- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
UC ANR participated in the Rural County Representatives of California's Annual Meeting Sept. 18-20 at the Doubletree by Hilton - Sonoma Wine Country. The event featured experts sharing their knowledge about issues important to rural communities.
Vice President Glenda Humiston; Susan Ellsworth, UCCE director for the Capitol Corridor (Sacramento, Yolo and Solano counties); Matthew Barnes, UCCE director for Lake and Mendocino counties; Yana Valachovic, UCCE director for Humboldt and Del Norte counties and forest advisor; and Sheron Violini, government and community relations associate director, were among the over 300 participants, which included county supervisors and other leaders from RCRC's 40 member counties.
Panel discussions with specialists in renewable energy storage, regenerative agriculture, sustainable forest management, and the challenges of short-term rentals.
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
UC Cooperative Extension in Siskiyou County in partnership with the Siskiyou Cattlemen's Association hosted a tour of Shasta Valley cattle ranches on Saturday, Sept. 14. Hosting the annual tour is a long-standing tradition between UCCE Siskiyou and the SCCA, which seeks to connect members of the Siskiyou County community, provide a hands-on learning opportunity, and celebrate those who have made outstanding contributions to the Siskiyou County Cattlemen's Association during the past year.
“The goal of our 2024 tour was to learn about the experiences of Shasta Valley ranchers, including their general production calendar, marketing approach and conservation projects,” said Grace Woodmansee, UCCE livestock and natural resources advisor and county director for Siskiyou County.
More than 80 people attended, including local ranchers, community members and county leaders.
The group visited Shasta Springs Ranch, where ranch manager Pete Scala described the cattle operation at the historic "The Dukes" corrals. Julie Kelley, biologist, and Nicole Bright, range ecologist, both of Sierra Pacific Industries, described one of the ranch's many conservation efforts to enhance production for the cattle operation and habitat for threatened coho salmon.
At Big Springs Ranch, ranchers Tristan and Monet Allen and their daughter, Mackenzie Johnson, along with Gary Black, restoration and conservation consultant, described how they balance production and conservation efforts.
Kory Hayden of the Siskiyou Economic Development Council spoke about the Siskiyou Climate Collaborative. The collaborative helps community members, including farmers and ranchers, pursue planning and funding opportunities that will better prepare the county for wildfires, droughts and other disasters.
Several industry speakers shared updates during the traditional barbecue lunch, including Holly Foster, Western Video Market; Justin Oldfield, California Cattle Council; Gracie LeCheminant, California Cattlemen's Association; and Jack Rice, Rancher Technical Assistance Program.
Siskiyou County Cattlemen's Association honored those who have made outstanding contributions to the Siskiyou County Cattlemen's Association over their careers. Veterinarian Dave Stillian received the 2024 Ally of the Industry Award. Eleaser Vasques was recognized as the 2024 Ranch Hand of the Year. The 2024 Cattlemen of the Year Awards were presented to Red Emmerson and Pete Scala, who hosted the tour of Shasta Springs Ranch.
“It was a really fun, well-attended and fulfilling event – beautiful ranches, wonderful hosts and speakers, very deserving awardees and great weather,” Woodmansee said. “I was particularly thrilled to have so many young professionals working in ag and natural resources management in Siskiyou attend the tour including our new UCCE agronomy advisor, Jagdeep Singh.”
“UCCE Siskiyou is fortunate to have great partnerships with the Siskiyou Economic Development Council and the Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District, where several of these vibrant young professionals work. Many of whom are also farmers and ranchers. We're very proud of these partnerships and of our community.
Woodmansee posted many photos of the tour on the UCCE Siskiyou Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UCCESiskiyoucounty.
- Author: Igor Lacan
On Aug. 23, UC ANR leaders visited UC Elkus Ranch and UCCE San Mateo/San Francisco offices to meet with our county partners and local stakeholders, and learn about the research, education, extension and outreach programs offered to residents of the two counties.
Brent Hales, associate vice president, led the visit alongside Vice Provost Daniel Obrist, Director of Cooperative Extension Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, and Director of Workplace Inclusion and Belonging Elizabeth Moon.
