- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
To help Californians address challenging issues, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources continues to hire UC Cooperative Extension experts to work in communities throughout the state, from Del Norte County to Imperial County. Increased state funding is enabling UC ANR to expand its expertise.
Since 1914, UC Cooperative Extension's researchers have been working directly with community members to improve the lives and livelihoods of Californians.
The 19 recently hired UC Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors bring expertise in wildfire, community economic development, agricultural technology, rice farming, nutrition, climate adaptation, environmental horticulture, water, dairy, regenerative agriculture, pasture and pest management.
To see a list of UC Cooperative Extension advisors who have joined in the past few months, visit https://ucanr.edu/About/DirectorySearch/Recent_Hires. The most recently hired scientists are introduced below.
Patton named UC integrated pest management advisor for Central Sierra
Mackenzie Patton joined UCCE on Dec. 4, 2023, as an integrated pest management advisor for the Central Sierra. She serves El Dorado, Amador, Tuolumne and Calaveras counties.
She earned a master's degree in plant pathology and phytopathology at UC Davis and a bachelor's degree in biology at the University of Texas at Tyler.
At UT Tyler, Patton was exposed to the world of plant and insect research, which directed her career aspirations. She became a Master Gardener of Smith County in Texas while finishing up her degree.
Raised in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, Patton moved to California for graduate school at UC Davis, where she studied plant viruses in solanaceous crops such as tomatoes. Following graduation, she worked in the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Department.
She later moved to Southern California to take a job as a plant pathologist for a private company and enjoyed working with a wide array of plants and clients, from agricultural companies to ornamental and backyard gardeners.
“In Orange County, I found my love for outreach and extension, which motivated me to join UC ANR as a community educator,” Patton said. In April, she joined UC ANR's Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program to raise awareness about invasive species.
“I am very excited to work with the diverse audiences and needs of the residents of the foothills,” she said.
Patton is based at the UCCE office in Placerville and can be reached at mfpatton@ucanr.edu and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ipm_gal.
Leauthaud joins UCCE as agroecology specialist at UCSC
Crystele Leauthaud joined UC ANR on Dec. 1, 2023, as a UCCE agroecology specialist based at UC Santa Cruz working on agroecology, climate change and water management. Her research and outreach activities address the socio-environmental crisis related to climate change and water resources. She works with local, regional, state and national partners and clientele on grower-focused, applied research and outreach.
“I am interested in how to take into account irrigation and water management needs as we design the agroecological transition of agricultural systems in a climate-changing context,” Leauthaud said, “as well as working with farmers to quantify water usage and building new ways of managing irrigation.”
Her areas of expertise are holistic and systemic approaches to characterize farming systems, agroecological practices such as compost teas and agroforestry, Mediterranean agriculture, participatory research, irrigation monitoring and scheduling with a focus on open-source, low-cost, do-it-yourself sensors.
Leauthaud brings over a decade of experience in research and extension activities, including studying wetland systems in semi-arid Africa (Tana River Delta, Kenya), hydrological modeling of natural and crop systems in the Sahel region in West Africa, and agronomy applied to water management in North Africa. From 2016 to 2023, she researched agronomy of hydrosystems at the CIRAD institute in France.
She earned a Ph.D. in water and environmental sciences from the University of Montpellier, France; a master's degree in ecology from the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, France; and an engineering degree in agronomy from AgroParisTech, France.
“I am really excited to be part of a larger community working on sustainable agriculture and water management in California,” Leauthaud said.
Leauthaud is based in the UCSC Center for Agroecology and the Department of Environmental Studies and can be reached at cleautha@ucsc.edu.
Singh named irrigated grass systems area advisor
Simarjeet Singh joined UCCE on Nov. 6, 2023, as the irrigated grass systems area advisor for Modoc, Lassen and Shasta counties.
He will be working on issues related to irrigated pasture systems such as improving water use efficiency, resource conservation, identifying new phenotypes to adapt to changing climatic conditions, and increasing sustainability and profitability of farm operations.
Singh plans to partner with ranchers, growers, certified crop advisers, industry groups, regulatory agencies and other agriculture community members to provide resources and address concerns related to irrigation nitrogen, soil-plant water relations, cultural practices for pasture production and regulations.
Prior to joining UCCE, Singh worked in the private agricultural sector on soil amendments and nitrogen management plans for pasture farms in Merced, Sacramento and Solano counties.
Growing up in an agricultural community in India's Punjab state – the “Land of Five Rivers” – Singh earned his bachelor's degree in agriculture from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
A desire to explore agriculture's wide diversity inspired him to continue his academic journey in California, where he completed his master's degree in plant science at Fresno State. Singh's graduate research work evaluated the performance of alfalfa cultivars under saline-sodic irrigation through subsurface drip at UC West Side Research and Extension Center.
