- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Vice President Glenda Humiston spent the last week of February with UC colleagues at the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET)/Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities joint conference in Washington, D.C.
Humiston was accompanied by Deans David Ackerly of UC Berkeley, Peter Atkinson and Patricia Springer of UC Riverside, and Katharyne Mitchell of UC Santa Cruz; UC Merced Associate Vice Chancellor Joshua Viers; UC ANR representatives JoLynn Miller, Helle Petersen and Ricky Satomi; and CARET delegates Ish Herrera, Mike Mellano and Connie Stewart; and Anne Megaro, UC ANR government and community relations director.
The delegation dedicated the week to advocating for UC priorities in agricultural appropriations and the Farm Bill and shared how recent actions by the federal government impacts our work.
Meeting with 34 congressional offices on Capitol Hill, the delegation emphasized the value of systems like Cooperative Extension and the Agricultural Experiment Station and how over 100 years ago the federal government acknowledged the importance of food and agriculture in building a strong nation.
The group shared current research stories and examples of how funding pauses disrupt research projects and future funding opportunities, such as wildfire smoke-exposure research. They also thanked, in person, congressional members who helped hire back key USDA-funded staff working with UC scientists.
“At the CARET reception on the Hill, House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson joined us and spoke in strong support for ag research funding,” said Megaro. “He also visited the UC Davis campus last fall and has been a champion for funding the Research Facilities Act in the Farm Bill.”
The delegation thanked congressional members and their staff for continued support for agriculture research and for their positive feedback and consideration as they work on appropriations and crafting the next Farm Bill.
“This trip could not have been more timely or concerns better received,” Megaro added.
For more information about UC federal support, visit https://www.ucop.edu/federal-governmental-relations/_files/fact-sheets/uc-and-the-federal-government-factsheet-final.pdf.
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Guillen joins CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE as academic coordinator
Guillen brings extensive experience in food systems, nutrition and organizational leadership. With a strong background in both nonprofit and business operations, she is committed to advancing community health, sustainability and equitable food access.
Prior to joining UCCE, she served as chief operating officer at Backyard Bowls, where she led strategic growth, operations and team development. Previously, she managed youth and nutrition programs at the San Luis Obispo Food Bank, focusing on food literacy, food security initiatives and public health advocacy. Her expertise spans program development, business strategy and cross-sector collaboration, making her a valuable addition to the UCCE team.
Guillen serves as chair of the board of directors for Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara and as president of the Board for Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA).
She holds a master's degree in nutrition from Meredith College and a bachelor's degree in animal science from North Carolina State University.
Guillen is based at the UCCE office in Ventura County and can be reached at mpguillen@ucanr.edu.
Rios returns to UC ANR as SGMA educator for SoCal small farms
Prior to rejoining UC ANR, Rios was the environmental manager at SeaWorld San Diego. She also has been a crop protection technical development representative with Bayer Crop Science, a forestry technician with the USDA Forest Service in the Sierra National Forest, and an agriculture aide I with the California Department of Food and Agriculture,
Before this role, Rios worked for UC ANR for over 12 years. She first served as a staff research associate in Tulare and Kings counties with emeritus farm advisor Steve Wright for three years. She also served as the UCCE subtropical horticulture farm advisor in Riverside and San Diego counties for over eight years. As a farm advisor, she studied herbicide resistance, efficacy and crop phytotoxicity. She conducted a high-density trial in “Gem” avocados and collaborated with UCCE specialists and advisors in irrigation management and entomology studies in permanent tree crops. The National Association of County Agricultural Agents presented Rios with its Early Career Achievement Award in 2021.
Rios earned a bachelor's degree in plant science from Cal Poly Pomona and a master's degree in plant science from Fresno State. She served as USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture Graduate Fellow in 2013 and 2014. She also holds a California Department of Pesticide Regulation Pest Control Adviser license.
