Announcements

L&D - Communicating science, diversity, Big Dig Day, giving and receiving feedback

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ANR Learning & Development Webpage
Past webinar recordings

EXTENSION DELIVERY

Hard Times, Hard Questions: Communicating science with difficult people
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Noon - 12:30 pm

With Peggy G. Lemaux, Ph.D.
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, UC Berkeley

Learn tools that will 

• Engage the science-skeptic members of your audience
• Make you relatable to them
• Have your message resonate

Some simple suggestions  

• Know your audience
• Listen to their concerns and stay calm
• Make it relevant
• Keep it simple; use analogies and avoid jargon
• Encourage questions; answer factually

Zoom access:
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09
Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428

Innovation Skill-Building Experience (Q2, Session 1)
April 20, 2021
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

For Extension Foundation Members Only.
Members can register here.

April 20, 2021
April 27, 2021
May 4, 2021
May 11, 2021

Do you have a project idea that needs incubation, innovation and ways to get to implementation and impact faster? Are you looking to learn about design thinking and lean experimentation combined with Cooperative Extension's best practices for solving important community issues? Are you interested in becoming an Innovation Facilitator/Coach for future Impact Collaborative events and to support your institution's teams and teams across the nation? Read more here.

Learning to Teach Online (LinkedIn Learning)
Staff author Oliver Schinkten draws the connections between high-quality instruction and online education. He provides a framework for creating a digital classroom and guidance to get students interacting with the course material, the instructor, and each other. Collaboration is the key to making the learning experience more dynamic. Course link.

For your free Linkedin Learning account, contact help@ucanr.edu.

Diversity - Equity - Inclusion

Understanding Unconscious Bias: Awareness, knowledge and competency development
Various dates – see below.
Register for a session now! - Register early because each session is limited to 35 participants!

Bias, in its most simplistic definition, is having a preference for one thing over another. Also, biases come into play in our impressions and judgment of people, especially those whose identities and experiences are different from our own.

Workshop leaders are Mikael Villalobos, associate chief diversity officer in the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at UC Davis, and Eric Sanchez, diversity and inclusion educator, UC Davis.

Who should attend: Those who have not participated in this type of learning are encouraged to register. Priority will be given to people who have not had previous access to this learning topic. There will be a waiting list for those who are interested but regularly engage with bias-related topics.

Objectives: We will explore how we make snap judgments about people by understanding our socialization that informs our biases.

Participants will be introduced to theory and language in understanding implicit and explicit bias.

Using personal reflection, experiential exercises and case studies, participants will gain greater awareness when they engage in bias and gain essential knowledge and skills (tools) in how they recognize and mitigate biases in both personal and professional domains.

By participating in one of these workshops, you have the opportunity to support the ANR Strategic Plan 2020-2025 goal to develop an inclusive and equitable workplace, and employ a workforce that reflects the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of California.

Choose one session
Each of the following two-hour workshops will be tailored to job roles as indicated below but you are welcome to sign up for the session that fits best with your schedule.

People who deliver programs to clientele - Including but not limited to academic coordinators, UCCE advisors, UCCE specialists, community educators, CE field workers, REC and staff research associates.
Wednesday, April 7, 9-11 a.m.
Tuesday, June 1, 9-11 a.m.
Monday, June 7, 10 a.m.-noon

People who work with volunteers - Including but not limited to volunteer coordinators and managers
Monday, May 10, 10 a.m.-noon

People who support to others in ANR - Including but not limited to administrative and support staff
Thursday, May 20, 10 a.m.-Noon

Cancellation: Participants must notify us of cancellations in writing to ANR Program Support at least one week prior to the session for which they're registered.

Registration & Logistics: ANR Program Support or call (530) 750-1361

Asian Pacific Heritage Month
May 2021 – Every Tuesday, 3-4 p.m.

Register here.

May 4– The Asian Pacific Identity: Experiences and Stories
May 11 – Asian Pacific Farmers in California: Past and Present
May 18 – Violence in Asian Pacific Communities: Exclusion, Internment, and Hate Crimes
May 25 – Supporting Our Friends and Colleagues: Bystander Intervention Training

Thank you to the Planning Team
Sibani Bose, Surendra Dara, Charles Go, Pam Kan-Rice, Janice Kao, Dohee Kim, Vikram Koundinya
Elaine Lander, Tunyalee Martin, Yu Meng, Stephanie Parreira, Devii Rao, Marisa Tsai, Sua Vang

Racial Equity Capacity Building Workshops
Read more here.

The Wallace Center's Food Systems Leadership Network is excited to partner with the Interaction Institute for Social Change's Curtis Ogden and Aba Taylor to design and deliver two capacity building workshops and customized coaching for network members to operationalize racial equity and anti-racism in their organizations and their program work.

These trainings are part of the FSLN's CORE Project to embed racial equity into its framework for systems change; learn more on the CORE webpage here.The FFRJW Training is a four-part, virtual workshop for 12 food systems leaders who are actively engaged in facilitating discussions around racial equity that lead to impactful action. Applications are due April 12 and participants will be notified by April 16. Space is limited to 12 FSLN members. Click to read more.