Singh is based in Alturas and can be reached at (530) 233-6400 and ssmsingh@ucanr.edu and on LinkedIn @Simarjeet-UCCE.
UCCE nutrition specialist Smilowitz focuses on early life stages
Jennifer T. Smilowitz joined UC ANR on Nov. 1, 2023, as a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in nutrition and health equity in the Department of Nutrition at UC Davis. Smilowitz's research and outreach focus on identifying and addressing gaps in health equity, health skills and education; access to healthful foods; and other factors that contribute to health and community resilience and chronic disease risk reduction.
From pregnancy through a child's 2nd birthday or first 1,000 days – a critical period in life when diet largely influences long-lasting health in both women and their children – is of particular interest to Smilowitz.
“I'm motivated to empower families with early-life diet and lifestyle interventions and education and to improve health policies that lead to optimal health trajectories of Californians,” she said.
Smilowitz's new multidisciplinary community-health program, Outreach & Research Implementing Advancements in Nutrition Equity (ORIANE, a French/Latin word meaning “sunrise”), focuses on nutrition in the first 1,000 days. In addition to creating educational programs on nutrition and health and using multimedia to empower families (especially within racially diverse, low-income communities), ORIANE also delivers training on nutrition-related topics to health care providers, community professionals, educators and advocates.
Smilowitz holds a bachelor's degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology at UCLA and a doctoral degree in nutritional biology with an emphasis in endocrinology from UC Davis. She completed her postdoctoral research fellowship in the Department of Food Science & Technology at UC Davis. As a certified lactation education counselor, Smilowitz has conducted outreach on the benefits of breastfeeding.
Smilowitz can be reached at jensm@ucdavis.edu; she is on X (Twitter) @UCDavis_MOM and LinkedIn.
Wilcher named UCCE economic development advisor for Inyo, Mono and Eastern Kern counties
Aaron Wilcher joined UC Cooperative Extension on Oct. 2, 2023, as a community and economic development advisor for Inyo, Mono and Eastern Kern counties. Wilcher is developing an applied research and education program that will promote small business, economic diversification and workforce development in key priority sectors the region has recently outlined in its planning efforts. He will be working with regional planning organizations and business associations to build partnerships and collaborate on technical assistance.
He is looking forward to working with community members throughout the area.
"I've spent my career as a program manager and technical assistance provider working on partnerships that involved research and data, community partnerships and program development,” Wilcher said. “I was looking to support a community that thrives on its relationship to the outdoors and the environment, a ‘working landscape' you might say, so this was – in all ways shapes and forms – a position that looked tailor-made for me."
Before joining UCCE, Wilcher directed an applied economics research program for Sacramento regional community colleges and workforce stakeholders, advising on talent development strategy. In that role, he worked on regional initiatives for a range of topics including early childhood education, public sector workforce pathways, economic impact analysis for the wine industry, manufacturing industry market studies and regional workforce and economic development plans.
Wilcher also has been a faculty program manager for clean-energy workforce development programs in the San Francisco Bay Area community college system. He worked with public-private partnerships and faculty teams to create new courses that trained hundreds of students.
He earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from UCLA and a master's degree in city planning, community and economic development from UC Berkeley. He also has a master's degree in American studies from Saint Louis University in Missouri and is certified as an economic research professional by the Council for Community and Economic Research.
Wilcher is based in Bishop and can be reached at awilcher@ucanr.edu.
Woodward begins as forest advisor for Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties
Brian Woodward joined UCCE on Nov. 6, 2023, as a forest advisor for Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Woodward will work to advance resilience and effective management of forest communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains region to deliver ecological, economic and social benefits to the broader community.
Woodward's responsibilities include conducting applied research in forest management, postfire restoration and ecology; engaging in outreach and education; and promoting cross-boundary forest management using sound, science-guided techniques.
“My goal as an advisor is to promote the use of the ‘whole toolbox' in management of this forest system,” Woodward said. “Whether it be through prescribed fire; vegetation management, utilization and thinning; or home hardening – we can all do our part to ensure these iconic forest communities are more prepared for the next major disturbance event.”
After growing up among the oak woodlands of California's Lake County, Woodward embarked on an academic career focused on biological and ecological sciences. He earned a bachelor's in environmental studies from Sonoma State University, followed by a master's in forest sciences and a Ph.D. in ecology from Colorado State University. His doctoral research investigated the response of coast redwood forest systems to fire and disturbance.
