- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Fresno Bee's ag savvy food writer, John Obra, wrote an article for today's Life section on fresh garbanzos, with information gleaned at a recent UC Cooperative Extension garbanzo bean field day at the UC West Side Research and Extension Center.
High-protein garbanzo beans, also known as chick peas, are most familiar to consumers as dried bagged beans or cooked canned beans. Obra says the green fresh beans will be harvested during the next few weeks and make their way into the produce section of grocery stores.
The article said young, fresh garbanzo beans are so highly sought after, they can be a poacher's quarry. At the field day, UC Davis...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
An Associated Press story on growing concerns about coyotes in California has reached far and wide over the past few days. Here is the version that appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Google News reports that, as of today, 181 media outlets picked up the story. The articles quoted UC Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist Robert Timm and plugged the Coyote Bytes Web site he created.
The AP article, written by Alicia Chang, says that coyote's agressive behavior seems to be on the upswing in Southern California.
"We're not sure what pushes them over the edge," Timm was quoted in...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Two ANR nutrition experts spent an hour last Friday morning on the air with Michael Krasney, who hosts the daily "Forum" program on KQED, NPR's Bay Area affiliate.
UC Davis nutrition professor Judith Stern and associate director of the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health Gail Woodward-Lopez provided commentary on a new study from Sweden that determined heavy adults shed and reproduce fat cells too rapidly. One of the study's authors, Peter Arner, a professor of medicine at the Karolinska Institutet, also participated in the program.
Woodward-Lopez said the study adds to the body of evidence that it is better to prevent obesity in children,...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Reporter Tim Holt wrote a cute feature story about 4-H for today's San Francisco Chronicle. The article focuses on a club in Oakland's "upscale" Montclair neighborhood, where a group of 4-H'ers are raising chickens, goats and pigs.
The story provides lots of details about this aspect of the 4-H Youth Development program, but unfortunately doesn't mention its connection to University of California Cooperative Extension.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension biotechnology specialist Peggy Lemaux spoke at a workshop in Lake County this week, where the board of supervisors have been asked again to consider banning genetically modified crops, according to a story in the Lake County Record-Bee. The board narrowly rejected such an ordinance in 2004.
"Since this is such a controversial issue, I thought it would be wiser to have a discussion in the format of a workshop to talk about these things and decide if we want to pursue an ordinance or some other process," board chair Ed Robey was quoted in the story.
Lemaux told the board that creating a crossbreed was like...
