- Author: Penny Leff
Hardesty's research and extension work has focused on the needs and opportunities of smaller-scale farmers and ranchers. Over the years, she studied cooperatives' performance, the development of local food markets and values-based supply chains, and alternative marketing channels for smaller-scale farms and ranches. She researched and reported on, among other topics, the economic impact of local food marketing and the impact of food safety regulations on smaller operators. Her well-researched studies have influenced the development of facilities, regulations and policies affecting smaller producers.
Hardesty organized numerous workshops for small-scale farmers and ranchers, covering a broad range of topics, including cooperatives, direct marketing, food safety, agritourism, specialty food businesses and other strategies for sustaining and diversifying small and mid-scale agricultural businesses.
In her Specialty Food Workshop evaluations, Hardesty often received grateful comments, such as “This was an awesome workshop! So informative, so helpful, so comprehensive”, “Well researched information - Wish had more time. Handouts great - lots of resources” and “Gave me a great reality check, before proceeding to market”.
In addition, Hardesty taught an undergraduate class about cooperatives for eight years.
“I've appreciated having opportunities to interact with so many dedicated UC Cooperative Extension advisors and staff and UC Davis graduate students on a tremendous variety of issues,” Hardesty said about her work with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. “To me, it's been an incredible learning experience. I hope I have shared my insights effectively with the farming community.”
Hardesty has served on numerous boards of directors and advisory committees over the years. Since 2007, she has helped lead the California Small Farm Conference Board of Directors in organizing an annual conference for small-scale farmers and farmers' market managers. She has also served on the board of the Davis Farmers Market, the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Direct Marketing Advisory Committee, The California Sheep Commission, the National Cooperative Business Association and the Davis Planning Commission.
Hardesty, who was born in Japan, sailed with her family under the Golden Gate Bridge to the Port of Oakland when she was seven years old. The family settled in Burlingame, where Hardesty learned English as her third language. She received a B.A. in economics from UC Davis in 1973 and an M.S. in agricultural economics from UC Davis in 1974, and then worked for the UC Davis Planning and Budget Office as an analyst from 1975 to 1980.
After receiving her doctorate from UC Davis in 1984, Hardesty was hired by Michigan State University as an assistant professor of agricultural economics. She returned to California in 1987, serving as the senior economist for the California Rice Growers Association and then as principal of the Food Marketing and Economics Group, a consulting firm. In 2002, Hardesty returned to academia as director of the UC Center for Cooperatives. When the center was closed in 2004, she became a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Davis.
Shortly after the Small Farm Center's closure, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the UC Small Farm Program team the 2010 National Diversity Award “…for an exemplary extension program, notable for its proven commitment to serving diverse farming communities throughout California with innovative approaches that help small farmers succeed.”
UC Cooperative Extension small farms advisors specialize in developing niche crops that work well for smaller-scale growers. Recent successes include blueberries and coffee.
“I will always remember being at the Kearney [Agricultural Research and Extension Center] blueberry field days and tasting the amazing variety of blueberries grown around California,” said Hardesty, “and the beauty of seeing coffee growing in the Santa Barbara Hills.”
In her retirement, Hardesty says she is “planning to travel with my husband to our national parks, get involved with a local food project, work on a mosaic panel for our patio and spend time with my new granddaughter and my sister. And who knows what else comes up!”
The University of California is committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct in the fulfillment of its education, research, public service and patient care mission. The University's Whistleblower Policy provides multiple avenues for employees to bring forward concerns of potential employee misconduct. Faculty and staff are encouraged to bring forward concerns about possible improper governmental activity directly to their supervisor, department head, Locally Designated Official (LDO), or other appropriate university offices or officials.
The University established a systemwide independently operated whistleblower hotline to allow for calls or web-based reporting from faculty, staff, and students with a provision for anonymous reporting. The hotline relays the reported concerns to appropriate university officials for processing. This hotline is staffed seven days a week, 24 hours per day and is capable of receiving reports in a number of different languages.
The toll-free number is 1-800-403-4744. Web-based reports can be made by accessing http://universityofcalifornia.edu/hotline. More information about the whistleblower process can be found on the UC Whistleblower website and on posters displayed in various employee areas. The University's whistleblower poster identifies other channels for reporting improper governmental activity, including the California State Auditor, the California Attorney General and locations for reporting fraud and abuse involving federal programs.
