- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
UC ANR joined the California Department of Food and Agriculture and other organizations in highlighting the benefits of soil health and biodiversity for California Healthy Soils Week 2022.
During the week of Dec. 5-9, the UC Master Gardener Program hosted two Facebook Live webinars and UC Cooperative Extension co-hosted a Sustainable Nutrient Management & Soil Health Field Day in Salinas.
For the “Healthy Soil: In Nature Sometimes Less is More” webinar, Mike Corby, UC Master Gardener volunteer in Contra Costa County, shared insights for improving soil health in the garden. A recording of the 47-minute webinar is published on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Y9M5uQtzLyk.
For “Harnessing the Magic of the Soil Food Web: Turning Dirt into Gold,” Kit Veerkamp, UC Master Gardener volunteer in El Dorado County, discussed why soil health matters and how to modify soils to improve plant health and reduce disease and pests. A recording of the 56-minute webinar is published on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Hqd-XDy81H0.
The Wine Institute, California Association of Winegrape Growers and Community Alliance with Family Farmers hosted representatives from CDFA, the California Legislature, the California Environmental Protection Agency, California Natural Resources Conservation Services, and other climate-focused agencies from around the state for a healthy soils tour of Bogle Family Vineyards in Yolo County.
At Bogle Family Vineyards, Konrad Mathesius, UCCE agronomy advisor for Sacramento, Solano and Yolo counties; and Hope Zabronsky, climate smart agriculture academic coordinator for the California Institute for Water Resources, gave presentations.
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service hosts the Web Soil Survey, which provides soil data and information produced by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. NRCS has soil maps and data available online for more than 95% of the nation's counties. Phil Smith, California NRCS area resource soil scientist, and Tony Rolfes, California state soil scientist, presented a webinar on how to use the Web Soil Survey and other web tools for gathering soils information and maps. The Web Soil Survey webinar is posted at https://youtu.be/cuEMuxLGQO0.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Konrad Mathesius (pronounced “Muh-tay-zee-us”) is the new UCCE agronomy advisor for Yolo, Sacramento and Solano counties.
Mathesius, who joined ANR on June 27, will be working with growers and pest control advisers in the Capitol Corridor area to address issues related to soils, pests, diseases and production efficiency. In addition to collaborating on a few projects with UCCE advisor Rachael Long in alfalfa, dry beans and sunflowers, he will work on a wide range of agronomic crops including corn, wheat, barley and safflower.
Mathesius will work with growers and PCAs to mitigate crop losses by addressing pest and disease pressures and to help them comply with nitrogen, pesticide and water regulations. He also plans to develop crop guidelines based on difficulties associated with specific soils in the Capitol Corridor.
The native of Logan, Utah, earned his undergraduate degree at Utah State and his master's degrees in soil science and international agricultural development at UC Davis.
“After graduation, I spent a few years working in the private sector, where I gained a sense of respect for bottom lines and the hustle to make ends meet,” Mathesius said. “I intend to bring the question of cost and efficiency into most, if not all of my work.”
Based in Woodland, Mathesius can be reached at kpmathesius@ucanr.edu and (530) 666-8704.
Kathryn Stein has joined ANR as executive assistant to Wendy Powers, Associate Vice President
Prior to joining ANR, Stein worked in the College of Engineering Dean's office at UC Berkeley for three and a half years. She earned a B.S. in environmental horticulture and urban forestry from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis. While in Davis, she worked for the Whole Earth Festival, an annual sustainability festival on the UC Davis campus.
Stein is based on the 10th floor of UCOP and can be reached at Kathryn.Stein@ucop.edu and (510) 587-6240.
Martinez and Au receive NIH Career Development Awards
Two researchers at the Nutrition Policy Institute have been awarded K01 Career Development Awards by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Lauren Au will research disparities in the relationship between the school nutrition environment and childhood obesity and Suzanna Martinez will study sleep duration and risk for obesity in Mexican-American children.
Martinez will receive $895,620 and Au will receive $840,871. Martinez has also been accepted into the K Scholars Program at UC San Francisco, which will provide her with peer support and mentorship to conduct the study.
Barbara Allen-Diaz, who retired as ANR vice president in 2015, is among five Land Grant university leaders recognized for Excellence in National Leadership by the Experiment Station Section of the Association of Public and Land‑grant Universities (APLU).
The other individuals honored with Allen-Diaz were:
- Walter A. Hill, Dean, College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, Tuskegee University
- Steve Slack, formerly associate vice president for agricultural administration and director of OARDC, The Ohio State University (recently retired)
- Daniel Rossi, formerly executive director, Northeastern Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (recently retired)
- William (Bill) Brown, dean of research and director of the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Tennessee
The resolution reads in part: “These leaders have personified the highest level of excellence by enhancing the cause and performance of the Regional Associations and Experiment Station Section in achieving their mission and the Land-grant ideal.”
The awards were announced at the annual Experiment Station Section meeting on Sept. 21 in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
