- Author: Saoimanu Sope
In late April, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources hosted its first regional meeting for UC Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists based in Southern California. The meeting, hosted by Daniel Obrist, vice provost, and Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, director for county Cooperative Extension, brought together 50 participants over two days for networking and collaboration.
Based on feedback collected from ANR's Statewide Conference in April 2023, academics indicated a desire to meet more frequently opposed to waiting for the conference that occurs every five years. As a result, ANR is hosting regional meetings throughout California to provide an in-person opportunity for academics to discuss their research projects, interact with senior leadership, gain clarity related to merit and promotion, strengthen communication skills and network.
On the first day, academics had the option to attend an Impact and Outcome Writing Workshop presented by Martin Smith, Emeritus Professor of Cooperative Extension at UC Davis. The session also included an interactive segment, facilitated by Katherine Webb-Martinez, director of program planning and evaluation, and Christina Becker, program policy analyst for PPE, that broke down impact reporting into theory and application.
To end the day on a social note, attendees were invited to dinner where they could continue informal discussions and networking. During that time, academics got to interact with senior leaders, including Obrist and Schmitt-McQuitty, county and Research and Extension Center (REC) directors such as Rita Clemens for Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties, and Jairo Diaz of Desert REC, as well as statewide support staff like News and Information Outreach in Spanish (NOS).
“A key opportunity of these meetings is to build peer networks with colleagues and collaboration opportunities in the regions. So many of our academics are new to ANR, and the regional meetings allow us to welcome and onboard new colleagues and get to know each other,” Obrist said.
The meetings are also beneficial for those transitioning into a new academic role within ANR. Natalie Levy who currently works as a specialist for water resources at South Coast REC, participated in the meeting with her new position, soil health and organic materials management advisor, which begins June 3, in mind.
“It was helpful to have senior leadership present. I spoke to Lynn the most and she gave me good feedback about developing a new program and my research interests,” Levy said. “I also liked the session discussing merit and promotion because it gave me a framework to use as I step into a new role.”
The morning of the second day, academics participated in a poster session to share their research with colleagues. Attendees also engaged in discussions to understand and address regional needs, build new partnerships and engage senior leadership for support.
“I learned a lot about my colleagues from the poster session. I felt more connected to their work because I could visualize how we can collaborate,” said Ashley Hooper, urban community resiliency advisor for Los Angeles County. “It can be isolating for advisors who don't have counterparts in other counties or in ANR. Seeing how others are managing their programs during the poster session gave me reassurance that I'm on the right track in my position.”
In the afternoon, academics heard from Vice President Glenda Humiston, who addressed ANR's budget and career pathways for academics. Niamh Quinn, human-wildlife interactions advisor for Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, presented on the merit and promotion process to remind academics that “swallowing the eBook” (Guidelines for UC ANR Academics Preparing the Thematic Program Review Dossier) is the best way to learn how merit and promotions work within ANR.
Finally, Saoimanu Sope, digital communications specialist, showed academics how to leverage social media as an extension tool. Ricardo Vela, program manager for News and Information Outreach in Spanish, and Miguel Sanchez, broadcast communications specialist for NOS, described how to produce videos using a smartphone.
“It was useful to see colleagues from other counties, especially those who work in different disciplines,” said Quinn, who, like Hooper, is programmatically isolated given her program niche. As someone who uses social media for her program, Quinn described the social media presentation as informative. “I felt better educated and equipped to make improvements afterwards,” she said.
The regional meeting schedule is as follows:
Region 3: May 30-31, at UCCE San Joaquin County Building in Stockton
- Counties: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Mariposa, Mono, Inyo, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern
- RECs: Kearney, Westside and Lindcove
Region 5: June 10-11, at UC Santa Cruz
- Counties: Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey
Region 2: Sept. 12-13, Central/Northern Sierras, specific location TBD
- Counties: Tehama, Glenn, Butte, Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Yolo, Solano, Sacramento, Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne
- REC: Sierra Foothills
Region 1: Feb. 26-27, 2025, Redding, specific location TBD
- Counties: Del Norte, Siskiyou, Modoc, Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Lassen, Mendocino, Lake and Plumas-Sierra
- RECs: Intermountain and Hopland
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
There is still have time to vote on wording for a refreshed version of UC ANR's Principles of Community. The survey takes about 10 minutes and can be found here.