The California Government Code requires every state agency, including the University of California, to annually distribute to its employees a message from the California State Auditor that provides an explanation of the California Whistleblower Protection Act. Please find the 2017 message attached.
Sincerely,
Jake McGuire
Controller & Locally Designated Official
- Author: Jodi Azulai
Save the date: NAEPSDP Annual Conference Dec. 4-7
The National Association of Extension Programs and Staff Development annual conference will be held Dec. 4-7, 2017, in Las Vegas, at the Green Valley Ranch Resort.
What could you gain by networking with extension colleagues from around the U.S.? Perhaps these benefits will raise your interest:
- Network with extension colleagues from other states
- Learn from early technology adopters
- Identify resources that can be shared
- Find collaboration opportunities
- Learn about NAEPSDP leadership opportunities
- Connect with individuals who have statewide and regional responsibilities that often include adoption of new technologies or practices for program development or managing human resources
Interested now? If yes, mark your calendar for the annual conference, Dec. 4-7, 2017! The National Association of Extension Programs and Staff Development was formed to bring the national community of program and staff development professionals together. This community includes individuals with a range of responsibilities in support of extension educators and the overall mission of Cooperative Extension. Explore the NAEPSDP website at https://naepsdp.wildapricot.org for more information.
Upcoming SPSS Webinar Courses
Kendra Lewis, academic coordinator for evaluation for UC 4-H Youth Development Program, is offering ANR academics online “short courses” about different research and evaluation topics.
Webinars on Conducting tests in SPSS Part 3: Correlation and Regression will be on July 11 and Conducting tests in SPSS Part 4: Reliability and Factor Analysis will be Aug. 8.
The goal of these courses (7 total) is to provide participants with more in-depth examples of different data analyses and using SPSS. These courses are designed for UC ANR staff and academics doing evaluation and research. The 60- to 90-minute webinars include optional take-home assignments. Courses are offered the second Tuesday of each month, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Detailed information is available in the “Course Information” document. To enroll, please see the “Enrollment Instructions” document at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/264940.docx.
Please refer all questions to Kendra Lewis at kmlewis@ucanr.edu.
UC People Management Conference Aug. 2-3
Have you completed the UC People Management Series Certificate (UC Learning Center)? Then, you are eligible to attend the 2017 UC People Management Conference taking place on Aug. 2-3, 2017, at the UCLA Luskin Center. Space is limited and spots are filling up fast, so register now!
Register and check out the speakers at the People Management Conference website at https://pmc.ucop.edu/.
UC Learning Center shuts down July 28
As announced in the May 2017 ANR Report, the UC Learning Center website (lms.ucdavis.edu) will be down for an upgrade. However, the date has changed. The system will be unavailable for any activity beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 28, 2017 for up to five business days. Therefore, plan your compliance and other training with that schedule in mind.
ANR employees celebrate Lynda.com
“Thanks to Lynda.com I was able to complete my CompTIA+ Security certification (What is the CompTIA+?). I will continue to use Lynda.com to advance my skills.”
Suzanne Morikawa, Marketing and Communications Specialist, UC ANR Youth, Families and Communities:
“I use Lynda.com to stay up to date on software for design and web development. I really like their video instruction format because it's broken up into short segments so I can go directly to the area I'm trying to learn. I can also go through the entire lesson a little at a time so it doesn't require a large chunk of time.
"I like that it can be used to not only learn software, but also to learn about trends in design and marketing as well as management training. The instructors are professionals who understand their topic because they work in that area.”
Lynda.com course features for July
Project Management Foundations: Leading Projects (Lynda.com)
Have you experienced project hang-ups? Dealt with frustrated clientele or colleagues as deliverables get delayed? Then you'll benefit from the course Project Management Foundations: Leading Projects. Find out how to
- Define the vision
- Document the project scope
- Investigate options
- Select a course of action, and much more!
This and other project management courses on Lynda.com will prepare you for PMP Certification. Project management courses can run from $1,200-$1,800, but you get them for free as an ANR employee through Lynda.com!