The visit started at the CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE offices in South San Francisco where the leaders met with our federally funded nutrition education program staff and learned about the impactful projects in school cafeterias and early education centers.
The visit continued at Elkus Ranch, where ANR leaders toured the grounds, learning about the school visit programs – the mainstay of the Elkus mission – but also learning about the ranch facilities and our other activities. Our UC Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver program volunteers were on hand to introduce their respective programs and impacts – and to share some wonderful, preserved food.
Our guests then settled into a working lunch, meeting our local partners from county agencies, elected officials, community groups and local stakeholders, for whom we organized multiple tours of the ranch.
In the early afternoon, the visit continued at the Phoenix Garden at the San Mateo Juvenile Justice Facility, where the educators from our Youth Development program and our county partners described the groundbreaking work with youth in gardening, food production, and even beekeeping – followed by honey tasting!
The tour concluded at the Gardening Education Center at the San Mateo County Event Center. Here our Master Gardener program volunteers were once again the tour guides, showcasing not only the unique GEC facilities that they have constructed in partnership with the San Mateo County Fair to propagate plants and offer hands-on classes, but also demonstrating their ability to grow some truly impressive tomatoes!
With honey and tomatoes in hand, and having connected with our many partners, stakeholders and friends, our guests departed, impressed with the reach, impact and breadth of services that our Cooperative Extension office provides to the residents of San Mateo and San Francisco counties.
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 1 – 2 p.m.: Mathew Sandoval is a cultural historian and recipient of the 2024 “Public Scholar” award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. He will discuss the evolution of Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico and the U.S., exploring its presence in pop culture, media, tourism and commercial spaces, in "The True Meaning of the Day of the Dead and the Cultural Appropriation of the Ancient Mexican Celebration."
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 1 – 2:30 p.m.: Tu Tran, UC ANR associate vice president for business operations, will introduce keynote speaker Erica Alfaro, author and motivational speaker. She will speak about the role of education in empowering Latinos, highlighting accomplishments and areas for growth. In 2019, Alfaro became the first woman in her family to earn a graduate degree. Her graduation photo, showing Alfaro in cap and gown standing in a strawberry field with her farmworker parents, went viral and made headlines.
“Don't miss these opportunities to celebrate and reflect on the dynamic contributions of Latinos in our community,” said Ricardo Vela, manager of UC ANR's News and Information Outreach in Spanish team.
Register for the Zoom events at https://ucanr.edu/HHM2024events.
If you missed Carlos Suarez, state conservationist and leader of the California Natural Resources Conservation Service, discussing the vital role of Latinos in California agriculture, view the recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih89PlYp5Rc.
Javier Diego Jacinto, an academic whose activism and scholarly work intersect with language, race, religion and immigration and are rooted in his Mazatec heritage from Oaxaca, Mexico, shed light on the profound economic impact and ongoing challenges facing Latinos in the U.S. To review the recording of his talk, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0mCfMddzzM.
If you would like to download a Zoom background to show your support for Hispanic Heritage Month, visit https://espanol.ucanr.edu/Hispanic_Heritage_Month/Mes_de_la_Herencia_Hispana_2024/Recursos_Resources_720/.
- Author: Jodi L Azulai
UC ANR Learning & Development
Landing page | Archived webinars | Learning resources
Extension Methods & Delivery
Building Support
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
Office, Team, & Personal Management
Oct. 11 | 10 -11 a.m.
For all ANR Employees! Please join us for an interactive webinar to learn about how UC ANR programming fosters change in communities. Open to anyone interested in learning about PSE changes in our community. Participants will learn:
- What PSEs are
- Examples of PSE interventions and how they can improve community health
- How to communicatePSEs in our work
For more information contact Janessa Hartmann at jlhartmann@ucanr.edu.
IGIS TRAINING SERIES CONTINUES!
Pix4D Mapper Demo/Presentation
Oct. 4 | 1 to 2 p.m.
Details & Registration
Following a brief introduction, a demonstration of the Pix4D Mapper software application will walk viewers through all of the necessary steps to rigorously process multispectral drone imagery into GIS-ready orthomosaic and digital surface model layers.
Introduction to Drone Data in ArcGIS Pro Demo/Presentation
Oct. 11 | 1 to 2 p.m.