Principles of Community statements are living documents showing the actions and behaviors an organization aspires to achieve in creating inclusive, welcoming spaces.
As a community, we have shown pride through our commitment to the Principles of Community 2.0. Colleagues from more than 23 county offices and business units have shared their thoughts and creativity to further cement our commitment to showing respect to each other. Please share your preferences for the Principles of Community by June 28.
- Author: Jennifer Sedell
“Kudos to all for giving us these impact stories,” said Vice President Glenda Humiston.
“These are what capture stakeholders, lay audiences, legislators and policymakers at all levels. They want to know what's in it for them.”
The Program Planning and Evaluation unit collaborated with UC ANR academics, program staff and Strategic Communications to compile more than 50 vignettes that highlight the impact of our organization statewide during 2023.
The stories are organized by the seven public value statements.
Feel free to publicize UC ANR's efforts and impact by sharing the annual report via email or social media with friends, the public, policymakers and potential donors.
The annual report is posted online on the UC ANR "About" page and the direct link is ucanr.edu/2023annualreport. A few printed copies of the annual report are available.
If you have any questions about the annual report, please contact Jennifer Sedell at jennifer.sedell@ucop.edu.
- Author: Jodi Azulai
Landing page | Archived webinars | Learning resources
Extension Methods & Delivery
Building Support
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
Office, Team, & Personal Management
June 13 | 11 a.m. - Noon
Registration. Details coming on Connect Extension.
Toward Groundwater in Agriculture - Linking Science and Policy
June 17-20
Burlingame/San Francisco
Registration & Details
This three-day international conference with a pre-conference workshop day will bring together leading scientists, policy analysts, policy and decision makers, and agricultural and environmental interest group representatives from around the world to define and highlight the science of and the challenges in groundwater resources management and groundwater quality protection within and related to agricultural landscapes.
July 15-19, 2024
Delft, The Netherlands
Registration & Details
The climate in the world is intensifying, with more extreme rainfall occurring in shorter periods, alternated by longer and warmer dry periods. This is leading to an increasing occurrence of droughts, with water resources increasingly under pressure. As the largest liquid freshwater reservoir on earth, groundwater has a fundamental role in supporting adaptation in this increasingly water-limited world, and exploitation of groundwater resources has proven an effective buffer to reduce the impacts droughts have. Read more here.
Call for NAEPSDP Annual Conference Proposals (Virtual - Nov. 2024)
(National Association for Extension Programs and Staff Development Professionals)
Details
Are you ready to share your innovative ideas, best practices, and successes with your peers? Would you enjoy facilitating aroundtable discussion to share ideas and talk through common challenges. Proposals will be accepted through June 28, 2024, 9 p.m. PT.
DroneCamp 2024
June 24-28, CSU Monterey Bay, plus a virtual option
Registration & Details
Now in its 8th year, DroneCamp is a five-day short course covering everything you need to know to get started using drones for mapping and research. Taught by a team of instructors from eight universities and colleges including ANR, the curriculum covers equipment, safety & regulations, flight planning, manual and autonomous flight, photogrammetry, data processing, data analysis, data management and research talks (see also video highlights from 2023). New for 2024 will be a track for educators. A limited number of registration fee scholarships are available for ANR employees.
Save the date: Alabama Master Naturalist and Underserved Communities Virtual (Extension Foundation)
June 24 | 11 a.m. - Noon PT
Registration & Details
On the 4th Monday of each month at 11 a.m., Program Center Stage will highlight programs from across the system including current and past New Technologies from Ag Extension projects, Impact Collaborative projects, National programs like EXCITE, and more.
UC ANR Pays for your Extension Foundation account. Register for it today!
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is the authorized organizational representative for all extramurally sponsored projects at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Find the analyst assigned to your county or program.
Engaging government officials and community stakeholders is a critical tool that helps builds awareness and support for your work and that of the University as a whole. For more information, read here.
