprecedented challenges (such as the global pandemic) and tremendous growth. Through his leadership and vision, UC ANR is in a much stronger position – in personnel, financial stability, and significantly upgraded facilities and business systems. My thanks to Tu, and everyone across our community, for helping to strengthen UC ANR and build a brighter future for California!