Twitter Essential Training (Lynda.com)
Do you want to speak Twitterverse? Do you believe this prominent platform could be a tool in your outreach programming? For effective branding? Maximize your program's influence? Well, don't experiment. Let the Lynda.com course Twitter Essential Training guide you to:
- Understand Twitter and microblogging
- Interact with tweets and tweet users
- Exploring Twitter settings
- Creating lists of Twitter users
Communication Tips Weekly (Lynda.com)
Do you lead or manage others? Do you want to master your communication skills? In this course, you will be led by communication experts to hone skills in
- Working with difficult people
- Influencing others
- Speaking confidently in public at a moment's notice
- Working with extroverts and introverts
- Saying no
Create a Lynda.com account today!
If you have not already created a personal account, please go the ANR Portal and under “My Links” click on Lynda.com Learning.
ANR Learning and Development:
To position ANR as the premiere source of knowledge and science for agricultural and natural resources issues, it is vital that our people keep their knowledge and skills at peak performance. The ANR Learning and Development website offers an array of opportunities for employee learning and professional development that can help serve that goal. I strongly encourage employees to take full advantage of these resources as well as other opportunities to enhance their personal and professional growth. –Glenda Humiston, Vice President
Administrative Orientation for new employees will be held Nov. 14, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the UC ANR building at 2801 Second Street in Davis. Register now at http://ucanr.edu/sites/orientations.
The orientation is for UC ANR employees – academics and staff – who have not participated in an administrative orientation in the past. Priority will be given to those hired by ANR within the past year.
Participants will have opportunities to:
- Learn about the ANR's vision and mission.
- Learn about ANR structure and individual programs and units.
- Interact with ANR leadership and directors.
- Meet and network with new colleagues from around the state.
- Get answers to burning questions about health benefits, AggieTravel and more.
The Administrative Orientation differs from the Programmatic Orientation, so academics should attend both orientations. The Programmatic Orientation is designed to help academics jump start their programs by focusing on program design and showcasing successful projects of other ANR academics. Although the Administrative Orientation introduces statewide programs, it focuses on administrative units and services and provides an overview of ANR structure, vision and mission.
Schedules and materials from past orientations can be viewed online at http://ucanr.edu/sites/orientations/Past_Orientations.
If you have questions or would like further information, feel free to email ANR Program Support or call (530) 750-1260.
- Author: Jeff Mitchell
As many in ANR already know, the California Farm Demonstration Network was recently formed and formally launched in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony that was held at the Winters orchard of Russ Lester on May 5.
The network is a partnership of several groups, including the California Farm Bureau Federation, the USDA-NRCS, the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, UC ANR, and the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, plus many farmers, local farmer associations, and private sector and other public agency affiliates. The YouTube video at https://youtu.be/k2cpuwzASgs provides a brief introductory overview of a small part of the network's initial efforts.
Since UC ANR is a formal signatory to the MOU that launched this effort, and because many of us in ANR are already and will hopefully be involved with the network's efforts in the future, we would like to actively encourage participation of any and all ANR colleagues who'd like to become involved with the network in any capacity.
At this point, for instance, we welcome your involvement in everything from service on the Network Steering Committee (or other technical and advisory committees that are now being formed) to hands-on collaboration with any of the various farm demonstrations that are going to be started and that you'll have direct roles in starting yourselves. This is frankly a great time for everyone to step up and to register their interest in becoming involved.
The overall purpose of the network is to increase adoption of conservation agriculture, soil health and climate-smart systems in California. Its goals emphasize the development of water-, climate- and nutrient-smart systems for California's diverse crop production environments, and its focus areas include, but are not limited to, the following: participatory learning resulting in the adoption of improved management practices grounded in sound science and experience-based principles, the public, voluntary showcasing of innovative systems developed by experienced farmer leaders, a program of farm demonstration evaluations that employ monitoring, data collection and analysis of findings, and the use of proven, creative methods for sharing, discussing and communicating results and findings to scale-up even broader adoption of improved systems.
The introductory videos were edited and produced by two students in the Soils and Biogeochemistry Group at UC Davis, Jessica Chiartas and Irfan Ainuddin. The full 9-minute video is at https://youtu.be/k2cpuwzASgs and the 3-minute version is at https://youtu.be/W3G5bmzCD8s.