Public & Media Relations (UC ANR)
UC ANR has subject matter experts to help you with media and other public relations. Be sure to contact them for support.
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Celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Month - Virtual (UC ANR)
Friday, May 31
View recording at https://youtu.be/0hH9qDU_kOU.
Join Phil Waisen, UCCE vegetable crops advisor for Riverside and Imperial counties. Lunch & Learn about his homeland, Papua New Guinea. Phil discussed PNG's culture, language, food and agriculture.
Tentative July 9 – September 12, 2024
Share your interest here.
Yes! News and Outreach in Spanish (NOS) and LatinX ERG is forming a Spanish class at UC ANR that will start in the first week of July. Share your interest and Ricardo Vela will get back to you with options that work best for the majority.
June 11 | 9 – 10 a.m.
Registration & Details
Difficult or unexpected changes can feel disruptive and can drive conflict at work. In this webinar, we will explore ways of communicating effectively and engaging constructively during periods of uncertainty. Participants will learn how bridging communication styles, demonstrating compassion, and facing difficult moments with courage and clarity can lead to better navigating challenges.
The 3 P's to Plan Your Professional Pivot (NCFDD)
June 25 | 11 a.m. - noon PT
Registration & Details
Don't miss out on this interactive webinar where we dig into practical strategies to plan your professional pivot. We will engage in reflective writing practices to determine your unique questions, goals and path. The instructor will share actionable steps for the process of moving to a new career, whether it be in small or big ways. You'll learn how to determine your needs and potential obstacles at each stage of the process. Register now for this opportunity to equip yourself with valuable skills and a method that is applicable to numerous contexts, both in and out of academia.
UC ANR pays for your membership to the NCFDD, so create your account today.
The Art of Saying No (NCFDD)
July 11 | 11 a.m. - 12:30pm PT
Registration
In this webinar, you will learn:
- The biggest mistakes faculty make in responding to requests
- How to identify and disrupt problematic patterns
- Our favorite strategies that you can implement immediately so you can add "no" to your vocabulary
- UC ANR Pays for your membership to the NCFDD, so create your account today.
Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors & Collaborators
Aug 14 | 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PT
Registration
Join us for a webinar that will help you:
- Map your current mentoring network
- Identify your unmet needs
- Plan how to expand your existing network to meet your current needs
UC ANR pays for your membership to the NCFDD, so create your account today.
Aug. 14 | 1-4 p.m.
Register
Becoming Better with Habits is based in part on the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. The course also incorporates a strengths-based approach, in alignment with our department's emphasis on CliftonStrengths, to help empower teams and individuals. If you have wanted to learn strategies for how to build habits in line with your strengths, then this course is for you.
Excel Essential Training (Course link)
(Microsoft 365) 2hr 29 min.
Being efficient at Excel is considered one of the most incredibly beneficial and indispensable skills because it's vital to the functioning of most workplace environments. This course provides an extensive set of features for managing and analyzing data. This course covers Excel's menu system, how to create formulas and use simple functions, how to format your data, how to sort and filter large lists, how to create charts, and a lot more. This course is intended to take you from beginner to intermediate. If you're already pretty experienced with Excel, be sure to check out the many intermediate courses available on LinkedIn Learning. For your LinkedIn Learning account, please contact ANR IT at help@ucanr.edu.
How to Build (and Rebuild) Trust (TED Talk 14:56)
Video link.
Trust is the foundation for everything we do. But what do we do when it's broken? In an eye-opening talk, Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei gives a crash course in trust: how to build it, maintain it and rebuild it -- something she worked on during a recent stint at Uber. "If we can learn to trust one another more, we can have unprecedented human progress," Frei says.
Tips for Facilitating Difficult Group Discussions (UC Davis Ombuds).
Slide deck.
Group discussions involving conflict can be challenging and erode trust, reveal differing and opposing opinions, and intensify emotions. To support effective facilitation of these discussions, the following general practices can be adapted to a wide variety of contexts with nuanced and deliberate consideration.
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Images
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Learn something new today.
