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Celebration Corner
Wang, Bachie, Snell, Rethwisch receive National County Agents Association recognition
The National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) held its 2024 annual meeting/ professional improvement conference in July in Dallas, Texas. Four California advisors were honored by their peers during the conference.
Zheng Wang, UC Cooperative Extension vegetable advisor inStanislaus County, was the California Achievement Award winner for extension professionals with less than 10 years of service.
Oli Bachie, UCCE agronomy and weed management advisor for Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties and county director for Imperial County, was recognized as the California Distinguished Service award winner. Extension professionals with more than 10 years of service are eligible for this award.
Laura Snell, UCCE livestock and natural resources advisor and county director in Modoc County, received an award for her fact sheet “Rapid User Guide:Postfire Grazing on California'sIntermountainRangelands“ as one of the top four national entries in this category.
Two other California communication entries were recognized as western regional finalists after first winning state competitions. Joy Hollingsworth, UCCE table grape advisor for Tulare and Kings counties, received recognition for her feature story “Improving Soil Health.” Philip Waisen, UCCE vegetable advisor for Riverside and Imperial counties, was recognized for his photo showing melon growth resulting from root leachate treatment. Waisen was also active at the convention both as a presenter and as a western regional committee chairman.
At the state level, “Key to the Phytoseiid Predatory Mites Found on California Crops” by David Haviland, UCCE entomology advisor in Kern County, was selected as the winning entry in the publication category. “Eastern Sierra School Gardens Trello Board” by Dustin Blakey, UCCE farm advisor and county director for Inyo and Mono counties, was the winning entry for the California learning module/notebook category.
‘Airblast Spray Advisor' web app wins educational aids award
UCCE specialist Peter Ako Larbi received a 2024 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Award for his decision-support web app “Airblast Spray Advisor” during the 2024 Annual International Meeting (AIM) of the society in Anaheim on July 28-31.
The Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Awards Competition promotes excellence in informational materials that contribute to the understanding of agricultural and biological engineering subjects outside of the traditional classroom setting. Larbi received the award in the “Electronic” category under “Design or Decision Tools” and was recognized during the General Session Recognitions on July 29.
The complexity of spray application under field conditions often poses a challenge to applicators, limiting their ability to achieve high application efficiencies. Although the California Department of Pesticide Regulation requires individuals who use or supervise pesticide use to possess applicator certification, it does not guarantee that applicators will recognize or use best practices when faced with complex field conditions. As such, poor decisions can be made resulting in inefficiency, low productivity and negative environmental impact. Using Larbi's spray application decision-support app can help to remove or reduce the guesswork, thus enhancing decision-making to increase efficiency, productivity, accuracy and environmental soundness. The web app provides decision support for planning and evaluating airblast spray application. It is designed for citrus, with the addition of other perennial crops underway.
The app can be accessed at https://ucanr.edu/sites/Airblast_Spray_Advisor/.
Satomi named Field Forester of the Year
The Society of American Foresters has named Ricky Satomi, UCCE area forestry and natural resources advisor, Field Forester of the Year for District 3.
The Society of American Foresters honored 11 individuals with the Presidential Field Forester award for 2024. Awarded to one member from each of the SAF voting districts, the Presidential Field Forester Award recognizes foresters who have dedicated their professional careers to the application of forestry on the ground using sound, scientific methods and adaptive management strategies.
Satomi, who serves Sutter, Yuba, Butte, Placer and Nevada counties, specializes in forest management, geographic information systems and biomass. Prior to joining UCCE in 2017 to serve Shasta, Trinity and Siskiyou counties, Satomi worked as a research associate with the UC Wood Biomass Utilization Group, analyzing wood utilization capacity in California.
Lee elected ESA fellow
UC Riverside Professor Chow-Yang Lee has been elected fellow of the Entomological Society of America.
"I am truly honored to be elected as an ESA fellow,” Lee said. “This is the highest accolade the society can confer upon an entomologist, and I am humbled by the recognition from my peers for my contributions to urban entomology."
Lee, who serves as endowed presidential chair in the Urban Entomology Program, is internationally known for his research on the behavior, ecology and physiological adaptations of urban insect pests, including cockroaches, bed bugs, termites, ants and mosquitoes.
He seeks to understand the biological characteristics that help these urban pests thrive, and he works with graduate students to develop and test new pest management strategies. Their activities have included a focus on insecticide resistance's underlying mechanisms.
