At 2801 Second Street in Davis, UC ANR reduced electricity use by 22% and natural gas use by 50% from 2014 to 2019.

UC ANR's statewide facilities – including nine Research and Extension Centers, the Elkus Ranch Environmental Education Center and an administrative building – made strides in sustainable practices in fiscal year 2020–21. 

For example, Hansen REC gleaned 9,300 pounds of fruit from orchards typically used for agricultural literacy school field trips. With youth programs shut down due to COVID-19, HAREC partnered with Food Forward and Ventura Unified School District to redistribute fresh produce to students and families.

West Side REC, meanwhile, leveraged COVID-19 site closures to redesign two buildings into laboratories with energy-efficient air systems, lighting, windows and insulation, demonstrating how older facility conversions can increase UC ANR's sustainability.

The RECs reduced carbon dioxide emissions from 1,766 to 1,596 metric tons from 2014 to 2019 and further cut emissions by 711 metric tons during pandemic-related closures in fiscal year 2020–21. UC ANR's water consumption remained stable in 2020–21 due to ongoing agricultural research.

Additionally, it is often not feasible for UC ANR to use zero-emission vehicles or hybrid vehicles given the need for trucks and farm equipment, which are often unavailable in these models. When possible, UC ANR purchases or leases flex-fuel vehicles.

UC ANR's LEED-certified administrative building – the offices at 2801 Second Street in Davis – reduced electricity use by 22% and natural gas use by 50% from 2014 to 2019. 

Read more at https://sustainabilityreport.ucop.edu/2021/locations/agriculture-and-natural-resources.

The University invites comments on proposed revisions to Sections 715 and 760 of the Academic Personnel Manual: 

• APM - 715, Leaves of Absence/Family and Medical Leave
• APM - 760, Family Accommodations for Childbearing and Childrearing

Summarized below are the proposed key policy revisions that are being distributed for systemwide review:   

• Proposed revisions are being made to APM - 715, Leaves of Absence/Family and Medical Leave, and APM - 760, Family Accommodations for Childbearing and Childrearing in order to reflect the increase in the paid family leave benefit from 70% to 100% of eligible earnings, with a proposed effective date of January 1, 2023.  All other aspects of the policies will remain the same. 

The proposed policy may be viewed at https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Administration/Business_Operations/Controller/Administrative_Policies_-_Business_Contracts/Policy_and_administrative_handbooks/ANR_Administrative_Handbook/Recent_Updates.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than July 18, 2022. Please indicate “APM-715/760 Employee Comment” in the subject line.

James (Jim) Farley, emeritus UC Cooperative Extension livestock advisor, passed away March 31. He was 78. 

Jim Farley

Farley, who lived in Merced County almost all of his life, was active as a youth in 4-H as a Merced County 4-H All Star. He owned a herd of Hereford cattle and showed them at the Merced and Los Banos Fairs.

He earned a B.S. in animal husbandry from UC Davis and a M.S. in animal science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

During his 35-year career as a livestock advisor at Cooperative Extension in Merced County, Farley received the National Association of County Agricultural Agents recognition. He also was honored by the California State Association of Farm Advisors, for which he served a term as president.   

After retirement, he was employed by Validus Verification in Western states. Farley also co-authored a book titled “Handbook for the Small-Scale Pork Producer” and also was heavily involved in providing content for the software program “Pork Planner.” 

Farley was a leader in the 4-H Swine Project and shared his livestock knowledge with the 4-H youth. He received the 4-H Merced County Tak Date Meritorious Service Award. He was elected to the McSwain Union Elementary School District Board of Trustees twice. He also was a dedicated volunteer with the Atwater Chamber of Commerce.

Farley is survived by his wife Louise Farley, son Jeff Farley, daughter Laurel Farley Mitchell and her husband Kevin Mitchell, sister Jan Fister and her husband Larry, and grandsons Jacob and Mason Mitchell.

Read more about Farley's life at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mercedsunstar/name/james-farley-obituary?id=34245242.

Leon Garoyan

Garoyan grew up in Fowler, near Fresno, and earned a B.S. in horticulture from Cal Poly. His first job was as a Cooperative Extension farm advisor for six years in Oregon, where it became apparent to him that he needed to know economics.

After earning a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1960, Garoyan served in the Kennedy Administration as a staff economist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, then returned to Oregon to resume working in Extension.

In 1970, Garoyan accepted a UCCE position in UC Davis Agricultural and Resource Sciences. At Davis, he wrote and advised extensively in several areas of marketing, particularly about the role of cooperatives and independent individual farming-related and commodity activities. He was also very active in The Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics. Garoyan retired in 1983.

He also worked and consulted with many farming-related cooperatives in the U.S., Chile, several Eastern European countries, and the Republic of Armenia. His Eastern European activities also involved consulting for the CIA on the food production and marketing systems in Eastern Europe and Russia before Perestroika. Although retired, he returned to Davis to serve as the founding director of the Statewide Center for Cooperatives, created by the Legislature in 1987 and located at UC Davis. He served as director for five years.

Garoyan was interviewed about his career in 2010 by his colleague and friend, Richard Howitt, professor emeritus of agricultural and resource economics. To view the conversation, visit https://video.ucdavis.edu/media/Leon+Garoyan/0_1dx04vri/25823532.

Garoyan is survived by his wife, Nina Hendrickx; son Leon Garoian III (Pia Kreutzer), daughter Elizabeth Garoian and grandson Benjamin Garoian.

Read more about Garoyan's life at https://www.davisenterprise.com/obits/leon-garoyan.