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- Author: Saoimanu Sope
UCCE specialist's research prevents water pollution, reduces water use
When interviewed to become a University of California Cooperative Extension specialist in environmental horticulture, Lorence “Loren” Oki was asked what kind of research he wanted to conduct.
In response, he showed the hiring committee a photo of a residential gutter. “Water is a big concern, and I found very little research on runoff from homes,” said Oki, explaining that studying residential runoff is what “started his career” with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources back in 2002.
Although he remains active supporting growers and advising industry leaders, Oki retired from UC ANR in July 2023. Before joining ANR, Oki worked as a researcher for UC Davis' Department of Environmental Horticulture studying greenhouse irrigation in 1994, bringing his total time with the University of California to 29 years.
Oki, professor emeritus of Cooperative Extension at UC Davis, led many research projects that advanced the green industry which includes landscapes, nurseries and floriculture.
“Loren is the epitome of a specialist,” said Darren Haver, UC ANR's Research and Extension Center system director, who has worked with Oki for more than 20 years on projects that have significantly improved urban water quality and water conservation efforts across California.
Research influences pesticide management
With a $3 million grant funding a statewide study, Oki and Haver set out to characterize runoff from residential sources over a five-year period. They determined the volume of irrigation runoff from residential land use, as well as the pollutants in the runoff.
Oki and Haver, co-principal investigators, along with researchers from UC Davis and UC Riverside, discovered that the degradation products of the insecticide fipronil – commonly found in runoff water – were more toxic than its parent compound. The study led to an investigation of human pathogens and pathogen indicators in residential runoff, the first of its kind.
Another contribution was the early detection of a new pesticide used for ant control, enabling strategies to be put in place to prevent it from reaching local streams and creeks. Oki and Haver's work also persuaded the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to change pesticide labels to minimize the chances of pesticides moving off target during irrigation and rain events.
These changes included preventing pesticide application before predicted rain and preventing irrigation after applications, keeping pesticides from impervious surfaces, and restricting applications on lawns and landscape beds within two feet of impervious surfaces and others.
Plant trials expand beyond California
Oki was also the principal investigator of the Climate-Ready Landscape Plants project, which may be the largest irrigation trial in the western U.S., and the UC Plant Landscape Irrigation Trials, the California component of that project. The UCPLIT trials originated in 2004 at UC Davis as a research project by Karrie Reid, retired UCCE environmental horticulture advisor for San Joaquin County, while she was pursuing her master's degree. In 2017, the irrigation trials were duplicated at the South Coast Research and Extension Center.
These projects evaluate landscape plants under varying irrigation levels to determine their optimal performance in regions requiring supplemental summer water. Throughout the trial, Oki identified many landscape plants, including rose cultivars, that remain aesthetically pleasing with little water.
Today, the trials have expanded beyond California as the Climate-Ready Landscape Plants Project at Oregon State University, University of Washington, University of Arizona and Utah State University.
Growing up in the nursery industry
In 2017, Oki obtained tenure, allowing him to expand his professional responsibilities to include production horticulture, specifically greenhouses and nurseries, an industry he was extremely familiar with. “I come from a nursery family,” Oki explained. “My grandfather started Oki Nursery in the early 1900s.”
During World War II, Oki's family was incarcerated in the Poston Relocation Center in Arizona and lost their homes and property. When they were released, they returned to the nursery industry to rebuild their lives. “After World War II, my father and uncle got more involved with my grandfather's work,” he said.
The Oki family played an instrumental role in technological development for nurseries in general. Oki Nursery, which was located in Sacramento, worked closely with IBM and was the first to use a computerized system in the industry.
Oki developed computerized scheduling for the bedding plants, poinsettias, chrysanthemums, bulbs and other crops. He developed a method to calculate the cost of any crop grown by the nursery at any point in the crop cycle and computerized greenhouse environmental and irrigation controls. This may not sound impressive now, but that was in the 1980s.
“My father was known for being progressive and he also knew everyone at UC Davis,” said Oki. “He wanted to work with anyone who had an interest in doing something good for nurseries.”