His outreach activities are extensive, having authored more than 290 peer-reviewed journal papers, book chapters and books. Recently, he has co-authored several papers evaluating biodegradable boric acid gel baits meant to control Argentine ants, the potential use of an artificial sweetener against cockroaches and its impact on cockroach microbiome, and the effectiveness of a new compound with a novel mode of action against cockroaches.
Read more in this article by Jules Bernstein:
Ferris elected honorary member of Society of Nematologists
UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Howard Ferris, internationally recognized for his “exceptional, wide-ranging and unparalleled contributions to nematology” over a 64-year career, is a newly elected Honorary Member of the Society of Nematologists, the international organization's highest award.
“His conceptual understanding of the ecological role of nematodes in plant agricultural systems established him as perhaps the premier IPM research nematologist of our time," said Frank Zalom, UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Entomology and Nematology and former director of the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. "His fundamental and practical contributions to the science of nematology and to IPM are many and will have lasting impacts.”
Ferris received the award Aug. 8 at SON's 63rd annual conference, held in Park City, Utah.
Read more in this article by Kathy Keatley Garvey at https://entomology.ucdavis.edu/news/salute-internationally-recognized-nematologist-howard-ferris.
Young voices, a new vision for the future of the Latino community
One in four young people in California identifies as Latino. The average age of Latinos is 30 years old, which makes us a relatively young ethnic group compared to others.
This has several implications for society. Youth and the stable growth of the Latino community are changing the social, economic and political fabrics of communities.
In education, schools are adapting to the growing number of Hispanic students by integrating bilingual education and culturally responsive teaching methods.
As communities see growing numbers of cultural festivals, restaurants and media that cater to or are influenced by the Hispanic community, Latinos are more visible, enriching the country's cultural scene and inviting a closer appreciation of Latino cultural heritage.
On the economic front, there also has been an increase in the number of small businesses owned by Latinos. In 2023, the United States Small Business Administration reported 4.5 million small businesses, creating jobs for 2.9 million people. Latinos have become a market segment of great importance for local and national companies.
But not everything is rosy for the Latino community. According to a Statista report published in June, 15.2% of Hispanic families lived below the poverty level in the United States in 2022. This means that these families, despite having one or more jobs, cannot meet some of their basic human needs, which commonly include clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and housing.
The report notes that curbing the high cost of living is the top priority for Latinos between the ages of 18 and 29, followed by job creation and affordable health care.
The road to a Latino community that is genuinely included at all levels of our society is long and challenging. However, we are confident that the younger generations of Latinos have the tools, passion and love for our community to press forward and achieve their goal.
The UC ANR Latinx & Friends Employee Resource Group invites you to join in celebrating Latino contributions and listening to these young voices in a series of Zoom meetings that highlight the important contributions of Latinos and the challenges facing the Latino community.
Friday, Sept. 13, 1 – 2:30 p.m.: Hear from UC ANR Vice President Glenda Humiston and keynote speaker Carlos Suarez, State Conservationist and leader of the California Natural Resources Conservation Service, on the impact of Latinos on agriculture, focusing on their vital role in California's agricultural sector.
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 1 – 2:30 p.m.: Join Brent Hales, UCANR associate vice president for research and Cooperative Extension, and keynote speaker Javier Diego Jacinto, an academic whose activism and scholarly work intersect with language, race, religion and immigration and is rooted in his Mazatec heritage from Oaxaca, Mexico. He will shed light on the profound economic impact and ongoing challenges facing Latinos in the U.S.
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 1 – 2:30 p.m.: Hear from Tu Tran, UC ANR associate vice president for business operations. Keynote speaker Erica Alfaro, author and motivational speaker, will speak about the role of education in empowering Latinos, highlighting accomplishments and areas for growth. In 2019, Alfaro became the first woman in her family to earn a graduate degree. Her graduation photo, showing Alfaro in cap and gown standing in a strawberry field with her farmworker parents, went viral and made headlines.
Don't miss these opportunities to celebrate and reflect on the dynamic contributions of Latinos in our community.
Register for the Zoom events at https://ucanr.edu/HHM2024events.
If you would like to download a Zoom background to show your support for Hispanic Heritage Month, visit https://espanol.ucanr.edu/Hispanic_Heritage_Month/Mes_de_la_Herencia_Hispana_2024/Recursos_Resources_720/.
