- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Farmers, financiers, people from government agencies and nonprofit organizations who work with UC Cooperative Extension advisors, as well as beginning farmers seeking to contact their local UCCE advisors visited the UC ANR exhibit at the EcoFarm Conference Jan. 24-27 at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove.
Marketing assistant Tyler Ash apprised visitors perusing the racks of UC ANR publications of the resources available in their home counties and online.
Nearby, Alda Pires, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, and Ph.D. candidate Laura Patterson had their own booth to meet people raising small livestock and discuss their research projects. Patterson is studying pigs raised outdoors and Pires studies farming systems using raw manure as fertilizer.
“Sow Good” was the theme of the 38th annual EcoFarm Conference, which focused on regenerative agriculture.
Outside the exhibit tent, breakout sessions enlightened participants on dozens of topics from soil health to organic production practices to marketing. Rachael Long, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Yolo County, was one of three panelists discussing the benefits of hedgerows. Because hedgerows provide habitat for beneficial insects, fewer insecticide sprays are needed for adjacent tomato fields, according to her study. Long said the hedgerows saved growers $260 per field per year.
For backyard gardeners and urban growers, Rob Bennaton, UC Cooperative Extension urban agriculture advisor in the Bay Area, gave a talk on improving soil quality for growing food in urban areas. Before planting food crops in an urban plot, Bennaton advised the audience members to test the soil for contaminants such as lead, arsenic, chromium and mercury and to map where they sample the soil.
After listening to participants in one session discuss the efficacy of cats for rodent control – orange tabby cats were deemed most effective – one attendee remarked that meeting new people at events such as EcoFarm helps reveal opportunities for UC ANR outreach.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is hosting a four-day Rice Technical Working Group Conference Feb. 19-22 in Long Beach. The conference will provide participants with the latest information and research from experts on plant breeding and genetics, rice culture, weed control, economics and marketing, and many other topics
“California is very excited to host the 2018 RTWG (Rice Technical Working Group) conference, which brings together over 300 researchers from all over the U.S. and the world to discuss the latest developments in rice research,” said Bruce Linquist, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and conference chair.
Keynote presenters are Ken Cassman, emeritus professor of agronomy at the University of Nebraska; John Eadie, professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology at UC Davis; and Susan McCouch, professor of plant breeding and genetics, plant biology, biological statistics and computational biology at Cornell University.
The conference will be at the Westin Long Beach at 333 East Ocean Blvd. Registration is $475, $300 for students. Registration includes conference attendance, the welcome reception, the industry luncheon, the awards luncheons, and technical sessions. Current registration prices valid until the day of the conference. Register at http://ucanr.edu/sites/2018RTWG/Registration.
California Department of Pesticide Regulation credits are pending.
Visit our website to see the latest information and to view the full conference agenda http://ucanr.edu/sites/2018RTWG/.
For more information, contact Lauren McNees at (530) 750-1257 or anrprogramsupport@ucanr.edu.
2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the University of California, including UC ANR, offering us all the opportunity to reflect on the impact the land grant university has had on the state of California and beyond.
Since its inception, UC has helped to shape the progress of not just our state but our society. From the bold decree to admit women 50 years before they were granted the right to vote, to the successful completion of the first open heart surgery in the western United States, UC has consistently broken through barriers and blazed new trails for scientific discovery, economic expansion and social change.
UC will be celebrating the sesquicentennial in a number of ways in 2018, including a special recognition on the university's original Charter Day, March 23.
Looking back
A new digital UC timeline captures our rich history and celebrates many of UC's astounding acomplishments, and distinguished academics, artists and athletes. Explore the interactive, multimedia timeline to learn more about the university's role in pivotal moments like World War II, the Free Speech Movement and the birth of the biotech industry.
“Californians should feel tremendously proud of their public research university and all that it has accomplished over the last 150 years,” said President Napolitano. “Since the very beginning, UC has done more than just help California prepare for the future – we've helped create it. And we have no intention of slowing down now.”
Looking forward
In 2018, we will celebrate not only our past accomplishments, but the fact that every day our incredible students, faculty and staff create new milestones. Today, UC enrolls 273,000 students across ten campuses, conducts one-tenth of all academic research in the nation, and oversees five top-ranked medical centers that provide care to more than 4.5 million people a year. Not bad for an institution that started out with just 40 students and 10 faculty members!
We call ourselves “Boldly Californian” because the university shares the same strengths — vision, innovation and optimism – as the Golden State it serves. Our mission of education, research and public service plays an essential role in powering the world's sixth largest economy. We contribute to the greater good of not just the state but the nation by continually improving access and affordability to the greatest public university system in the world.
And as President Napolitano indicated, we're not resting on our laurels, but moving boldly forward into the future.
Celebrating the 150th at UCOP
As well as attending events that will be announced and held later this year, you can participate and show your UC pride in the following ways:
- Download a special 150th logo for your email signature line here. Once the PNG image file is on your computer, open your signature preferences in Outlook and drag/insert the PNG into your signature line.
- Copy images you like from the UC timeline and share them on your favorite social media sites along with the hashtag #UC150.