Inducted into Green Industry Hall of Fame
In the 1950s, Oki Nursery partnered with researchers from UC Davis' agricultural engineering program and developed the overhead sprinklers commonly used in nurseries today. Until the 1980s, Oki Nursery was the largest nursery in Northern California. Before it shut down in 1993, Oki worked in the family business as a greenhouse manager when runoff became a growing concern.
“I remember getting served with a notice by the Regional Water Quality Control Board stating that we needed to prevent runoff because it was polluted with nitrate fertilizer, which was common in the nursery industry,” Oki said.
One of those efforts focused on using controlled-release fertilizer instead of applying fertilizer via irrigation as a liquid feed. “What we learned is that if we converted nurseries to controlled-release fertilizer, we could reduce the nitrate runoff,” he said. While a member of the Oki Lab, Bruno Pitton earned his Ph.D. studying nursery hydrology and the fate of nitrogen fertilizers in container crop production adding to the information on runoff and nitrate management. Pitton is now the environmental horticulture advisor for Placer and Nevada counties.
In 2023, Oki was inducted into the Green Industry Hall of Fame, which recognizes individuals with a minimum of 20 years in the landscape, nursery or floriculture industry and who have made significant contributions to the field.
Having grown up in the industry, Oki said that his father taught him to never be afraid to try new things. “If you think you have an idea that might work, do the best you can to make it work. If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. And that's OK,” he said.
Revitalizing space for greater impact
This mentality encouraged Oki whenever tackling new tasks, like rebranding the California Ornamental Research Federation, a space for education and collaboration, as UC Nursery and Floriculture Alliance.
In 2009, Oki and David Fujino, executive director of the California Center for Urban Horticulture, became co-directors of CORF, which catered to the cut flower industry. At that time, Oki and Fujino realized that nurseries generated much greater revenue in the state than cut flowers.
“It was a strategic decision to change CORF to UCNFA, which included floriculture and nurseries in the name,” Fujino said. Combined, nurseries and floriculture have consistently placed in the top five agricultural commodities in the state.
When reflecting on their partnership, Fujino said that working with Oki was a “natural fit.” “I couldn't have asked for a better partner, a better colleague and, ultimately, a better friend to have my back and work side by side,” he added.
Since UCNFA's launch, the two have worked to maintain the group's impact by hosting “Ask your Advisor” webinars to connect advisors to growers, as well as co-hosting large-scale events such as the annual conference for the International Plant Propagators' Society — an organization focused on greenhouse and nursery production education — for the Western Region, which Oki's father helped establish in the 1960s.
Encouraging a return to education
Gerry Spinelli, UC Cooperative Extension production horticulture advisor for San Diego County and member of UCNFA's administrative committee, described those who have learned from Oki as his sons and daughters. “When I meet someone that's learned from Loren or worked with him, that person instantly becomes my friend. That's the kind of effect Loren has on us,” Spinelli said.
Grant Johnson, UC Cooperative Extension urban agricultural technology advisor for Los Angeles and Orange counties, credits Oki for his master's degree in horticulture from UC Davis.
“Loren gave me a lot of direction as far as career choices and research interests. He instilled in me a dedication to life-long learning, just like he continues to do,” said Johnson. Before Oki became his professor, Johnson worked with Oki as a staff research associate at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine.
Another influential person in Oki's life is John Kabashima, emeritus environmental horticulture advisor for UCCE Orange and Los Angeles counties and fellow Green Hall of Fame inductee. Like Oki, Kabashima grew up in the nursery industry.
Oki, who earned a bachelor's degree in ornamental horticulture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a master's degree in plant science from UC Riverside, decided to pursue a Ph.D. in ecology at UC Davis with Kabashima's encouragement.
While Oki was still working in his family's business, Kabashima said that Oki relied on UC ANR researchers for scientific information and felt like Oki wanted to be one of them. “I told him that he's a good nursery guy, but he's a better scientist,” said Kabashima. “His heart is in science.”
The two began working together as soon as Oki became a graduate student and have been colleagues and friends for nearly 40 years. “My favorite response from Loren whenever people ask him a question is, ‘It depends,'” Kabashima said. “It always leads to people opening up and giving more context. That's what Loren does, he gets you to think.”
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