Names in the News
Smith aims to improve community health, nutrition in Central Valley
Jasmin Smith joined UC ANR on Aug. 1 as the community nutrition and health advisor for San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties. Smith will work to research, identify and address community health concerns – as well as support CalFresh Healthy Living programs and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in the region.
“My focus is on promoting nutrition and health initiatives responsive to the unique needs of the communities and ensuring that the programs are impactful and sustainable,” Smith said.
Originally from Champaign, Illinois, Smith also lived in Thailand, the Dominican Republic and Kenya during her youth, as her father worked for the Foreign Agricultural Service. Her experiences overseas were a significant motivating factor in pursuing a career in community nutrition and health.
“Witnessing health disparities firsthand in different areas of the world highlighted the critical need for equitable access to nutrition and health care,” she explained. “These experiences have fueled my passion to address the root causes of these disparities and work towards creating healthier communities.”
Smith earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from North Carolina A&T State University, and a Ph.D. in human sciences from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, where she studied obesity prevention in rural communities.
That focus continues in her current role, as Smith seeks to partner with local communities to promote health and wellness in underserved segments of California's population.
“I hope to leverage my experience to develop and implement strategies and programs that promote equitable access to healthy lifestyles,” she said. “I am also excited to collaborate with the teams and community partners to continue to address the needs of the communities we serve.”
Based at UC Cooperative Extension's San Joaquin County office in Stockton, Smith can be reached at jasm@ucanr.edu.
Zimmerman joins PSU as events specialist
Jennifer Zimmerman joined UC ANR on July 22 as an events specialist with the Program Support Unit. In this role, she will plan, organize and implement meetings, events, workshops and conferences to support UC ANR statewide programs and institutes, leadership groups, strategic initiatives, academics and staff.
Zimmerman has worked for the University of California since 2004, previously holding positions at UC San Diego, UC Irvine and UC Davis. From 2015 until she joined ANR, Zimmerman managed the UC Davis chancellor's residence (the primary living residence for the chancellor and his family), along with all events hosted there. During this period, she worked with current Chancellor Gary S. May, former Chancellor Linda P. B. Katehi, and former Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter.
Zimmerman holds a bachelor's degree in biology from UC San Diego and has been a Certified Meeting Professional with the Events Industry Council since 2011. As an advocate for sustainability, and someone passionate about event planning, Zimmerman is excited to join the ANR team and is eager to contribute to its mission
Zimmerman is based at the ANR building in Davis and can be reached at jazimmerman@ucanr.edu. She is also on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-zimmerman-cmp.
Robinson returns as urban ag, food systems and environmental issues advisor
Derrick Robinson began working as the UC Cooperative Extension urban agriculture, food systems and environmental issues advisor in San Diego County on July 1. In this role, Robinson is focused on improving food production and delivery systems, economic success and sustainability, as well as science literacy and youth development.
Currently, he aims to serve San Diego County residents, especially those in urban interfaces. Robinson brings a wealth of knowledge about San Diego County's food system to his advisor role and his network consists of nonprofits and their members in North County and in the City of San Diego, mostly concentrated in low-income and traditionally marginalized communities in the region.
“I'm also eager to identify policy issues that need to be addressed, especially as it relates to my scope of work – policies involving worker standards or climate-change impacts, for example,” said Robinson.
His new role builds on work he did for UCCE in the past. From 2016 to 2019, he was a UCCE academic coordinator serving California. During this time, he developed and taught the “Living on My Own” curriculum for 14- to 24-year-olds, an expansion of the “Money Talks” financial literacy series promoting positive youth development. Before returning to UC ANR, Robinson worked for the Center on Policy Initiatives, a policy think tank focused on economic justice policy issues.
Originally from Atlanta, Robinson moved across the southeastern part of the U.S. in pursuit of higher education. He earned a doctorate in applied economics from Auburn University in Alabama after obtaining bachelor's degrees in communication and economics from the University of North Florida. Robinson also earned an associate's degree in geography from Florida State College.
Before moving to California, Robinson was an economics professor at the University of North Florida as well as at Tuskegee University in Alabama, where he taught agricultural economics. While in graduate school, Robinson conducted coastal resource evaluations with Sea Grant as a collegiate fellow for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Just prior to returning to UCCE, he helped to develop San Diego County's State of the Food System 2020 report and the Food Vision 2030 plan based on his outreach and community organizing.
Robinson is based at the UCCE office in San Diego County and can be reached at drobinson@ucanr.edu.
