Topics in Subtropics

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Topics in Subtropics Blog
You can subscribe to this  blog with multiple entries per week reflecting what's happening with subtropical crops and upcoming educational events.  Just click on the "Subscribe" button just to the right of this paragraph.  There's also our seasonal quarterly Topics in Subtropics newsletter found at our Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Riverside, San Diego, Tulare and Kern Counties Cooperative Extension websites.
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cover cropped citrus

Healthy Soils Grant Funding Available - Open from Nov 7-21

November 6, 2025
By Ben A Faber
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has allocated $5 million of the Healthy Soils Block Grant Program to the California Citrus Quality Council (CCQC) in collaboration with California Farm Bureau (CAFB) and Xerces Society. The California Farm Bureau through its 501(c)(3) science and…
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Black Fig Fly Infested Fruit

Black Fig Fly

October 28, 2025
By Houston Wilson
 PEST ALERT – Black Fig Fly (Diptera: Lonchaeidae: Silba adipata)Updated: October 2025Invasive Fig Pest Initially Discovered in Southern California Has Now Spread to the Central Coast, Bay Area and Central Valley Regions Black Fig Fly Infested FruitOverview: Fig growers need to be aware of the…
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Fruit Tree Culture Class This Spring

October 7, 2025
By Ben A Faber
Please join us for the 2026 Principles of Fruit and Nut Tree Growth, Cropping, and Management Course. Held March 9th through 13th, 2026, this course teaches the fundamentals of tree biology essential to making sound orchard management and business decisions. Across five days of lecture and in field…
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Cover Crops, Soil Health, Compost Tea, Anyone?

October 7, 2025
By Annemiek M Schilder
Climate-Smart Farming Demonstration Field MeetingWhen:  Tuesday October 21, 2025Time:    9:00 – 11:00 amWhere:  UC Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 5836 Beardsley Rd, Camarillo, CALearn …
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Olinda versus Rosy Red Valencia

A New Valencia Variety

October 2, 2025
Research might seem like it happens primarily in labs or hospitals, under microscopes or with the latest in high-tech equipment. But in California, where farming has grown into a $60B industry, science is happening down on the farm — and research has literally become an essential part of putting food on the…
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