Is your tree on death's door? Here's how to tell
(LA Times) Jeanette Marantos, Feb. 28
…Climate change, invasive species and even international trade are taking a serious toll on California trees. An estimated 150 million trees died during the drought that started in December 2011, according to Smithsonian Magazine, and the stressed trees that survived became more vulnerable to attack by a host of newcomer pests, said Philippe Rolshausen, subtropical tree specialist for the Cooperative Extension office at UC Riverside.
“There are lots of invasive pests everywhere because of global warming and the movement of plant materials in general,” he said.
Identifying specific tree diseases or pests usually requires an expert, but Rolshausen said three indicators suggest your tree needs help: yellowing leaves, a thinned-out canopy and branch die-back.
If you're willing to wait, researchers or master gardeners in the state's county Cooperative Extension offices can help you diagnose a sick tree for free, Rolshausen said.
https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-02-28/how-do-i-know-if-my-tree-is-sick-or-dying
Changes set for next round of Healthy Soils grants
(Farm Press) Feb. 27
… Technical Assistance – Thanks to the Strategic Growth Council, CDFA is funding $4.36 million to continue to build out its capacity to offer technical assistance. This technical assistance offered through non-profit organizations, Resources Conservation Districts, and University of California Cooperative Extension Service (UC ANR) is free to farmers and ranchers who might need help gathering required information to apply and assistance filling out online grant applications. Free technical assistance is also available to farmers and ranchers during project implementation and reporting. All designated providers of technical assistance will be posted on the CDFA Technical Assistance webpage. CDFA encourages farmers and ranchers to utilize these free services.
https://www.farmprogress.com/soil-health/changes-set-next-round-healthy-soils-grants
Extension service hosting prune meeting
(Appeal-Democrat) Reanna Simmons, Feb. 27
The University of California Cooperative Extension Service is hosting their annual South Sacramento Valley Prune Meeting March 3.
The event, co-sponsored by the Sutter County Agriculture Commission's Office, will cover a variety of topics, such as: pesticide use in prunes and future options in prune pest management, phellinus wood rot in prunes, laws and regulations, cytospora management in prune orchards, mechanical hedging and delivering big fruit: thinning and sizing.
California Rangeland Trust Holds Gathering
(SB Independent) Gail Arnold, Feb. 27
… Guests heard technical presentations from two experts from the the UC Cooperative Extension: Natural Resource/Watershed Advisor Royce Larsen and Livestock & Range Advisor Matthew Shapero.
https://www.independent.com/2020/02/27/california-rangeland-trust-holds-gathering/
Ag Innovations Conference to feature 17 experts speaking
(Santa Maria Times) Mike Hodgson, Feb. 27
…Surendra Dara, entomology and biologicals adviser for UC Cooperative Extension who organized the Ag Innovations Conference, said the purpose of the series is for speakers from universities, research organizations, the grower community and the agriculture input industry to introduce new technologies to the grower community.
Ag innovations conference to focus on crop care
(Farm Press) Pam Kan-Rice, Feb. 27
The 4th Annual Ag Innovations Conference and Trade Show will be held March 18 in Santa Maria, Ca. This year the focus will be on comprehensive crop care.
With the underlying principle of integrated pest management, the conference will cover topics ranging from identifying a pest to forecasting crop health, according to conference organizer Surendra Dara, University of California Cooperative Extension entomology and biologicals advisor.
Each year the Ag Innovations Conference series introduces new technologies for growers.
“This conference provides the latest updates from university, federal agency, and industry researchers and growers on crop production and protection technologies,” Dara said. “Attendees can also visit the trade show and see what various companies offer for their crop needs.”
https://www.farmprogress.com/technology/ag-innovations-conference-focus-crop-care
Sustainability through soil health
(Ventura Breeze) Feb. 26
The Thelma Hansen Fund along with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) will host a morning of research updates and speakers focusing on soil health and agricultural sustainability. The Symposium will take place on Thursday February 27 from 8 am until 12 noon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 450 E Harbor Boulevard in Ventura.
“Soil is the basis for plant growth and essentially a non-renewable resource. We need to understand what soil health means in the context of the local climate and soil type, and how agricultural practices can promote long-term health of the soil and the environment” said Dr. Annemiek Schilder, Director of UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Ventura County and the Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC).
http://venturabreeze.com/2020/02/26/sustainability-through-soil-health/
Golden State Dairy Management Conference Coming Up in March
(AgNet West) Brian German, Feb. 26
The 2020 Golden State Dairy Management Conference is coming up soon at the UC Cooperative Extension Stanislaus County Ag Center in Modesto. The March 4th event brings industry members together to hear presentations from University of California Farm Advisors, dairy faculty, and specialists on relevant topics for dairy production in California.
