UC ANR Learning & Development

Hope Zabronsky, UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture Program academic coordinator, speaks about soil health practices during the Yolo County farm tour.

In honor of Healthy Soils Week (Dec. 2-6), the California Department of Food and Agriculture joined legislators, their staff members and stakeholders for a tour of farms in Yolo County to see greenhouse gas-reducing healthy soil practices in action.

Farmers who have received healthy soils grants from CDFA's Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation showed successful implementation of mulching and cover crop practices on adjacent farms and discussed their importance in improving soil structure, fertility and water retention.

The tour also included compost application and a well-established, low-maintenance hedgerow line — a thriving habitat for pollinator species.

Each farmer emphasized the critical support provided by the Healthy Soils Program, and how the funding enabled them to adopt these practices.

Tour attendees included representatives from the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), UCANR, the offices of Assemblymembers Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and Jacqui Irwin, and the Senate Committee on Agriculture. The collaboration of these farmers, policymakers and climate-smart agriculture advocates continues to make the Healthy Soils Program a success.

Participants in the Yolo County healthy soil farm tour.

Republished from CDFA Planting Seeds blog.

Talbot named publications and production supervisor

Jeffrey Talbot

Jeffrey Talbot joined UC ANR Publications on Nov. 4 as the publications and production supervisor. He will be contributing production management for UC ANR publications including California Agriculture and journals and manuals.

He brings more than three decades of experience in publication design management with educationally focused organizations.

He moved to Davis from Hayward, Wisconsin, where he worked in marketing and design, taught as an adjunct at a college, served as a town council member and coached youth sports. Before moving to Wisconsin, Talbot was director of publications and design at Western Connecticut State University.

Raised in Massachusetts, he graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a BFA in graphic design.

Talbot is based at the UC ANR building in Davis and can be reached at jtalbot@ucanr.edu.

Belt to improve family, community health along North Coast

Grace Belt

Grace Belt joined UC Agriculture and Natural Resources on Nov. 1 as the UC Cooperative Extension youth, families and communities advisor for Humboldt and Del Norte counties. She will be designing, delivering and evaluating programs that alleviate local challenges surrounding food security, health, and youth and community development.

“I am responsible for providing leadership and research expertise in nutrition and youth development, as well as providing academic oversight of the local 4-H Youth Development Program and the local Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP),” Belt said. “I have lived in Humboldt for many years and am excited to make a difference in a community that means so much to me.”

While earning her bachelor's degree in psychology from Cal Poly Humboldt, Belt became interested in research related to the improvement of communities large and small – which motivated her to pursue a master's in psychology from the same school.

“The focus of my research projects, both qualitative and quantitative, has been on community success, economic development and social motivations for human behavior,” Belt said.

Equipped with that academic foundation, Belt is excited to share her perspective and partner with people and organizations along the North Coast to improve lives and livelihoods.

“I've always aspired to a position that allows me to bridge the gap between research and community improvement strategies,” Belt explained. “In this advisor role, I can bring novel, evidence-based solutions and strategies to challenges facing my community.”

Belt is based at the UC Cooperative Extension office in Eureka and can be reached at kbelt@ucanr.edu.

Daly joins 4-H as community education specialist in Alameda County

Tanya Daly

Tanya Daly joined UC ANR on Oct. 23 as the community education specialist for the 4-H Youth Development Program in Alameda County. The long-time 4-H volunteer is excited about being involved again with 4-H. A former homeschooling parent, her focus has been on education.

Daly earned a bachelor's degree in art history at San Francisco State University and recently completed her master's degree in museum studies with an emphasis on education and public programming at San Francisco State University. She is interested in applying that background to educational programming within 4-H.

Daly is based at the Hayward office and can be reached at tdaly@ucanr.edu.

From left, Gabe Youtsey, Anne Megaro, Rep. Ami Bera and Glenda Humiston.

As Congress negotiated the Farm Bill, Vice President Glenda Humiston recently visited Washington, D.C. to meet with California congressional members and their staff to discuss agricultural research and Cooperative Extension programs.

“During this time of change and transition, I was gladdened to hear that many legislators – on both sides of the aisle – remain fully supportive of agricultural research and Cooperative Extension programs,” Humiston said.

From left, Youtsey, Atkinson, Megaro, Rep. David Valadao’s staff and Humiston

She was joined on the trip by Anne Megaro, director of government and community relations, and Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer, and colleagues from UC Riverside, including Peter Atkinson, interim dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences; Kathy Eiler, director of federal relations; and Elia Scudiero, associate research agronomist in the Department of Environmental Sciences.

The UC delegation visited staff from both Senate offices, 14 congressional offices and some committees. They were honored to meet personally with Rep. Ami Bera and Rep. John Garamendi.

From left, Elia Scudiero, two members of Sen. Alex Padilla’s staff, Humiston, Peter Atkinson and Megaro.

The group shared UC's agricultural appropriations and Farm Bill priorities, and voiced support for Cooperative Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture competitive grant funding, as well as the House's $2.5 billion proposal for agricultural research facilities.

“I was pleased to hear that our lawmakers shared our desire to increase funding for Cooperative Extension and pass a Farm Bill with robust support for ag research,” Humiston said.

4-H Horticulture team finishes first in NJHA contest

The national champion California 4-H Horticulture Team. From left, Michael Rethwisch, Jolene Junge, Maya Krishnaswamy, Noemi Nejedli and Lucas Gribi.

Michael Rethwisch, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor for Riverside County coached the California 4-H Horticulture team to first place at the 2024 National Junior Horticultural Association (NJHA) contest in Lincoln, Nebraska.

In the contest, the teams had to identify 100 horticultural specimens – 25 from four categories. The categories were flowers and indoor plants; landscape ornamentals; fruits, nuts and berries; and vegetables. They also answered 80 questions on a written test and completed eight sets of judging. Some of the specimens included dahlia and snapdragon seeds, a hawthorn twig, lilac flowers, maple leaves, eggplant seeds, coffee leaves and guava fruit. The California 4-H team scored more than 100 points ahead of the second-place team. A perfect team score would be 1,320 points.

“California was the only team to break 1,000 points this year (including the open class and FFA teams competing in other divisions),” said Rethwisch, who coached the team via Zoom and only met with them in person at the competition. 

Four individuals on the California 4-H Horticulture team also earned placings. Maya Krishaswamy of Santa Clara County took first place; Jolene Junge of Tehama County placed second; Noemi Nejedli of Santa Clara County placed fifth; and Lucas Gribi of Alameda County placed 11th.

Rethwisch praised the dedication and personal efforts of the members to learn the specimen details.

Koundinya receives Extension Excellence in Staff Development Award

Vikram Koundinya

Vikram Koundinya received the 'Extension Excellence in Staff Development Award' from the National Association of Extension Program and Staff Development Professionals (NAEPSDP) at their annual conference on Nov. 14.

NAEPSDP's Extension Excellence in Staff Development Award recognizes individuals who use creativity, innovation and evidence to develop and deliver staff development initiatives that strengthen the employee capacity of Cooperative Extension systems.

Koundinya received this award for 2024 for his trainings, one-on-one consultations and publications aimed at building the capacity of California Cooperative Extension academics and programmatic staff in evaluation through extension teaching.

He was also elected president-elect of NAEPSDP.