Cortez joins UC SAREP as small farms communications specialist
Summer Cortez joined the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program on March 9 as a small farms communication specialist.
In this role, Cortez will lead strategic communications for the Small Farms Network, working with UCCE small farms advisors and staff and UC SAREP statewide program personnel to communicate program impacts and uplift the voices of farmers.
Cortez has a background in program management specializing in strategic communications, storytelling, community-centered outreach, and accessible education across California’s food and farming systems, including Cooperative Extension and community-based initiatives. Prior to joining UC SAREP, she served as a CalFresh Healthy Living evaluation unit manager at UC ANR's Nutrition Policy Institute.
She holds a master’s degree in community development and a bachelor’s degree in sustainable agriculture and food systems from UC Davis.
Cortez is based at the UCOP Building in Oakland, with regular visits to Davis, and can be reached at sjcortez@ucanr.edu. She is on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/summer-jean-cortez/
Baldi joins UCCE as a horticulture and small farms advisor
Ben Baldi joined UC Cooperative Extension on March 2 as the horticulture and small farms advisor serving Placer and Nevada counties. He brings experience in small-scale farming, Cooperative Extension and international agricultural development.
He most recently served as a staff research associate supporting orchard systems advisors in the Sacramento Valley. Prior to moving to California, he managed several farming operations and worked with University of Massachusetts Cooperative Extension. Baldi also brings international experience working with small vegetable farmers in Cambodia and with mushroom cultivation in Jamaica.
Baldi holds a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a master’s degree from UC Davis in international agricultural development with a specialization in plant pathology.
As a small farms advisor, Baldi will focus on supporting the diverse needs of producers across Placer and Nevada counties. He plans to implement a needs-based program and build partnerships with growers, agencies and community organizations, providing resources and localized management strategies.
Baldi is based in Auburn and can be reached at btbaldi@ucanr.edu and (508) 713-2330.
Hale joins UCCE as organic production specialist
Lauren Hale joined UC ANR on Feb. 23 as an associate Cooperative Extension specialist in organic production, faculty director of the UC Organic Agriculture Institute, and adjunct faculty member in the Life and Environmental Sciences Department at UC Merced.
Hale joins UCCE from the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Water Management Research Unit in Parlier, where she worked as a research soil scientist for the past seven years.
At ARS, Hale's research focused on agricultural management that improves biological soil health and, in turn, water productivity of irrigated Central Valley crops, mainly through adoption of conservation practices like cover crops and organic amendments. Prior to this, Hale was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oklahoma working on microbial community dynamics and soil carbon storage.
She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of California, Riverside and B.S. in microbiology from North Carolina State University.
In her new role, Hale will apply her expertise in soil microbiology and soil health to advance research for organic growers and also bring together interdisciplinary teams to address their most pressing challenges. She notes that broad solutions for organic producers apply to all growers, as they can enhance strategies for integrated pest management and water management, and help promote climate resilient farms.
“Although California leads the nation in organic production, this is only the second state-wide position focused on organic agriculture,” Hale said. “Houston Wilson served as the founding director of the Organic Agriculture Institute and worked with a team of academic coordinators to quickly develop many education, extension and research strengths. I am very excited to build on this work and help bring state of the art research to California growers.”
Hale is based at UC Merced and can be reached at lehale@ucanr.edu. She is on LinkedIn and much of her research can be found through Google Scholar.
Brown joins UCCE as environmental horticulture and controlled environment agriculture advisor
Carrie Brown joined UC Cooperative Extension on Feb. 2 as the environmental horticulture and controlled environment agriculture advisor serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Mateo and San Benito counties.
She is developing an applied research and extension program to support the region’s environmental horticulture industry, including nursery, greenhouse and other controlled-environment production systems. Brown also serves as the academic advisor for the UC Master Gardener program in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
Brown’s work focuses on helping greenhouse and nursery producers improve crop productivity and sustainability through efficient water and nutrient management, integrated pest management, and the evaluation of emerging technologies that can enhance production efficiency and profitability.
A key priority for her program is connecting with growers to better understand current challenges and opportunities facing the industry and to develop research and educational programs that address those needs.
She is currently meeting with producers and industry partners throughout the region and welcomes the opportunity to visit operations, learn about production systems and discuss potential research collaborations.
Based in Watsonville, Brown can be contacted at clybrown@ucanr.edu or (831) 228-9393.
Evan Talmage joined UC ANR Program Planning and Evaluation on Feb. 1 as a research data analyst 3.
Talmage will be working on UC ANR programmatic data collection, analysis and data visualizations. He can develop complex data toolkits, automate GIS functions and streamline data collection and reporting. He brings a passion for leveraging data to improve program outcomes and support informed decision-making.
He brings a decade of experience from working with the Nutrition Policy Institute. He has designed, maintained and automated databases for state- and county-level programs integrating evaluation and external data. He has provided technical assistance to people across multiple organizations to ensure accurate data entry, reporting and software use.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in public health from UC Berkeley.
Talmage is based at UCOP in Oakland and can be reached at evan.talmage@ucop.edu.