- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension fire ecology specialist Max Moritz told a Bloomberg.com reporter that the wildfire raging in Santa Barbara County caught forest experts by surprise.
“It is very early, the plants still appear to be quite full of moisture, and when you look at the ferocity of this wind condition, that’s when you say it is surprising,” he was quoted in the story.
Moritz said overzealous fire suppression cannot be blamed for the devastating inferno that has already burned 75 homes and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.
“There isn’t any such...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Scientists at UC Riverside will apply compost to wildfire-ravaged land after the flames have been doused to determine whether it helps reduce erosion and water pollution and restore vegetation. The project is one of several to be undertaken with funding from the California Integrated Waste Management Board aimed at finding uses for what is expected to be an abundance of compost made from organic waste diverted from landfills, according to a story in the April issue of BioCycle.
The Waste Management Board plans to cut the amount of organic materials now going to landfills by half in the next 10 years. Meeting that...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The second best thing about May -- the first being Mother's Day, of course -- is sweet, fresh and flavorful Central Valley strawberries, especially those purchased at a roadside stand next to the field where they were grown. Even as the number of small-scale strawberry growers dwindle, the extraordinary fruit is getting some ink in Valley newspapers.
Today, the Sacramento Bee ran a business-section article about Southeast Asian farmers featuring Lo Saetern, who has grown "impossibly sweet strawberries" on 25 acres south of Sacramento for 11 years.
The article was prompted by a UC press event slated for 10 a.m. tomorrow at...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Since imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, the nation's Cooperative Extension service got a tremendous compliment in an article that outlined a plan by UC San Francisco physician Kevin Grumbach.
He told a Washington gathering of family physicians that the federal government should establish a cooperative extension service modeled after the one created nearly 100 years ago by the USDA. The new system, administered by HHS, would help primary care physicians transform their practices into patient-centered medical homes, according to a story posted yesterday on the American Academy of...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The tireless efforts of UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Richard Molinar and agricultural assistant Michael Yang to aid Fresno County's immigrant farmers are featured on the PBS program "California Gold" this month.
The program was previewed in the Fresno market in April, and will be aired statewide as follows:
KPBS - San Diego 8 p.m. May 7 5:30 p.m. May 9 |
KVIE - Sacramento 9 p.m. May 7 |