Her children, Robert and Bella, raise and show rabbits and chickens as active members of their local 4-H club, and Rios spends her free time volunteering for 4-H.
Rios is based at the UCCE office in Riverside and can be reached at sirios@ucanr.edu.
Anika named SGMA educator for Central Valley small farms
Anika is currently completing her master's degree in horticulture and agronomy from UC Davis. Her research is focused on crop water use of cherries and the application of deficit irrigation strategies on cherry orchards in the Central Valley. She also holds a master's degree in environmental science and bachelor's degree in soil, water and environment from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh.
Anika is passionate about fostering community engagement and supporting small-scale farmers. She wants to integrate science-based knowledge and practical solutions to address the challenges faced by small-scale farmers in the region.
Anika is based in Modesto and can be reached at janika@ucanr.edu.
Rodriguez named SGMA educator for Fresno, Madera counties' small farms
As a technical assistance community educator, Rodriguez supports small farmers and operations by gathering information from the meetings of various governing bodies implementing SGMA and communicating it to small farm operators. This includes well registration, irrigation fees, informing community members when meetings have key issues on the ballot, obtaining translations of key points from meetings as well as advocating for small-scale farmers in meetings they may not be able to attend.
He hopes to include more small farmers in discussions regarding SGMA implementation and partner with local community organizations that small growers may already be familiar with to spread information.
Rodriguez holds a master's degree in habitat management and ecological restoration from the University of Idaho and a bachelor's degree in natural resource management from Fresno State. Rodriguez has worked in various aspects of agriculture. His experience includes hands-on farming on small farms and at Fresno State's Vegetable Crop Unit, conservation education at Fresno Chaffee Zoo, data collection for National Ecological Observatory Network in the Sierra Nevada mountains and soil conservation for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Southeast Idaho.
“I grew up in Fresno and hoped to be back to help smaller farms in my community,” he said.
Rodriguez is based in Fresno and can be reached at erdrodriguez@ucanr.edu.
Paniagua named SGMA educator for Tulare, Kings counties' small farms
As a community education specialist, Paniagua will provide technical assistance, outreach and policy accessibility to small-scaled and underserved farmers during implementation of SGMA. This includes assessing regional needs, developing education materials and connecting farmers to resources such as hydrogeological consulting, legal assistance and irrigation system analysis. He will engage with local groundwater sustainability agencies and review groundwater sustainability plans to ensure small farmers are informed and supported throughout SGMA implementation.
Paniagua has worked throughout California in grassroots, union and lobbying efforts that highlighted underrepresented communities as important stakeholders in decision making. He seeks to build partnerships that will bring resources to small-scale farmers during SGMA implementation.
He is currently in his last year of a master's in public policy and administration from CSU Bakersfield and holds bachelor's degrees in interdisciplinary studies and Chicana/o studies from San Diego State University.
Paniagua is based out of the UC Cooperative Extension Office in Tulare and can be reached at lcpaniagua@ucanr.edu.
Russell joins UCCE as forestry and natural resources advisor
He will work to promote sustainable forest management and wildfire resilience on private and public lands in the region. Through close collaboration, research, and outreach with local partners, Russell aims to address critical issues like post-wildfire recovery, fuels reduction and barriers to implementation.
Prior to joining UCCE, Kane worked as a forest ecologist at Yosemite National Park, where he helped manage a mechanical fuels reduction program to protect the park's iconic landscapes and at-risk communities from high-severity wildfire.
Russell earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in forestry from UC Berkeley, where he studied the effects of prescribed burning and other fuels reduction treatments on young Sierra Nevada mixed conifer stands. After graduation, he continued his research at Berkeley's Blodgett Forest Research Station, focusing on ways to incorporate prescribed fire into conventional silvicultural practices.
Raised on the Central Coast, Russell said his first introduction to the Sierra Nevada was at Berkeley's forestry field camp in Meadow Valley.
“I'm excited to return to the place that sparked my passion for forestry,” Russell said. “I look forward to working with and learning from the many devoted people and organizations here to build more resilient forests and communities together.”