Details & Registration
Following a brief introduction, a demonstration of the ArcGIS Pro mapping application will walk viewers through several common steps for geoprocessing and visualizing multispectral drone imagery.
Honor and celebrate International Pronouns Day!
The LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group is hosting a presentation to honor and celebrate International Pronouns Day!
Join Anna L. EldenBrady for this fast-paced and joyful exploration of pronouns and identities beyond the gender binary. The presentation will bring attendees along on a journey to discover new terminology within the broad spectrum of gender identities with a foundation rooted in history and the evolution of the English language.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/91213217542
Meeting ID: 912 1321 7542
Introduction to ArcGIS Pro
Nov. 15 | 1-4 p.m.
Details & Registration
The goal of this workshop is to introduce you to the ArcGIS Pro software application and collections of online GIS data that are particularly useful for mapping and analysis of natural and managed landscapes.
JCEP Extension Leadership Conference Abstracts Due Oct. 11!
Details & Registration.
The Joint Council of Extension Professionals Extension Leadership Conference will be held Feb.19-20, 2025, in Savannah, Georgia. The committee invites abstract submissions, which are due Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Submitters will be notified by Nov. 5 whether their abstract was selected. Conference registration opens on Nov. 6, 2024.
Oct. 29, 2024 | 11 a.m. - Noon
Join Zoom Meeting
https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/99857827531
Meeting ID: 998 5782 7531
Series continues! Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 2024: Join Us for Insightful Discussions and Inspiring Stories
The True Meaning of the Day of the Dead and the Cultural Appropriation of the Ancient Mexican Celebration - Oct. 2 at 1 – 2 p.m.
Education and Latinos – “The Future” - Oct. 9 at 1 – 2:30 p.m.
Register here to attend any or all of the webinars.
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month 2024, UC ANR Latinx & Friends ERG and News & Information Outreach in Spanish are organizing a series of events to honor and elevate the contributions of the Latino community. Feel free to invite friends and family to the events planned this year.
We are excited to invite you to a series of webinars in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month 2024. These events will offer a unique opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the invaluable contributions of the Latino community to agriculture, education, and the broader society.
The Opening Doors Institute Retreat Workshop (Extension Foundation, Opening Doors Institute)
Oct. 23 – 25, 2024
Details & Registration
This foundational workshop introduces a framework for change that examines the dynamics of power, privilege and difference at the individual, interpersonal, organizational and societal levels. Through this framework, workshop learners engage in a process of introspection, reflection and facilitated dialogue to examine and identify how they can use their inherent personal power and spheres of influence to create more just and equitable systems.
Fall 2024 14-Day Writing Challenge (NCFDD)
Details & Registration.
The 14-Day Challenge is an opportunity for you to experiment with daily writing, online community, and supportive accountability. It's very simple:
- You commit to write every day for at least 30 minutes.
- At the beginning of your writing time, you login to our online community, start the timer, complete your writing, and post your progress at the end.
- You take 5 minutes to support other writers in your group by commenting on their progress.
Every UC ANR Employee has access to NCFDD. Create an account today!
Train Your Brain to Unwind Stress (LinkedIn Learning)
Course link.
Are you feeling overwhelmed with work and life, but not sure how to respond? Stress and anxiety can be caused by all kinds of triggers that are often driven on a neurological level. In this course, join Judson Brewer, M.D., Ph.D., —psychiatrist, neuroscientist, New York Times best-selling author and professor at Brown University — to learn why stress and anxiety can drive powerful habits and behaviors that make you feel even worse.
Request your LinkedIn Learning account by contacting ANR IT at help@ucanr.edu.
Course link.
Got a big idea? You need to get it across quickly and efficiently, or modern audiences will move on to the next story clamoring for their attention. Data visualization allows you to make the complex simple, the abstract tangible, and the invisible visible. In this course, Bill Shander shows how to think about your data, your audience, and your goals to create visuals that maximize impact. Plus, learn about human visual perception and chart selection strategies, which make all the difference when visualizing data.
Request your LinkedIn Learning account by contacting ANR IT at help@ucanr.edu.
Learn something new today!
Image credit: Image by purwaka seta from Pixabay