“All the research we'll be presenting is conducted in California, so it's information for California producers,” said UC Dairy Farm Advisor Jennifer Heguy. “We'll have two tracks; so you won't be able to see everything, but hopefully you can hop between the two rooms and see what you came to see.”
UCANR Animal Biotechnology and Genomics Specialist, Alison Van Eenennaam will begin the day with a presentation focusing on the facts of alternative meats. Following the opening session and morning break, the concurrent sessions will be divided into two tracks covering a multitude of topics.
“On one side we'll do feeding and nutrition, we'll have an agronomy, nutrient management, and water session, as well as an economic session talking about water and crops and maybe what are some other options for folks,” Heguy noted. “And then on the other side, we will have sessions on flies and ticks, calf management, and then a catch-all ‘hot topic', so that'll have a little bit of everything.”
http://agnetwest.com/golden-state-dairy-management-conference-march/
Helping Hmong farmers prosper in person & over airwaves
(Morning Ag Clips) Pam Kan-Rice, Feb. 26
Keeping current on government regulations, agricultural marketing news and crop research advances can be challenging for California farmers, especially for those who speak English as a second language.
Hmong farmers in the San Joaquin Valley can tune in at 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons to listen to farm-related news delivered to their radios in their native language from Michael Yang, UC Cooperative Extension small farms and specialty crops agricultural assistant for Fresno County.
https://www.morningagclips.com/helping-hmong-farmers-prosper-in-person-over-airwaves/
Orchards, pastures feel effects of dry February
(AgAlert) Kevin Hecteman, Feb. 26
…Katherine Jarvis-Shean, a University of California Cooperative Extension orchard advisor in Sacramento, Yolo and Solano counties, said the amount of chill appears adequate.
"(It) seems like it's been cool enough so far despite a warm spell in the middle of December and a warm spell at the end of January," she said.
As of last week, the Central Valley as a whole had recorded 914 chill hours and 59 chill portions.
Jarvis-Shean said that put the region "comfortably above" the chill accumulation for the winter of 2014-15, when lack of chilling led to "problematic" tree behavior.
There's been a shift in how cold weather is measured. Chill hours, Jarvis-Shean said, are a metric invented in the 1940s and measure hours during which the temperature is below 45 degrees, or between freezing and 45 degrees.
The newer metric, chill portions, is more nuanced and gives credit for temperatures into the low 50s, she said.
"That's a more realistic range in the Central Valley," she said, "where we have more mild winters that are cool but not necessarily cold."
https://www.agalert.com/story/?id=13733
Addressing Hemp Questions in California Trials
(AgNet West) Brian German, Feb. 26
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers are working to answer hemp questions through two field trials. One study is being conducted at the UC West Side Research and Extension Center in Five Points, as well as an identical companion study being conducted at the UC Davis farm. The research is looking at planting density based on variety, as well as breeding observations on a wide range of genetics.
“When you're diving into something that's relatively new, and there's a lot of relatively new genetics that's trying to be incorporated into this, well then some of the genetics are not very stable,” said Bob Hutmacher, UC Cooperative Extension Specialist. “If the stability is related to variance in growth habit, that might not be an issue. If it's a variance in THC concentration, it's an enormous issue.”
http://agnetwest.com/addressing-hemp-questions-california-trials/
Lodi's Grape Day examines culture through harvest
(Farm Press) Lee Allen, Feb. 25
…The University of California sponsored its UC Davis Grape Day 2020 with experts speaking to their subjects of expertise.
George Zhuang, Viticulture Farm Advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension (Fresno County), appeared more than once at the podium to speak to the Impact of Mechanical Leaf Removal Timing and Applied Water Amounts and the Cropping of Newly-Planted Grapevines in Warm Regions.
“Mechanical leafing at bloom and berry set, either on one or both sides of the canopy, doesn't affect final yield,” he told his audience. “Leafing, at either stage, improves the anthocyanins accumulation during ripening and increases harvest berry anthocyanins. Light exposure resulting from bloom leafing only lasts for a couple of weeks and such a short period of light exposure is enough to increase the accumulation during ripening and at harvest. Overexposure from berry set leafing might promote anthocyanins degradation at the end of ripening.”
…Also speaking at that event was fellow UCCE viticulturist Kaan Kurtural, who focuses on climate change in his lab at the UC, Davis Experimental Vineyard in Oakville.