- Follow UC's social media accounts for ongoing updates about the 150th:
https://twitter.com/UofCalifornia
https://www.facebook.com/universityofcalifornia/
https://www.instagram.com/uofcalifornia/
- Author: Jodi Azulai
UC ANR Administrative Orientation for new employees May 23, 2018
ANR will hold another administrative orientation in the spring. The May 23, 2018, orientation is intended for new staff and academics. For more information, academics may contact Tina Jordan at tljordan@ucanr.edu and staff may contact Jodi Azulai at jlazulai@ucanr.edu.
Excel Tips Weekly
Tune in every Tuesday for Excel Tips Weekly. Learn Excel productivity boosting tricks, need-to-know functions, hidden features and advanced content like PivotTable use for analysis. Each lesson is self-contained and brief and certain to give you new insights.
Have a better work-life balance
A common career-related New Year's resolution is to have a better work-life balance. So many of us work so hard that it prevents us from doing what we'd like to do in our personal lives.
There are a few ways to address it. One is to say no more often – do fewer things, better. Another is to simply make an agreement with yourself, such as no more emailing after 6 p.m. or no more opening the work laptop on Saturdays. It can also come down to having better time-management skills.
Remember, time off isn't just important for your personal life – unplugging makes you more effective at your career, too.
Recommended Courses: Balancing Work and Life, Avoiding Burnout, Arianna Huffington's Thrive 02: Learning How to Unplug and Recharge, Learning to Say No
Be more productive
Being more productive means a lot of things to a lot of people. For a salesperson, it might mean closing more deals. For someone in manufacturing, it might mean finding ways to produce more, while using less energy. It can also mean having better time management skills and making the most of your eight hours each day.
One thing to remember – there are many tools out there that can make your life easier. And learning how to use the tools you already use each day – say, Excel – to their maximum ability can make you far more effective. Investing some time mastering these tools in the beginning of the year might pay huge dividends in the long run.
Recommended courses: Time Management Fundamentals, Excel Tips Weekly, Monday Productivity Pointers, Getting Things Done
When you “Zoom” in, are you seeing the tops of people's heads? Or just their shirt buttons? Perhaps you can hear meeting participants typing or blowing their noses. Maybe you can see a pile of unfolded laundry behind them. If you're ready to make a good impression AND help participate in successful Zoom sessions, you may want to read tips on the Zoom blog article: Video Conferencing Etiquette.
NEW ON UC LEARNING CENTER: UC Managing Implicit Bias Series
These courses can be completed individually, or together as a series to earn the UC Managing Implicit Bias Certificate. As a UC people manager, being aware of implicit bias and how it impacts the way we work and interact with others is especially important. It is recommended that you complete these courses as a complement to your People Management Series Certificate.
The series contains the following six self-paced, online interactive courses. Each course is 15 to 20 minutes in length and you may elect to complete individual courses, or the complete series. Those who complete all six courses will receive the UC Managing Implicit Bias Certificate and a new 2018 People Management Series and Certificate.
The courses are as follows:
- What is Implicit Bias?
- The Impact of Implicit Bias
- Managing the Influence of Implicit Bias: Awareness
- Common Forms of Bias
- Managing the Impact of Implicit Bias: Mindfulness and Conscious De-biasing
- Managing Implicit Bias in the Hiring Process
You can access the courses in the UC Learning Center. For more information, please see the UC People Management Series and Certificate.
UC ANR launches 'My UC Career' online career development tool
My UC Career is a new online, self-directed development portal available to all UC employees seeking to advance their career. Career development continues to be a focus area for our people and we are excited to provide a resource that supports employees in growing their UC career. A UC email address is all that's needed to register for an account.
The systemwide portal provides access to job openings at all UC locations via the Systemwide Job Board, as well as resources and tools to create and refine resumes, write cover letters, identify strengths, practice interviewing and find professional networking opportunities.
The portal consists of six easy-to-use modules:
- Begin Career Discovery: Use personal assessments to help identify values, personality, skills and talents.
- Job Search: Leveraging the existing Systemwide Job Board, in one search, view all UC opportunities by job type, location, or career level. Create multiple alerts for new postings that are most interesting
- Resume: Build a new resume or revise an existing resume using the step-by-step online resume workshop that uses answers to automatically build an accomplishment-based resume tailored to the identified career path. View resume building guides and resume samples by position or type.
- Tell Your Story: Create a pitch statement, cover letter, and references to tell what the employee has to offer and how they can help the organization succeed. Use the step-by-step online workshop to automatically build each document. View samples of each type of document.
- Network and Research: Optimize social media presence and use research tools to help leverage employee networks that uncover additional career opportunities.
- Pre- and Post-interview: Practice interview skills by recording video interviews using pre-recorded portal interviewers that ask the employee questions review interview type guides, create a post-interview thank you note, and review the offer negotiation guide and decision-making tools.
Other career development resources are available via the following websites:
Systemwide Integrated Talent Management - Professional Development
Lynda.com (anyone with a “ucanr.edu” email address may register through the ANR Portal.
Email Jodi Azulai at jlazulai@ucanr.edu with questions.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Jim Farrar, director of UC Integrated Pest Management Program, succeeds Cheryl Wilen as leader for Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases (EIPD).
Neil McRoberts, associate professor of plant pathology at UC Davis, and Deanne Meyer, UCCE specialist in animal science at UC Davis, succeed David Doll as co-leaders for Sustainable Food Systems (SFS).
Keith Nathaniel continues to lead the Healthy Families and Communities initiative and Doug Parker continues to lead the Water Quality, Quantity and Security initiative.
