Announcements

$1 million grant expands climate-ready landscape plants program

A research project initiated in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis evaluates landscape plants in two-year trials under varying irrigation levels to determine the best irrigation level for optimal plant performance in regions requiring supplemental summer water. Creating water budgets is required by California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), and the results from these research trials help landscape professionals and home gardeners make informed decisions when specifying, selecting or promoting low water-use landscape plant material.

This year, the CDFA/USDA Specialty Crops Multistate Program funded a new Climate Ready Landscape Plants project, which will replicate the successful fields that are currently installed at UC Davis and UC ANR South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine.

Loren Oki, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, is the lead principal investigator and collaborators include researcher Jared Sisneroz;  project leader Karrie Reid, UC Cooperative Extension environmental horticulture advisor in San Joaquin County; and Darren Haver, UC Cooperative Extension water resources and water quality advisor and director of South Coast REC and UCCE in Orange County.

Under Oki's oversight, this new $999,992 grant will support the development of additional fields at several western universities:

• University of Washington, Soo-Hyung Kim
• Oregon State University, Lloyd Nackley and Ryan Contreras
• Utah State University Center, Youping Sun and Larry Rupp
• University of Arizona, Ursula Schuch

Conducting these new experiments on landscape plants at diverse sites across the western U.S. will reveal differences in recommendations since irrigation guidelines for landscapes vary depending on climate and soil type.

The initial project was initiated as Reid's master's degree thesis research in 2004, with Oki as her major professor, and has been ongoing since then.

Project descriptions, results and images can be seen at the UC Landscape Plant Irrigation Trials website at https://ucanr.edu/sites/UCLPIT.

Hoddle, Choe, Haviland receive $1.34 million for chlorpyrifos alternatives

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has awarded $1.34 million in grants to UC ANR scientists for research on pest control alternatives to the banned pesticide chlorpyrifos.

"Finding less-toxic alternatives to pesticides like chlorpyrifos, and promoting their adoption and implementation throughout California, is a priority, and our grant programs play a vital role in reaching those goals," DPR Director Val Dolcini said.

The grants, awarded through DPR's Research Grants Program, will go to the following researchers:

• Mark Hoddle, UC Cooperative Extension entomology specialist, UC Riverside, "Taking Chlorpyrifos out of Citrus: Maximizing IPM of Argentine Ant and Sap Sucking Pests with Biodegradable Hydrogels, Infra-Red Sensors and Cover Crops." ($500,000)
• Dong-Hwan Choe, UC Cooperative Extension urban entomology specialist, UC Riverside, "A sustainable boric acid liquid bait delivery system (as alternative to chlorpyrifos sprays) for the management of pest ants in agricultural settings." ($340,467)
• David Haviland, UC Cooperative Extension IPM advisor for Kern County, "Hydrogel baiting systems for sugar-feeding ants in California grapes and citrus." ($500,000)

"These researchers are at the cutting edge of their fields and I'm really pleased that DPR can support their efforts," said Dolcini.

 

Full descriptions of each research project are available on DPR's website.

Funding for these grants came from a one-time $2.1 million General Fund allocation to DPR for research projects that advance safer, more-sustainable pest management alternatives to chlorpyrifos. DPR previously funded three research grants for alternatives to chlorpyrifos research.

Following California's historic decision to end use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos in 2019, DPR and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) convened the Alternatives to Chlorpyrifos Work Group to evaluate potential alternatives. The work group's report outlines actions that can further support agriculture and the health of local communities, farmworkers and the environment.

 

Nutrition educators pivot to meet California’s needs during pandemic

 

CalFresh Healthy Living, UC and its UC Cooperative Extension community educators work in schools and community settings to give low-income children and families the opportunities and resources they need to eat right, stay active and lead healthy lives.

As California's unemployment rate rises due to COVID-19, their efforts have never been more important, nor more challenging, but how do you provide in-person services during a pandemic?

“We pivot,” said Kamaljeet Khaira, director of CalFresh Healthy Living, UC. “To meet the new remote learning needs of schools and communities, we shifted our nutrition, physical activity and garden-based education interventions to online platforms. We are transforming the delivery method of 19 different curricula.”

CalFresh Healthy Living, UC is based at UC Davis in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. It is one of four California agencies funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide educational services to low-income Californians eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. It is the largest nutrition education program in the nation.