He noted, “Commercial success of a viticultural region is based on a delicate balance between climate, cultivar, and rootstock selection combined with adequate market demand (and) by the middle of this century, climatic conditions are expected to change to potentially affect key physiological and production parameters.”
https://www.farmprogress.com/grapes/lodis-grape-day-examines-culture-through-harvest
In person and over the airwaves, Yang strives to help Hmong growers prosper
(Vegetable Growers News) Pam Kan-Rice, Feb. 25
Keeping current on government regulations, agricultural marketing news and crop research advances can be challenging for California farmers, especially for those who speak English as a second language.
Hmong farmers in the San Joaquin Valley can tune in at 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons to listen to farm-related news delivered to their radios in their native language from Michael Yang, University of California (UC) Cooperative Extension small farms and specialty crops agricultural assistant for Fresno County.
Live, Adult Spotted Lanternfly Found in California
(AgNet West) Taylor Hillman, Feb. 24
An unofficial report has identified a living, adult spotted lanternfly (SLF) in Davis, California. “We have a recent report, unofficial, from someone familiar with the identification of this pest,” said UC Cooperative Extension Entomologist Surendra Dara. “(They) found this, a live adult insect, in California on a tree.” The tree the insect was found on is in an urban area next to a hotel.
The find is unofficial and does not mean there is an established population of SLF in the state. AgNet West was told last year that several dead SLF had been found at a California airport, but this is the first living report of the insect in the state.
http://agnetwest.com/live-adult-spotted-lanternfly-found-in-california
Fruit and Nut Growers Better Batten Down the Hatches
(Growing Produce) David Eddy, Feb. 24
…Another example was the overwhelming attendance at another ABC seminar, “Alternatives for Managing Replant Pests and Problematic Weeds.” There was a standing-room-only crowd to hear about potential alternatives to fumigation, and the widely used herbicide, glyphosate. There is keen interest in the latter because of rapidly increasing resistance problems, said Brad Hanson of University of California Cooperative Extension.
https://www.growingproduce.com/fruits/fruit-and-nut-growers-better-batten-down-the-hatches/
Eco-tip: Is food from your garden safe after a wildfire?
(Ventura County Star) David Goldstein, Feb. 22
…Ben Faber, a Ventura-based farm adviser with the University of California Cooperative Extension, is helping organize the workshop. He shared some of the questions he has received over the past two years, which will be addressed at the workshop:
- What are the effects of fire and smoke and ash and heat and all the other potential things that might affect plants and animal products that we eat?
- Can you simply wash off contaminants?
- What is the impact on the soil itself?
- Does anything special need to be done to start producing food again?
Faber listed several laboratories able to test soil for heavy metals and volatile organic compounds. Although laboratories do not interpret results, you can use lab-generated data to consult with experts who will help you make decisions about potential remediation measures.
UC Coop Extension — an underutilized AgTech startup opportunity
(Medium) Walt Duflock, Feb. 20
It's important for AgTech startups to have a lot of friends — including farmers that can help them test their products and provide feedback and investors that take the long view in a segment where the average time from launch to exit is longer than almost any other technology segment. Add one more friend to that list, particularly if you are an AgTech startup targeting California farmers.
(Note that this post will walk through some details for California specialty crop AgTech solutions — see bottom of article for applying the same process to non-California regions with different crop or livestock solutions.)
The new friend is a subject-matter expert who works as an advisor with the University of California's Cooperative Extension (UCCE). If you're not familiar with UCCE, you are not alone. Most startup founders, even AgTech startup founders, are unfamiliar with the group. Last year, I invited a UCCE speaker to speak to the THRIVE V class in Salinas and even the startups that knew of the group didn't really know what they did or how they worked with startups. So what is UCCE? Here's a snippet from their website:
“The REC system, along with the UC's Cooperative Extension, functions as a bridge between departments at the University of California and Californians in the delivery of knowledge about agriculture, food, natural resources and much more. The Research and Extension Centers become focal points in their communities and are often the face of the University around the state.”
Warm winter renews concerns about orchard chill
(Farm Press) Jeannette Warnert, Feb. 20
There's a growing concern for San Joaquin Valley tree fruit and nut farmers - diminishing winter chill in an age of climate change, according to a media report.
"Warm winters mess with nut trees' sex lives," reported Lauren Sommer on National Public Radio's Morning Edition.
Sommer also spoke to Katherine Jarvis-Shean, UC Cooperative Extension orchard systems advisor in Yolo County.
