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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irrigation with double lines

Make Your Irrigation Effective!!!!

December 15, 2023
By Ben A Faber
SWEEP 2023 opening soon! The State Water Efficiency Enhancement Program READ ALL ABOUT IT https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/ Get your paperwork ready! SWEEP 2023 will release $23 million in funding this round, looking to open by the end of this year.
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fire in the distance

Fire Around Avocados

December 13, 2023
By Ben A Faber
This is from an older post, but the recent fire in Ventura reminds me that orchards always need to be ready for fire, especially with the dry weather and Santa Anas that are in store for us. There is promised rain forecasts, but those arrive when they arrive, not when they are projected.
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QFF

Notes from a Neighbor - Grower

December 11, 2023
By Ben A Faber
This is a recent opinion piece in the Ventura Star, Santa Paula Times and Thousand Oaks Acorn by grower Lisa Tate: OPINION (https://www.vcstar.com/opinion/) Letters to the editor: Be an Ag hero with fruit flies Ventura County Star Keep your fruit in your backyard Re: your Oct.
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QFF map dec 6, 2023

90 Square Miles Quarantined

December 8, 2023
By Ben A Faber
An agricultural quarantine in Ventura County, due to the discovery of a potentially destructive insect pests, has been expanded. The quarantine was declared in parts of Ventura County in October following the discovery of two Queensland Fruit Flies (QFF). The flies are native to Australia.
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soils

Know Your Dirt

December 6, 2023
By Ben A Faber
I am frequently asked if I can recommend a book on Soils. And yes, I can. It is Soils: An Introduction by Michael Singer and Donald Munns. The sixth edition recently came out so there's a lot of older used copies floating around on the wed for under $10.
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