Building support

Big Dig Day & Social Media: Strategies for success
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
10 - 10:45 a.m.

Join Emily Delk, director of annual giving, and Dora Garay, social media strategist, as they share how to make the most of UC ANR's Big Dig Day (June 4, 2021) giving campaign to raise money for your program. You will learn how to plan your campaign, including themes, tools and timelines. Together we will learn the ins and outs of using social media to promote your campaign—from the basics of each platform to more advanced strategies to expand your reach. Zoom access:

https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09
Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428

Proposal Development and Proposal Process
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
3 – 4 p.m.

Learn about the steps involved in the proposal submissions process from developing your idea to submission.Vanity Campbell and Kendra Rose will go over identifying funding opportunities, developing the project concept, building collaborative teams, drafting the proposal, submitting to Office of Contracts and Grants for review, and submission to the sponsor. Zoom access:

https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09
Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428

Office, team and personal management

Join Mark Bell and Jodi Azulai to discuss key takeaways from three short videos that feature giving and receiving feedback. The objective is to help lighten this sometimes difficult process. Come ready to change your mind and lighten the load! Join Zoom meeting:

https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/94900422680?pwd=SzFGbGtwdUpXVHlMT3o5UHhIdllMQT09 | Meeting ID: 949 0042 2680 | Passcode: 2Lighten | One tap mobile+16699006833,,94900422680# US (San Jose) or +12532158782,,94900422680# US (Tacoma)

Collaborative Facilitation Advanced Workshop Series - Advanced
Apply here.

Dates: Tuesdays - April 27- May 11, 2021
2 hours/session (virtual)

Limited to 24 participants. Your application will be reviewed and you will be notified about your participation. Preference will be given to participants who have previous learning or experience in meeting facilitation.

This course is designed for people who have already learned basic meeting facilitation. It is open to all UC ANR academic and staff employees, including statewide program volunteers.

Collaborations and group processes are complex, dynamic and unpredictable. Successful processes are based on shared understanding and learning, and work towards common goals. However, we know that this doesn't always happen. Then what?

Collaborative facilitation and group process tools support success, allowing everyone to feel heard and to contribute. Whether you have a lead facilitator role or are a group participant, join us in learning appropriate and applicable facilitation tools to use before, during and after your meetings.

This course will cover the following topics:

Session I - review and include building teams to “compete” for the correct responses to challenges with meetings.
Session II - prevention and intervention tools.
Session III - dealing with difficult people, including ourselves.
Session IV - tools to manage conflicts combining all the tools you have learned and experienced.
Apply here.

The Six Morning Habits of High Performers Course Link (LinkedIn Learning)
Learn the six habits of the most successful people in history. Hal Elrod describes how they changed his life—and how they can change yours, too—in this course adapted from the podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job. Elrod is one of the highest rated keynote speakers in America, creator of one of the fastest growing and most engaged online communities in existence, and author of one of the bestselling books in the world, The Miracle Morning. For your free Linkedin Learning account, contact help@ucanr.edu

Critical Thinking Course Link (LinkedIn Learning)
By focusing on root-cause issues critical thinking helps you avoid future problems that can result from your actions. In this course, leadership trainer and expert Mike Figliuolo outlines a series of techniques to help you develop your critical thinking skills. He reveals how to define the problem you're trying to solve and then provides a number of critical thinking tools such as blowing up the business, asking the 5 whys and the 7 so whats. Read more here.

Career Management Toolkit (UC Davis)
Whether you are on a specific career path or considering new options, perhaps the UC Davis Career Management Toolkit will inspire you to develop your talents and engage them. The best person to manage your career is you!

Learning about yourself and understanding your interests, personality, skills and values are fundamental to engaging your work in meaningful ways.

Effective strategies for career exploration can help you identify a satisfying career and accelerate … Read more here.

 

Credits:
Image by kdbcms from Pixabay
Image by John Hain from Pixabay
Image: Image by Scottslm from Pixabay

Everyone can learn something new

ANR Learning & Development
Office: 530.750.1239
jlazulai@ucanr.edu

 

 

In memoriam: Earl Holtz

Earl Holtz, former UC Cooperative Extension dairy advisor in Sonoma County, died on March 25, 2021, at the age of 87. 

“Earl made a huge impact on young people's lives as well as on the profitability of dairying in the North Coast,” said Deanne Meyer, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis. “Even after he ‘retired,' he provided guidance to producers through the Animal Resource Management Committee and served as the individual doing surface water monitoring for years.”

Born and raised in Pleasantville, Penn., Holtz moved to Ceres, Calif., where he graduated from high school. After a short college stint at San Jose State, he enlisted in the Army for two years. Upon his return, he married Dot (Jean) McBride and they moved to Fresno, where he earned a degree in dairy science from Fresno State in 1955. Holtz earned a master's degree from Washington State University before joining UCCE in Sonoma County in 1964.

During his 10 years as a UCCE dairy advisor, his relationships with dairy producers flourished. All three of his children participated in 4-H in Sonoma County, where Holtz was a tireless volunteer and 4-H leader across a wide spectrum of projects. 

