- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Congratulations to Susan Donohue, the director of UC Cooperative Extension in Butte County. According to an article in the Chico Enterprise-Record, she received the "community service award" at the 28th Annual Farm City Celebration yesterday.
The article said Donohue's UC Cooperative Extension career spans 30 years. It noted that she helped secure funds to start the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in Northern California and recently spearheaded the establishment of a Master Gardener Program in Butte County.
The Farm City Celebration continues with a variety of events this week.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
As the 2008 presidential election reaches its crescendo, even ANR experts get into the action. Salon.com today posted a mocking commentary on what it calls "Sarah Palin's latest swat at science" that included comments from UC Cooperative Extension's Paul Vossen.
In a speech in which Palin ridiculed earmark money, she noted sarcastically that one such allocation was made for "... fruit fly research in Paris, France," Salon writer Kevin Berger reported.
But, of course, there is more to the story. Berger surmised that Palin was referring to money secured by Mike...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Two newspaper accounts this week touched on the human side of UC Cooperative Extension. Food shopping savvy was the focus of an article in the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, in which the daughter of a veteran UCCE nutrition educator created a blueprint for people trying make ends meet in the new economy, the story said.
Gerardo and Briana Fernandez shared their personal financial trouble with reporter Jeremy Hay. Gerardo, a general contractor, saw his income slashed in half in the weak economy. The couple realized that, between eating out and grocery shopping, food was gulping $600 from their monthly...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
California efforts to reduce the state's carbon footprint is creating jobs, according to a study by Next 10, a nonprofit organization that promotes environmental innovation in California. The report, featured in a story by the Los Angeles Times, was written by UC Berkeley agriculture and resource economics adjunct professor David Roland-Holst.
The Next 10 report said California laws requiring businesses and residents to cut their carbon output and use local energy sources will create more than 400,000 jobs, help consumers save on their lighting bills and boost the state's economy by $76 billion by 2020, according to the...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Fast food is cheap, but an Associated Press story that moved on the wire yesterday offered help for eating "slower food" on a budget. AP reporter Michelle Locke Ho opened her story by making examples of two slow-food products: $20 handcrafted cheese and $100 free-range turkey. She talked to UC Davis food systems analyst Gail Feenstra about what appears to be a pricy trend.
"It's been sort of touted as being an upper-income thing, which is unfortunate because that is not the bottom line," Feenstra was quoted. "The slow food movement needs to be about everybody having access to good quality food."
The story was organized...