Russell is based at the UCCE office in Quincy and can be reached at kwrussell@ucanr.edu and (530) 283-6125.
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
UC Master Gardeners of Ventura County honored for IPM outreach
UC Master Gardeners of Ventura County received an Integrated Pest Management Achievement Award on Feb. 26 from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Assemblymember Steve Bennett and UC President Michael Drake praised their accomplishments in pre-recorded video statements that were played during the awards ceremony.
The UC Master Gardeners of Ventura County, which includes 175 volunteers serving the 800,000 residents of Ventura County, conducts extensive IPM-focused outreach and education for pest management.
They stand out for their extensive IPM-focused outreach and education efforts, including for preventing locally relevant invasive species in Ventura County.
In addition to the 10 demonstration gardens maintained throughout the county, the Master Gardener volunteers perform habitat restoration work to support the rare and native species that can be found on the Channel Islands and in the Santa Monica Mountains. They provide support for local invasive species control efforts by offering resources developed by the UC ANR on their website and by maintaining a unique committee, the Invasive and Beneficial Outreach Group.
They also host multilingual gardening and IPM educational events, conducts outreach at community events and demonstration gardens, and answers pest management questions from the public via its Home Gardening Help Desk.
“MGVC's dedication to environmental stewardship and the advancement of safer, more sustainable IPM practices for the residents of Ventura County through extensive information-sharing efforts is commendable,” said DPR in a news release.
President Drake also gave the Master Gardeners of Ventura County a shout-out during his speech at the Black History Month online commemoration Feb. 28.
UC ANR forest team makes new connections at conference
Four UC ANR forestry experts attended the Forestry Strategies and Innovations 2025 hosted by Calforests and co-sponsored by UC ANR in Sacramento on Feb. 11-12.
At the conference, Yana Valachovic, UCCE forest advisor and county director for Humboldt and Del Norte counties; Katie Low, ANR Fire Network academic coordinator; Lenya Quinn-Davidson, ANR Fire Network director; and Ricky Satomi, UCCE forestry natural resources advisor for Sutter, Yuba, Butte, Placer and Nevada counties, looked for opportunities to partner on projects.
“We networked with policymakers, agency staff and leaders in California forestry and natural resource management and generally left feeling better connected and engaged with this diverse and dynamic audience,” Valachovic said.
“As UC ANR sponsored the student reception, we interviewed and encouraged students to consider a future career with ANR,” she added.
By networking with other forestry professionals at the conference, the team made some connections that may lead to new collaborations. For example, they plan to partner with CAL FIRE's statewide communications team on a wildfire preparedness social media campaign during Wildfire Preparedness Week, the first week of May.
Southwest Regional Food Business Center gets clean review
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, which oversees the Regional Food Business Centers accepted the Southwest Regional Food Business Center's July-December 2024 Performance Progress Report without clarification or revision.
“It does feel good to receive a clean review with no revisions,” said Tracy Celio, Southwest Regional Food Business Center program manager. “We can thank Karen Jetter's team for leading on reporting.”
The Southwest Regional Food Business Center's dashboard of activities showed they provided technical assistance to 1,523 clients.
The Southwest Regional Food Business Center hosts a quarterly webinar series designed to highlight innovative projects led by its partners across Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. These webinars give attendees an in-depth understanding of the center's initiatives, focusing on business development and support for local producers, farmers and ranchers.
Each session highlights important projects within the region, encouraging collaboration and knowledge-sharing among industry professionals. The webinars are free and open to everyone, offering a valuable resource for those interested in sustainable food systems and agricultural advancements.
The next webinar is Agriculture and Agricultural Technology on April 16 at 3 p.m. Gabe Youtsey, UC ANR chief innovation officer, is one of the presenters. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/EZzMw8BXTy-IN2MhMxEe8g#/registration.
For details on upcoming and past webinars, visit www.swfoodbiz.org.
