- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
ANR members are invited to participate in the California Specialty Crops Council's 2018 educational tour of specialty crop production and pest management in California. The tour will start on Monday, Aug. 6 in Visalia and will conclude in Sacramento in late afternoon Thursday, Aug. 9.
This educational event is designed for regulators, research scientists, Cooperative Extension personnel and representatives from several state and federal agencies.
“The specialty crop tour was a great opportunity to meet and learn from growers, processors, advisors and government agents about pest management and crop production issues throughout California,” said Ria DeBiase, pest management guidelines coordinator for the UC ANR Statewide IPM Program, who took the tour in 2015.
Participants have opportunities to learn and network while visiting crop production sites in the San Joaquin Valley, Salinas Valley and Sacramento Valley including conventional and organic production practices. Attendees meet farmers, pest control advisers and research and extension personnel dealing with specialty crop production and pest management. All of the topics are addressed in terms of using reduced-risk pest management and improving the competitive posture of California agricultural products in the global marketplace.
“Talking with farmers and advisors in their fields and orchards helped me to get a better understanding of the diversity of issues they are facing every day,” Petr Kosina, UC IPM content development supervisor, who participated in 2016.
“This is a great opportunity for staff to get a closer look at many aspects associated with California agriculture,” Gary W. Van Sickle, executive director of the California Specialty Crops Council, wrote in an email to AVP Wendy Powers.
The crops expected to be seen on the 2018 tour include pears, carrots, onions, garlic, prunes (dried plums), cherries, melons and leafy greens. The tour agenda is posted at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/281540.doc.
Tour bus transportation, most meals and all tour materials are provided. Hotel costs will be approximately $350 for participants from the Sacramento area. ANR employees may use funds from their own budgets, but ANR will not provide additional funds for the event.
To attend the tour, register by completing the tour registration form at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/281538.docx and emailing it to gary@specialtycrops.org by June 1. Logistical information about the tour is at
http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/281539.docx.
For more information, contact Van Sickle at gary@specialtycrops.org.
- Author: Liz Sizensky
VP Glenda Humiston moderated the closing plenary panel on March 23 at the California Water Policy Conference held at the UC Davis Conference Center. The panel discussed the Future of Agriculture in California.
“Assemblymember Anna Caballero, sixth-generation farmers Fritz Durst and Cannon Michael, and Jeff Payne of Friant Water Authority all offered promising ideas,” Humiston said. “Their projects, including Caballero's California Farm Bill, Durst's Sites Project, Michael's Bowles Farm and Payne's Friant Water Authority speak to sustainable solutions for agricultural economic development, which is tied to rural economic development. Also, it's great to see support for UCCE in Caballero's California Farm Bill.”
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
VP Glenda Humiston, AVP Wendy Powers and several UC ANR representatives visited more than 30 congressional offices in March to brief lawmakers and staffers on the latest agriculture and natural resources research and outreach benefiting Californians.
On March 5-8, a UC ANR delegation attended the 36th Annual Council on Agriculture Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) meetings in Washington D.C. CARET is part of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). With the assistance of Julia Rowe and Marjorie Duske of UC Federal Governmental Relations, they also visited congressional offices to explain the importance of science and research to California.
Keith Nathaniel, UC Cooperative Extension director for Los Angeles County; Katie Panarella, director of nutrition, family and consumer sciences program & policy; and Mark Bell, vice provost of strategic initiatives and statewide programs; joined the deans Helene Dillard, Keith Gilless, Michael Lairmore and Kathryn Uhrich for the visits.
“We had a lot of great meetings with Congressional members and their staff, discussing the need for sustained investments in ag & natural resources programs, research and innovation,” said Anne Megaro, director of government and community relations.
The group split up into teams to visit the offices of Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, Representatives John Garamendi, Jim Costa, Jeff Denham, Barbara Lee, Ami Bera, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Jimmy Panetta, Raul Ruiz and several other California representatives.
“California CARET representatives Dina Moore, Mike Mellano and Jean-Mari Peltier shared their experiences of how UC ANR research drives innovation and helps California farmers and related businesses remain competitive in the global market,” Megaro said.
“Overall, I felt that the visits were high quality,” said Powers. “I don't envy the elected officials or the staffers that see a revolving door of people through their offices at this time of year.”
- Author: Matt Baur
The UC ANR Staff Assembly has established a scholarship program that is available to all UC ANR staff employees and county-paid employees. The scholarship provides financial assistance to UC ANR staff to pursue career interests, develop new career paths, and address knowledge or skill gaps needed to reach professional development goals.
This year's award dates are for courses taken between May 1, 2017, and April 15, 2018. Deadline for applications is close of business April 15, 2018. Late applications will not be accepted. Courses taken after April 15, 2018, will be eligible for reimbursement on the next scholarship cycle of April 16, 2018, to Nov. 30, 2018.
Scholarship criteria:
- Funding up to $499, dependent on amount of eligible applications received.
- Training activities must occur between May 1, 2017 and April 15, 2018.
- Scholarship allocation will be considered only for successfully completed training activities. Proof of completion with a passing grade must accompany applications for courses or seminars (i.e. grade report, transcript, certificate, etc.)
- Applications must be submitted by close of business April 15, 2018. Late applications will not be accepted.
- Receipts for all eligible expenses are required for reimbursement and must be submitted with application.
- Applications received incomplete or without required documentation will not be considered.
- The UC ANR Staff Assembly Council will review applications within 30 days of application close date. Award recipients will be notified within 60 days and receive reimbursement checks when notified.
For more information, please visit the Staff Assembly website http://staffassembly.ucanr.edu/Scholarships.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
On March 5, ANR Human Resources launched the 2017-18 Annual Staff Performance Appraisal Process. The UC Davis campus has also announced their annual “call” for staff performance appraisals. Please be aware that ANR has a separate process and timeline. Please do not use the UC Davis online system for submitting Summary of Accomplishments and Employee Performance Appraisals.
It is critical that all units meet the May 14 deadline for submitting proposed overall ratings.
This timeline is subject to change with prior notice:
March 1-23: Employee prepares Summary of Accomplishments. Supervisor option: Employee prepares Self-Assessment using the Performance Appraisal form.
March 23-May 11: Supervisor meets with employee to review Summary of Accomplishments. Supervisor drafts Employee Performance Appraisal. Supervisor confirms agreement on proposed rating with second-level supervisor.
May 14: Proposed overall ratings and draft appraisals due to ANR Human Resources.
May 14-June 1: HR reviews proposed ratings for consistency, and confirms final ratings.
June 1-July 31: Supervisor meets with employee to communicate overall rating.
If you are uncertain about the process, please reach out to your supervisor or contact Mary Vlandis at (530) 750-1321 or maryvlandis@ucanr.edu.
Forms and more information regarding the ANR process are available on the Staff Human Resources webpage http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRSPU/Supervisor_Resources/Performance_Management.