- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Legislators, agency staff and other policymakers celebrated Ag Day at the Capitol in Sacramento with UC ANR leaders, UC Cooperative Extension advisors, The VINE, UC Master Gardeners and 4-H members on March 19.
Under a warm sun, hundreds of Ag Day participants visited UC ANR booths to maneuver a farm robot, encounter 4-H rabbits and a lamb, ask gardening questions and view nearly 20 varieties of citrus grown at the UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center.
State Senator Anna Caballero, speaking about Ag Day on camera to Miguel Sanchez of News and Information Outreach in Spanish, said: “Este es un asunto muy importante para el estado y muchas veces los que viven en las ciudades no saben nada de agricultura. Este nos da la oportunidad de enseñar el producto, de enseñar cómo hacemos el trabajo y de celebrar también que dependemos bastante en la comida que se cosecha aquí en California con el esfuerzo de los trabajadores que mantienen la economía.” [This is a very important issue for the state and many times those who live in the cities know nothing about agriculture. It gives us the opportunity to show the product, to show how we do the work, and to also celebrate that we rely heavily on the food that is harvested here in California with the efforts of the workers who sustain the economy.]
Vice President GlendaHumiston; Associate Vice President Brent Hales; Margaret Lloyd,UCCE small farmsadvisor; Sarah Light,UCCE agronomy farmadvisor; Clarissa Reyes,UCCE orchard systemsadvisor; andUCCE Capitol Corridor Director Susan Ellsworth were on hand to greet visitors and answer questions.
“We're talking about food, fiber, economic development, jobs, national security with food security and really celebrating the historical legacy of food in the state of California,” said Hales, who was participating for the first time. (See his blog post in ANR Adventures.)
Tammy Majcherek, community educator at UC South Coast Research and Extension Center, traveled to Sacramento to answer questions about avocados and citrus. The team from The VINE – Hanif Houston, Lucie Cahierre and Terri White – discussed UC ANR's role in helping entrepreneurs advance robotics and other innovations to keep California agriculture competitive.
Laurelyn Roeser of Orange County, one of our 4-H State Ambassadors, was honored to serve as co-emcee with a member of FFA for the ceremony. First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross, State Senator Melissa Hurtado, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria and ag education leader Judy Culbertson spoke about “Next-Gen Tools, Talent and Tech,” this year's theme for Ag Day. They emphasized the importance of accessible, healthful food – and the people who produce it – for the health and prosperity of Californians.
Members of the Sheldon and Sloughhouse 4-H clubs brought rabbits and a lamb and described for visitors what they have learned from their 4-H experiences.
Anne Megaro and Sheron Violini of government and community relations worked with Ag Day at the Capitol co-hosts – California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Women for Agriculture, and the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom – to coordinate UC ANR's presence at Ag Day.
“Legislators and their staff see, smell, touch and taste actual produce grown at our RECs; they hear directly from our 4-H youth and Master Gardener volunteers about their personal experiences; they meet real scientists who work in soil and agricultural production; and they get to control a live, working robot. It's these first-hand experiences that stick in the memories of legislators and their staff and build appreciation and awareness for UC ANR.”
To see more photos of the event, see @ucanr social media posts for March 19 and 20 and #CAAgDay24. UC ANR Global Food Initiative fellow and UC Davis student Mia Reyes made an video of Ag Day for Instagram and the News and Information in Spanish team made a video for YouTube.
On April 10, Megaro and Violini will be coordinating visits for legislators to meet with UC ANR academics to learn about wildfire preparation, economic development and other research and extension projects.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the California Department of Food and Agriculture hosted Ag Day at the Capitol in Sacramento on March 23.
“It was incredibly energizing to reconnect with so many legislators, partners, supporters and friends to share in the joy and promise of our work,” said Vice President Glenda Humiston. “Things almost felt ‘normal' again!”
Anne Megaro, government and community relations director, organized ANR's displays and representation, which included Humiston, UCCE farm advisors Sarah Light and Rachael Long, Sheldon 4-H youth and UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County.
One booth displayed myriad citrus varieties grown at Lindcove Research and Extension Center and avocado varieties grown at South Coast Research and Extension Center.
Among the many legislators who visited the ANR booths was Senator John Laird, who championed the historic increase to ANR's budget.
“No other event that occurs here, of the hundreds every year, draws crowds like Ag Day, and a lot of the legislators who have no concept or association with agriculture come by, plus their staff,” said Senator Jim Nielsen. “It's really a special day because it affirms the importance of agriculture to California and the world.”
The day before Ag Day at the Capitol, ANR's Global Food Initiative Fellow Conor McCabe, Pam Kan-Rice of Strategic Communications, and Megaro visited legislators' offices to hand out Tango mandarins grown at Lindcove REC and personally invite legislators and their staff to Ag Day. Tango mandarins are a small, seedless, easy-to-peel fruit bred by UC Riverside genetics professor Mikeal Roose and often sold under the brand names Cutie or Halo.
The following are some photos of the Ag Day event. To see more photos, check out #AgDay2022 on Twitter.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Ag Day at the Capitol was held in Sacramento on March 20. This year's theme was “Climate-smart, California Grown,” honoring the environmental stewardship and innovation of the state's farmers.
Dozens of legislators attended Ag Day at the Capitol, stopping at UC ANR's booth to examine the various varieties of citrus from Lindcove Research and Extension Center and marveling at the different shapes and sizes of avocados grown at South Coast Research and Extension Center.
Senate Pro Tempore Toni Atkins of San Diego, who became the first woman to lead the California Senate on March 21, held Sheldon 4-H club member Bella Albiani's hen as she talked with her and VP Glenda Humiston.
Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, UC Cooperative Extension advisor for Delta crops in San Joaquin, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano and Contra Costa counties, answered visitors' questions about research and agronomy.
Sean Hogan, academic coordinator for Informatics and Geographic Information Systems (IGIS) Program, showed visitors some of the information drones can gather and how researchers and farmers can use the data.
On March 19, the day before the event, Anne Megaro, director of government and community relations; Tyler Ash, marketing and social media coordinator; Pam Kan-Rice, assistant director of news and information outreach; and Meredith Turner of UC State Government Relations, visited the offices of legislators to invite them to visit the UC ANR booth at Ag Day.
“Ag Day is one of the most highly attended events at the state capitol, and I am so pleased that UC ANR was there to show legislators and the public all the great research and public service that we have to offer California, ” said Megaro. “There is nothing like a hands-on experience and being able to see, touch and smell actual fruit grown by the University. The best part? When they realize the food they already enjoy at home came from our agricultural research. It's a great example of UC at work.”
To educate legislators and staffers about some of the benefits Californians receive from research made possible with state funding, they handed out bags of Tango mandarins – the seedless, easy-to-peel citrus variety developed by UC Riverside genetics professor Mikeal Roose and sold as Cuties and Halos – along with the 2017 UC ANR annual report.
The annual event is hosted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture in partnership with California Women for Agriculture and the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom.
More photos and a video below. To see Twitter coverage of this year's Ag Day at the Capitol, look for the hashtag #AgDay2018.
