ANR news blog

Innovative UCCE program to feed the poor

UC Cooperative Extension in Calaveras County has been instumental in initiating a program aimed at providing fresh, healthful food to local residents in need. Farm to Family is actively encouraging gardeners to help supply the local food bank by planting extra vegetables in the coming months, according to a story in today's Stockton Record.

A food shortfall last Thanksgiving and Christmas prompted local decisionmakers to collaborate with UCCE and farmers to find a way to feed hungry families at a time when the economy is putting the squeeze on funding options.

The group identified its chief assets:

"We are land rich, and we have a lot of people who care about each other," the story quoted Calaveras County supervisor Steve Wilensky.

According to the Record article, written by Dana Nichols, UCCE found money to hire Paloma-based organic farmer Sean Kriletich to coordinate Farm to Family. Kriletich is working on a system for picking up donated zucchini and tomatoes from home summer gardens and coordinating volunteers who want to help in community gardens. For now, Kriletich's efforts are focused on people who already know how to garden, but in the future the program may include gardening classes for novices interested in getting involved.

More information about Farm to Family is on the UCCE Web site.

Farm to Family

San Luis Obispo County ranch featured in newspaper story

The cover story in the Feb. 4 edition of the color magazine New Times is a well-written 2,300-word history of Avenales Ranch, east of San Luis Obispo, which has been the site of UC collaborative research for decades.

The story centered on 92-year-old family patriarch Jim Sinton, who inherited the 12,000-acre ranch from his grandfather. The owner of a local general store, Sinton's grandfather provided goods on credit to homesteaders who held the property in the late 1800s. As they went broke, he acquired the land and assembled the vast acreage where today cattle run, majestic oaks dot the landscape and a hunting club helps generate income.

Sinton, a UC Berkeley agricultural economics alum, helped design and execute an experiment in the early ’60s to test the validity of ranchers’ then-accepted belief that acorns were harmful for cattle to eat. According to the story, he concluded that the presence of oak trees on a grazing range is beneficial.

Writer Kathy Johnston spoke to San Luis Obispo County-based UC Cooperative Extension natural resouces specialist Bill Tietje, who said the ranch is “one of the hotspots in the county” for mountain lions and bears. He told the reporter that 100 species of birds, a dozen types of small mammals, plus bobcats, gray foxes, and a variety of reptiles and amphibians can be found on the ranch. The mix of wooded areas, chaparral and grassland the Sintons have maintained supports the wildlife, he said.

The article mentioned that the Sinton family occasionally opens the Avenales Ranch to the public by hosting UC Cooperative Extension workshops on oak regeneration.

UC news release appears on media Web site

A news release distributed yesterday by UC ANR News & Info Outreach was within hours picked up by the Central Valley Business Times. The story outlines the impact on UC research of the Westlands Water District's announcement last week that it will not have water to deliver to its constituents during the 2009 water year. The UC West Side Research and Extension Center relies on Westlands water to irrigate research projects.

West Side REC director Bob Hutmacher said, because of the anticipated water shortage, the research program for the 2009 water year must be reassessed by the center's Research Advisory Committee.

Growers are concerned about early spring

California's January weather was exceptional in 2009. While many enjoyed the unseasonably warm days, farmers fretted about the impact on their crops. According to an article in today's Santa Rosa Press Democrat, horticulturists say some plants and trees are budding two weeks to a month earlier than usual.

“Spring is coming earlier and it has been doing that the last three or four years. But this year is astonishing,” the article quoted Bob Hornback, a garden educator and adviser to a Sebastopol farm.

Press-Democrat writer Meg McConahey also sought comment from UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Paul Vossen. He told the reporter experts do not yet know whether the temperatures through the winter were cold enough to sufficiently chill certain fruit trees.

To achieve optimum spring bloom on fruit trees, flower buds must be exposed to a certain amount of winter chilling during their dormant period. This chilling requirement is measured as the accumulated number of hours below 45º F. Fruit tree's chilling needs vary widely depending on the type and variety of fruit. Some apples, for example, such as McIntosh and Rome Beauty, require more than 800 hours of winter chill. Stone fruit chill needs range from 150 to 900 hours.

A file photo showing an almond orchard in full bloom.

When in doubt, throw it out

Notwithstanding that oft-repeated rhyme scientists use to guide food safety decisions, a UC Cooperative Extension specialist offered some more detailed advice in a newspaper article today that people can follow when they open a carton of yogurt or a hunk of cheese to find a spot of mold.

Ed Blonz of the Contra Costa Times contacted UC Davis dairy specialist emeritus John Bruhn when preparing to answer a reader question about moldy dairy products.

In a nutshell, Bruhn told the reporter:

• Creating an acidic atmosphere using a vinegar-soaked cloth or paper towel might help in controlling mold growth, but it's not always reliable
• If there is a spot of mold in a yogurt container, remove a tablespoon of the product with the mold
• With cheese, cut about 3/4 to 1 inch around the mold contamination

And I'll add . . . when in doubt, throw it out.

Moldy cheese can be salvaged.

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