Following his job with UCCE, Holtz and his wife became partners with two local dairymen in NorCal Sires. Holtz retired from the dairy industry as a fieldman for Western United Dairymen with a focus on environmental issues and regulations and their impact on dairy producers. 

In 2017, Holtz and his wife were inducted into the Sonoma County Farm Bureau Hall of Fame for their decades of support for Sonoma County agriculture.

Holtz is survived by his children Corwin (Deborah) Holtz of Dryden, NY, and Kathlyn Millon and Kirvin Holtz both of Santa Rosa.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in memory of Earl Holtz be sent to FISH of Santa Rosa, 1710 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa, CA 95407. A date and location for a memorial service for both Earl and Dot Holtz will be announced in the future.

Work group appointed to speed California’s shift to safer pest management

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation and California Department of Food and Agriculture launched a new work group to accelerate the systemwide adoption of safer, sustainable pest control practices.

Three UC ANR academics have been appointed to the work group. They include Jim Farrar, UC Integrated Pest Management Program director; Margaret Lloyd, UC Cooperative Extension small farm advisor for the Capitol Corridor; and Houston Wilson, UC Organic Agriculture Institute director and UCCE specialist; 

The 26-member Sustainable Pest Management Work Group includes farmers, community members, university researchers and representatives from commodity groups and the pesticide industry. They are charged with identifying pathways to minimize the use of toxic pesticides and expand the use of integrated pest management practices; better protect public and environmental health; and engage, educate and promote collaboration to achieve these goals.

"Transitioning away from toxic pesticides requires us to speed up the development of effective alternatives," said CalEPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld. "By giving our farmers a suite of integrated pest management tools, we can better protect farmworkers and some of California's most vulnerable communities. This dynamic task force will give us the roadmap to achieve this bold vision."

"California agriculture is recognized not only for its quality and quantity, but also for the sustainable, innovative, forward-thinking way it is grown," said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. "Our farmers have been leaders in adopting integrated pest management and partnering with universities and technical assistance providers to meet our high standards for food, environmental and worker safety. This work group represents a broad array of perspectives to inform the next decade of research and development investment and new partnerships to continue the production of nutritious, delicious food and high-quality agricultural products with the least impact to our surrounding communities."

Funded in last year's budget, the group's work will build upon the recommendations of the Alternatives to Chlorpyrifos Work Group whose 2020 report identified alternatives to the hazardous insecticide and outlined actions to further support agriculture and the health of local communities, farmworkers and the environment. A new status update details additional actions DPR has taken based on the 2020 report, and how DPR and CDFA are working together to provide additional funding to the University of California and California State University to expand integrated pest management research and education. California prohibited virtually all uses of chlorpyrifos as of Dec. 31, 2020.

See the full announcement at https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pressrls/2021/031021.htm.

Academic partnership created successful video series

Ten of the top 20 videos on the UC ANR YouTube channel were developed by a team of California professors and researchers assembled by UCCE specialist Jeff Mitchell to encourage young people to pursue careers in agriculture.

Views of those 10 videos total more than 600,000 since the series was released in 2019. The complete playlist has 27 videos, which together have garnered many more thousands of views.

The production team included academics from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Davis, Chico State, Fresno State and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. They received financial support from the CDFA Specialty Crops Block Grant Program.

The team initiated a hybrid plan in which the universities recorded the video themselves, then sent the footage to a professional video producer who edited and narrated each of the videos.

The videos depict state-of-the-art technologies and techniques that are in use in many production regions of California today, vegetable farming systems used in other parts of the world, and increasingly popular cottage farming systems that are popping up in urban areas for easy access to healthful foods.

“We believed that this series of videos on vegetable production would have broad interest,” Mitchell said. “We are now realizing the importance of video in our work. These videos, plus our other CASI Workgroup videos on conservation agriculture topics and the ones that we have at our own You Tube channel have started to tally up some rather impressive viewer numbers. That is nice to see.”

The full series is on a playlist titled “Training of a New Generation of California Vegetable Producers,” https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLjlfxpbNglYF2m7tvApfiR5NXParpvGP

 

Strategic Initiative Brief: Program teams, IWP

Unify-Communicate-Advocate

The Strategic Initiatives offer a home for strategic thought - drawing on members of the wider UC ANR community and beyond to 1) help people connect and 2) to help them identify and address issues of current and emerging importance. 

Program teams are alive and well 

With support from the Program Support Unit (PSU) and good PT leadership the Water, Agronomy and Pomology Program Teams have had highly effective online meetings. The Dairy and Meat Production & Food Safety Program Teams have a series of meetings planned throughout April. Other PT activities are in the pipeline. These events are important in helping people Network, Share and Learn with and from each other.

For more on the SIs and their activities, contact

Jim Farrar: Pests (EIPD)

OPEN: Natural Ecosystems (SNE)

David Lewis: (Water)

Deanne Meyer: Food Systems (SFS)

Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty: Families and Communities (HFC)

Mark Bell: Vice Provost (Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs)

 

Read more