"We're on this (climate change) march and it's really just a matter of how bad it's going to be, not whether it's happening or not," Jarvis-Shean said. "Threatening those crops is really threatening the livelihoods of a lot of Californians."
https://www.farmprogress.com/tree-nuts/warm-winter-renews-concerns-about-orchard-chill
Damp Towels Could be Affecting Your Somatic Cell Count
(Ag Web) Taylor Leach, Feb. 20
“Inappropriate cloth towel management can lead to increased somatic cell counts, clinical mastitis cases, total bacteria counts, treatment costs, and reduced milk production,” says Daniela Bruno, a dairy advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension, in a recent California Dairy Newsletter. “Bottom line: use of damp cloth towels can transmit mastitis-causing pathogens which in turn affects milk quality and jeopardizes milk premiums.”
https://www.agweb.com/article/damp-towels-could-be-affecting-your-somatic-cell-count
Researchers seeking solutions to untreatable fungus
(Farm Press) Tim Hearden, Feb. 19
… The European fungus, Ganoderma adspersum, usually weakens the trunks of trees at ground level, say University of California researchers. Three kinds of Ganoderma fungus infections have been identified in almond orchards recently, with 94% of the cases being of the adspersum variety, according to the UC.
… “We are seeing those trees collapsing at 11, 12, 15 years old,” UC Cooperative Extension orchard systems advisor Mohammad Yaghmour recently told the Bakersfield Californian.
…Mae Culumber, a UC Cooperative Extension nut crops advisor in Fresno County, has speculated that air quality regulations prohibiting the burning of orchard prunings may have allowed fungi to grow in slash piles in agricultural areas, according to a university blog post.
https://www.farmprogress.com/tree-nuts/researchers-seeking-solutions-untreatable-fungus
Meaty Matters
(Bohemian.com) Will Carruthers, Feb. 19
…A USDA inspector would accompany the mobile unit and inspect animals before, during and after the slaughter, according to Karen Giovannini, the Agricultural Ombudsman at the Sonoma County University of California Cooperative Extension who is looking into the laws governing mobile slaughterhouses, a few of which already exist on the West Coast.
"Up until recently, most of the animals [raised on small farms in Sonoma County] never left the county," Giovannini says.
https://www.bohemian.com/northbay/meaty-matters/Content?oid=9815098&showFullText=true
In the Noah's Ark of citrus, caretakers try to stave off a fruit apocalypse
(Los Angeles Times) Gustavo Arellano, Feb. 18
… Kahn remembers hearing the news about the disease appearing just down the street from the Citrus Variety Collection on a plane ride to the Central Valley for a citrus greening conference. Joining Kahn was Georgios Vidalakis, head of UC Riverside's Citrus Clonal Protective Program.
…“As Georgios and Tracy, we freak out,” he said. “But as directors, we compose ourselves and move ahead. We're going to do the best we can for the whole industry.”
By then, UC Riverside had already implemented backup plan upon backup plan for its personal doomsday.
Vidalakis has overseen the genetic preservation of each specimen in the collection, while a USDA-run greenhouse within the collection has hundreds of disease-free trees in small pots.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-18/citrus-collection-uc-riverside-givaudan
UC: Livestock grazing reduces fire fuel loads
(Farm Press) Devii R. Rao, Feb. 18
Thanks to generous support from the newly formed California Cattle Council, UC Cooperative Extension will begin conducting a study to estimate how much fuel livestock consume across California and whether grazing decreases wildfire speed and intensity.
Livestock grazing is the most widespread (and often the only feasible) management practice to reduce fire hazard from herbaceous fuels in California rangelands. Despite that, many public land management agencies do not allow livestock grazing on their lands.
https://www.farmprogress.com/extension/uc-livestock-grazing-reduces-fire-fuel-loads
Why Cytospora Is a Year-Round Fight for Prune Growers
(Growing Produce) Franz Niederholzer, Luke Milliron, Feb. 18
Canker diseases threaten the profitability of prune growing, reducing bearing wood and killing entire trees early in the life of the orchard. These diseases include bacterial canker, Botryosphaeria, Phomopsis, etc. but especially Cytospora. This article is a review of Cytospora canker and a plea (suggestion?) for growers and PCAs to pay close attention to managing what was once largely a nuisance but now is an orchard-threatening problem. We will also review prune orchard management practices that help control Cytospora infections.
As Warm Winters Mess With Nut Trees' Sex Lives, Farmers Help Them 'Netflix And Chill' (AUDIO)
(NPR Morning Edition) Lauren Sommer Feb. 17
…"We're on this march and it's really just a matter of how bad it's going to be, not whether it's happening or not," says Katherine Jarvis-Shean, an orchard specialist with the University of California Cooperative Extension who helps farmers adapt to climate change. "Threatening those crops is really threatening the livelihoods of a lot of Californians."
…"Bing cherries, which is really the marquee variety in California, won't get enough chill," she says. "We'll need to be breeding new varieties that still have that rich ruby flesh and that juicy flavor that can do well under those low chill conditions."