Tian joins Small Farms team to coordinate IPM efforts
Shufang Tian joined UC ANR on June 5 as the Small Farms IPM lead coordinator. In this position, she will primarily focus on identifying and developing accessible IPM materials for small-scale farmers. She will collaborate with UC IPM and statewide small farms advisors to produce IPM educational materials and training resources for the targeted clientele.
A native of China, Tian earned her undergraduate degree in agronomy from Shenyang Agricultural University. In 2015, Tian moved to the United States to pursue a master's degree in plant pathology at the University of Georgia, where she studied Phytophthora capsici in cucumber and pepper plants.
Drawn to organic and sustainable crop production, Tian went on to earn a Ph.D. in horticultural sciences, with a minor in soil and water sciences, from the University of Florida, where she studied integrated nutrient management in organic high tunnel vegetable production. Her work led to practical recommendations for organic and high tunnel farming systems.
Tian is based in Sacramento and can be reached at sftian@ucanr.edu.
CDFA funds UC SAREP agritourism project to connect farmers, consumers
To promote specialty crops and strengthen the industry through agritourism, California Department of Food and Agriculture has awarded nearly $450,000 from its Specialty Crop Block Grant Program for the California Open Farm Passport project. Rachael Callahan, statewide agritourism coordinator for the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, is leading the project, working with regional partners throughout the state to promote farmers through Open Farm events.
The California Open Farm Passport will invite the public to explore the bounty of local farms during regionally coordinated events throughout the year. Farm guests will have opportunities to learn about, taste and buy a diversity of crops from participating specialty crop farmers around the state.
California produces more than 400 commodities.
Starting in 2025, project partners will host 20 Open Farm events, featuring over 130 farms in nine counties, anticipated to reach over 10,000 consumers. Through these events, the public can visit farms to participate in activities such as farm tours, demonstrations and workshops that will increase their awareness of the diversity of California agricultural products and producers. Events will be posted athttps://calagtour.org/California_Open_Farm_Passport.
Locally based groups throughout the state that support agritourism in their region have come together to collaborate on this project. Partners include Community Alliance with Family Farmers, FARMstead ED/SLO County Farm Trails, Open Farm Tours, Pleasants Valley Agricultural Association, Sierra Oro Farm Trail, Sonoma County Farm Trail, and UC Cooperative Extension advisors in Lassen, Modoc and Siskiyou counties.
“Partners on this project have been supporting agriculture in their regions through promoting agritourism and hosting Open Farm events for years, if not decades,” said Callahan. “This project provides the opportunity to enhance their work, create a space for them to learn from each other, and expand their reach by collaboratively marketing events as the California Open Farm Passport.”
This project will also build capacity by fostering a statewide network of agritourism groups to support local farmers and bolster the agritourism industry. Agritourism groups will receive trainings and learn from one another as they share best practices for hosting Open Farm events and other marketing strategies to promote agricultural producers to the public.
Importantly, the project will also document the benefits of Open Farm events for producers and visitors. The project will track product sales during and after the events to assess the impact of visiting a farm on purchasing behavior as well as measure any increase in visitor knowledge about California specialty crops.
“This project holds the potential to provide great benefits to specialty crop producers and the California agritourism industry,” Callahan said. “Producers will have opportunities for direct product sales and increased name recognition through marketing activities. At the same time, project partners will develop a statewide network to support their work and build towards a strong agritourism industry in California.”
For more information about the 2024 Specialty Block Grant Program funding, read the CDFA press release: California agriculture leads the nation in funding for specialty crops.
To learn more about agritourism in California, visit UC SAREP's California Agritourism website.
Gilani briefs legislators on bioenergy
Haris Gilani, UCCE biomass and bioenergy advisor for Riverside and San Bernardino counties, spoke to the State Legislature Select Committee on Building a Zero-Carbon Hydrogen Economy on Aug. 6.
Gilani shared insights from a policy brief on how low-carbon and carbon-negative fuels – such as hydrogen produced from agricultural residues, woody biomass and municipal solid waste – can help California achieve its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
"Investing in clean hydrogen and green ammonia could provide outsized benefits to communities in California," Gilani said, noting the state could meet 95% of its 2050 hydrogen demand by using waste biomass.
He outlined the steps for success: creating green hydrogen markets using woody biomass and agricultural residues, investing in hydrogen derivatives such as ammonia and developing green ammonia facilities, and establishing supportive procurement policies.