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
The 2025 Facing the Next Generation of Urban Wastewater Treatment, a one-day workshop sponsored by the Botín Foundation and Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, a program of UC ANR, was held on Jan. 29 in Madrid, Spain.
Vice President Glenda Humiston; Alberto Garrido, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid professor and director of the Water Observatory of the Botín Foundation in Spain; and Rosenberg Forum Chair Soroosh Sorooshian, Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science Departments at UC Irvine and director of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing, welcomed the international water experts.
In her opening remarks, Humiston emphasized the importance of international collaboration on science, as well as the importance of getting science into policy discussions.
Erik Porse, director of the California Institute for Water Resources, gave presentations on U.S. and California policy approaches to wastewater management.
The European Union recently passed an update of its Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, which raises standards for removal of contaminants and control of pollution due to rainwater, while seeking to boost circular economy goals and energy neutrality of wastewater treatment plants.
The technology is mature, though the cost of the treatment and the upgrading of the plants introduce a huge governance challenge and the need to explore new ways of financing such as the Extended Producer Responsibility.
The participants discussed the institutional and socioeconomic challenges posed by the implementation of this Directive in Spain and compared policy approaches of the EU, the US and Chile in the treatment of urban wastewater.They also explored opportunities for cross-learning and inspiration for innovative practices.
A recording of the Rosenberg workshop will be posted at 2025 Facing the Next Generation of Urban Wastewater Treatment - Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy
- Author: Atef Swelam
During the second week of February, I had the pleasure of hosting an insightful exchange of knowledge with distinguished heads of water user associations and growers from Ukraine. Their focus was on learning about water-use efficiency and collective water allocation approaches in California's Central Valley and exploring opportunities for collaboration. This opportunity was facilitated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Center of Investment in Rome and supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development.
The visit began at our UC Kearney Research and Extension Center, where the delegation learned about our cutting-edge research programs, particularly in water resources management. Khaled Bali, UC Cooperative Extension specialist, engaged the group in a discussion on his artificial intelligence and data-driven program and how AI can enhance water-use efficiency at both supply and demand levels.
The visitors also exchanged knowledge with local row crop growers in the West Side region of Fresno County. These interactions provided invaluable insights into California's water management practices and the innovative approaches that local growers employ to optimize water use under challenging climatic conditions.
A significant part of this visit was an interactive workshop with our UC ANR senior leadership – Vice President Glenda Humiston, Associate Vice President Brent Hales, Associate Vice Provost Daniel Obrist and Director of County Cooperative Extension Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty. The participants learned about UC ANR's unique research and extension system, and they expressed their interest in collaborating with UC ANR.
The Ukraine delegation also attended the 2025 World Ag Expo in Tulare, the world's largest show of agricultural innovation and technologies. It was a great opportunity for them to explore the most advanced technologies in the agricultural sector, including demonstrations of state-of-the-art irrigation systems and precision agriculture tools and equipment.
As their interest was in water allocation business models, the Ukrainians also visited several irrigation water districts in the San Joaquin Valley. They gained practical knowledge on water allocation, distribution and monitoring, including infrastructure and policies that ensure efficient water use at both system and farm levels.
We concluded the tour with a visit to UC Merced hosted by Joshua Viers, associate vice chancellor for Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives and executive associate dean for the Agricultural Experiment Station, and his team. Our Ukrainian guests learned about water management research programs at UCM's Experimental Smart Farm.
Then we had an inspiring visit to the Turlock Irrigation District's Irrigation Solar Panel Canal Project, where UC Merced project scientist Brandi McKuin and TID Senior Engineer Bill Penney provided an in-depth overview of the solar project's objectives and impact. This initiative, which integrates solar energy with irrigation infrastructure, is a forward-thinking solution that optimizes the water-energy-food nexus.
Thank you to my staff and scientists, UC ANR leadership and Joshua Viers and his team for their time and great efforts to make this educational tour such a success.