Local offices of CalFresh Healthy Living, UC are part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' Cooperative Extension network. CalFresh Healthy Living, UC administers the program in 32 counties through local offices that provide evidence-based, nutrition programs combined with physical activity and policy, systems and environmental change initiatives. Led by educators, volunteers, nonprofit organizations and state and local agencies, the services are comprehensive in nature to stimulate sustainable change.

Before COVID-19, that meant meeting at schools and with families and adults, educating and inspiring them to reach for fresh produce and other nutritional foods. With the help of teachers, CalFresh Healthy Living, UC brought nutrition education to the classroom and encouraged schools to develop “smart” lunchrooms that put fresh food and beverages front and center. They spearheaded community and school-based gardens where children and parents worked together to plant, harvest and prepare nutritious meals. They also offered training in physical activity through the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) curricula, such as creating playground stencils to help students build a foundation for a lifetime of active living.

“When you start early, children get accustomed to physical activity, as well as food and drinks with less sodium and sugar, and this has the potential to initiate a lifetime of healthy choices,” said Andra Nicoli, strategic initiatives program and policy analyst with CalFresh Healthy Living, UC. “We try to surround children in an environment of healthy living. There are many spokes on the wheel to improving a child's health, and we work to address them.”

Starting this fall, CalFresh Healthy Living, UC will switch to a hybrid approach to learning. When they can meet in person with participants using masks and social distancing, they will. In addition, much of their training will be available online to those in California who are SNAP-eligible. This requires looking at program delivery and collecting feedback for continuous quality improvement in a new way.

“We're designing online curricula delivery models to re-engage students using a fresh approach, like offering interactive physical activity breaks and mindful moments with instructive audio-visuals,” said Tammy McMurdo, who leads curricula and direct education for CalFresh Healthy Living, UC. “Bringing online content right into students' homes makes it available to parents, grandparents and everyone living there, which is important to sustaining healthy eating practices.”

Some examples of new remote learning include:

• More than 60 online lessons are under development for children prekindergarten through eighth grade that emphasize healthy eating, active living and gardening. For example, in Imperial County, CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE collaborated with Carmen Hernandez, a third- and fourth-grade teacher at De Anza Magnet Elementary School, to pilot a 30-minute remote lesson of My Amazing Body that includes book reading, an interactive PowerPoint, a physical activity break, and a lesson discussion via Zoom. “It was something different and the students were engaged,” Hernandez said. “We really enjoyed it!”
•  CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE county programs are developing the online delivery of five adult curricula, including the UC-developed Plan, Shop, Save and Cook and Making Every Dollar Count that provide food resource management tips, as well as ideas for how to stay active and feed your family healthy food on a limited budget. These lessons are particularly valuable at this time of high unemployment.

“We're finding new ways to connect and engage with the children and families of California,” Khaira explained. “Along with our many partners, we continue to strive for a California where everyone is nourished, active and healthy.”

You can learn more about CalFresh Healthy Living programs at http://calfresh.dss.ca.gov/healthyliving/home.

 

Napolitano appoints new members to President’s Advisory Commission

UC President Janet Napolitano has appointed 11 new members to the President's Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

The new members include

• Patricia Carrillo, executive director of the Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association
• Wade Crowfoot, secretary of California Natural Resources Agency
• Paula Daniels, co-founder and chair of Center for Good Food Purchasing
• 

  Wade Crowfoot
  Lon S. Hatamiya, president and chief executive officer of The Hatamiya Group
• Ismael D. Herrera, Jr., director of regional stewardship for California Forward
• Soapy Mulholland, principal of Sopac & Associates LLC
• Sharon Nance, assistant state conservationist for management & strategy in California for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Alejandra Sanchez, corporate social responsibility marketing manager for
  Driscoll's
• 

  Paula Daniels
  Connie Stewart, executive director of the California Center for Rural Policy at Humboldt State University
• Stuart Van Horn, chancellor of the West Hills Community College District
• Mary-Ann Warmerdam, senior legislative advocate for Rural County Representatives of California and managing director of Milkshed Partners, LLC

Crowfoot will serve in an ex-officio position similar to that of the California Department of Food and Agriculture secretary. “We are very excited to expand and enhance our partnerships with the various departments within the Natural Resources Agency,” said Vice President Glenda Humiston.  

Napolitano recently signed approval for an updated PAC charter that now includes three standing subcommittees to support the ANR mission: Advocacy and Outreach, Funds Development and Emerging Issues. They have already been meeting to design and prioritize strategies. 

