- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Alice Daniel, a reporter for the popular statewide public radio program The California Report, visited the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center today to gather information for a story on aflatoxin. Daniel interviewed Kearney-based UC Davis plant pathologist Themis Michailides, who led the team that discovered how to expose pistachio trees to spores of beneficial fungus that displace the fungi that produce aflatoxin.
The fungus, AF-36, was used for the first time in pistachio orchards this past summer. For more on the story, read Pistachio farmers enlist a beneficial fungus to battle aflatoxin.
Daniel also recently interviewed Jeff Mitchell, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, for a story about farmers growing interest in conservation agriculture techniques. The story aired Sept. 4 and can still be heard on The California Report website.
The California Report airs locally at 6:50 a.m. and 7:50 a.m. Monday through Friday on Valley Public Radio, 89.3 FM in Fresno and is also available online.
- Author: Laura J. Van der Staay
UC and USDA APHIS recently presented a program at Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (KARE) addressing the requirements for the export of California pomegranates to the Republic of Korea. James E. Adaskaveg, professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at UC Riverside presented information on the management of insects and pathogens on the Korean quarantine list. Magdalena Moreno from APHIS provided information on regulatory documentation required for exporting pomegranates to Korea. The event was attended by 60 growers, packers, shippers and others interested in the export of pomegranates. There have been over 1.3 million cartons of California pomegranates exported to Korea in each of the last two years.
- Author: Laura J. Van der Staay
Employees from Constellation Brands, a vintner working closely with Kearney viticulture specialist Matthew Fidelibus, bought sample wines to Kearney today to compare with the corresponding grapes growing on the research vines. To read more about the research, see Vintner creates interesting new wines from research grapes.
- Author: Kris Lynn-Patterson
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Clinton Morse of the University of Connecticut received a certificate of appreciation for his efforts in supporting the AERGC with information and communications technology. Dennis Raath of Lock Drives received a certificate of appreciation plaque in recognition of his years of dedicated service to the association.
About 120 delegates from across North America – and one from Germany – attended the three-day conference held at the University of Toronto.