“A big thanks to those PAC members who have long been advocating for our budget – our California delegates on the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET): Bill Frost, Mike Mellano, Dina Moore and Jean-Mari Peltier,” Humiston said.

Napolitano steps down

After seven years of leading the UC system, Napolitano, UC's first woman president, stepped down from the helm on Aug. 1. 

“I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve with this dynamic leader for the past five years,” said Humiston. “Janet Napolitano's vision has catalyzed UC's leadership in carbon neutrality, food security, innovation, student support and so much more.”

At the UC Board of Regents meeting July 29, Napolitano named some of the accomplishments achieved during her tenure, including UC Riverside professor Hailing Jin's development of an antibiotic for the citrus disease huanglongbing.

In her final board presentation, Napolitano said,“The foundation of this university is unshakable. And its fundamental values – access, opportunity, the pursuit of knowledge and a vibrant exchange of ideas live on. It's these values that have guided my presidency and much of what we have accomplished together. In fact, when I reflect on the past 7 years, one of the things I'm proud of is UC's persistent willingness to stand up as a community when things just aren't right.”

Napolitano suggested initiatives UC could take to lead the way to a better future.  “How about uniting our food security and carbon neutrality?” she asked. “We could pledge that within five years UC will use its immense procurement power to purchase most if not all of its food from local California growers. And within 8 years to purchase most if not all of its from growers who also use what's known as regenerative agriculture – agriculture that captures carbon beneath the soil. Such an initiative would increase the supply of nutritious food for our students and support the California agricultural economy while incentivizing it to innovate in a way that benefits our efforts against climate change.”

She urged state leaders and the general public not to take the University of California for granted.

 

Drake named first Black UC president 

Michael Drake will return to UC as its 21st president in August. Drake, who served as the president of The Ohio State University, UC Irvine chancellor, UC vice president for Health Affairs, and past board chairman for the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, understands the importance of our land-grant university mission and Cooperative Extension outreach to communities. 

Regent John Perez recently interviewed Drake about his vision for UC. 

Budget update and strategies

As you know, the University is experiencing severe fiscal challenges across all locations because of COVID-19 and its economic fallout. UC ANR is facing a possible 12.7% budget reduction for the 20-21 fiscal year. The University is hoping for a supplemental federal appropriation from Congress which may help to reduce the budget cut.

“Congress wanted to pass the fourth COVID supplemental package before August, but they weren't able to come to an agreement,” said Anne Megaro, director of governmental and community relations. “Many of them are still in D.C. working and it could take several more weeks of negotiation before the bill is finalized.”

Until we know more about our fiscal position for the coming year, we are implementing measures to ensure that we are able to continue to deliver the UC ANR mission. As these fiscal challenges become more apparent, many of you have expressed concerns about continued job security and what's next. 

Our Commitment 
UC ANR's strength lies squarely with its people. We have a strong commitment to our employees and seek to implement this by being proactive, transparent and innovative wherever possible. In addition to this ongoing commitment, we will prioritize protecting programmatic goals and current positions. Layoffs will be considered only as a tool of last resort to address the fiscal challenges. 

We will approach this situation as we have faced many other challenges - thoughtfully, strategically and with our employees and mission in mind. To do this effectively and equitably across UC ANR, we are implementing a series of strategies.

Our Strategies 
To achieve the above we initiated a hiring freeze effective July 1 and deferred funding requests for new staff positions and expenditures. Staffing requests will only be approved by exception based on compelling priorities. This hiring freeze will remain in effect for 12 months, unless the budgetary condition improves. Additionally, we are:

• Ensuring a high level of flexibility to reassign current staff to critical positions using the current Redeployment program, wherever possible.
• Approving reasonable use of the voluntary Employee Initiated Reduction in Time (ERIT).
• Proactively considering other UC systemwide strategies for actions to reduce costs such as voluntary reduction in time and voluntary early retirement.
• Working to grow and diversify the Division's revenue streams, prioritizing the development of contracts and grants, gifts, and other independent revenue sources.
• Maintaining programmatic delivery and continuing to invest in key areas, including those identified in the strategic plan, to strengthen delivery of extension and operational efficiency to further our mission.

Our hope is that the hiring freeze and other cost-cutting measures will be short-lived and that Congress will provide the necessary funds to minimize cuts to the University. UC has initiated an advocacy campaign to encourage Congress to support state funding as well as supplemental research and cooperative extension funding.

Glenda Humiston 
Vice President

 

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