Equipped with the latest research and best data on forest and natural-resource management, Woodward hopes to provide all community members with the tools, trainings and resources they need.
“Both as a scientist and as an enthusiast of our incredible forests, I'm excited to work with forest managers and property owners on the most effective techniques to strengthen forest resilience and support recovery,” said Woodward, who has lived “on and off” in the Santa Cruz/Monterey area since 2007. “I also look forward to collaborating with researchers and the greater community to address the pressing concerns of this region.”
Woodward is based at the Santa Cruz County UCCE office in Watsonville and can be reached at bdwoodward@ucanr.edu and (831) 348-7305. He is on X (formerly Twitter) @woodcology and on BlueSky @woodcology.bsky.social.
Pitton joins UCCE as environmental horticulture advisor for Placer and Nevada counties
Bruno Pitton joined UCCE on Nov. 1, 2023, as the environmental horticulture advisor for Placer and Nevada counties. He brings over 20 years of experience in environmental horticulture.
“I am excited to be the UCCE environmental horticulture advisor for Placer and Nevada counties,” said Pitton. “I want to help improve the sustainability of the landscape and nursery industry, while providing home gardeners with science-based solutions.”
Prior to joining UCCE, he worked in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, administering a grant-funded research and extension program for California's nursery and greenhouse industry. While an undergraduate student, he worked at the UC Davis Student Farm, an organic production and research farm, and the Arboretum Nursery, which produces California native and Mediterranean-adapted plants.
After graduation, Pitton worked at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' research greenhouses and teaching gardens. He oversaw integrated pest management, irrigation and fertilizer programs for plant science research.
“The teaching gardens were used to educate students about landscape plants,” Pitton said, “and I gained valuable practical experience managing all aspects of landscape maintenance from urban forestry to perennial propagation and planting.”
While working in the UC Davis greenhouses and teaching gardens, he conducted research on residential irrigation runoff with UCCE environmental horticulture specialist Loren Oki and received an M.S. in horticulture and agronomy.
In 2015, he began working full-time with Oki on a nationwide research project to develop online tools that help nursery and greenhouse growers reuse their irrigation runoff water, affectionately known as “CleanWateR3: Reduce, Remediate, Recycle.” They collaborated with academics and two California nurseries to understand irrigation application and runoff patterns to develop cleanwater3.org. For his Ph.D., Pitton studied nitrogen management in nursery production to help growers meet state regulations, increase nitrogen use efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of nitrogen loss.
After completing his Ph.D., Pitton conducted research to optimize nutrient application rates in the vegetable transplant industry and developed irrigation best management practice training for California's underserved greenhouse and nursery staff to improve water-use efficiency and plant health.
Pitton is based in Auburn and can be reached at bjpitton@ucanr.edu. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @EnvHort.
Oppliger joins UCCE as Central Sierra health and nutrition advisor
Kitty Oppliger began working with UC Cooperative Extension on Oct. 23, 2023, as the community health and nutrition advisor for Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, El Dorado, Placer and Nevada counties.
Centering cultural resilience and holistic health for the diverse communities across this region, Oppliger aims to address needs in the areas of healthy lifestyles, health equity, food and water security, Indigenous food sovereignty, and climate change.
“I look forward to working with community members as we strive to provide healthy environments, equitable access to food and health care, and resilient communities for all California residents by eliminating health disparities and resource scarcity,” she said.
Oppliger will partner with local faith-based organizations and meal ministries to address food insecurity. She hopes to collaborate with tribal communities on food and land sovereignty issues by integrating traditional harvesting, growing and cooking methods into existing nutrition frameworks.
Born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a remote region with a prominent Native American presence, Oppliger worked with tribal leaders to develop sustainable and resilient food systems at Michigan Tech University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in ecology and biology.
Motivated by her own experience with limited access to healthy food and medical care in rural Michigan, Oppliger earned her master's in public health with a concentration in sustainable food systems from the University of Michigan. There, she engaged in research on a range of topics – from disability and nutrition to refugee health – centered by a drive for increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in health care and food systems.
An avid gardener and forager in the Midwest, Oppliger is eager to translate her knowledge to the unique environment of the Central Sierra. She hopes to work closely with the UC Master Gardener and UC Master Food Preserver programs in UCCE to expand food access and security.
Oppliger is based at the UCCE Amador County office in Jackson and can be reached at koppliger@ucanr.edu.
Erickson named UCCE nutrition, health and food systems advisor for East Bay Area
Alexa Erickson joined UCCE on Oct. 9, 2023, as an assistant community nutrition, health and food systems advisor serving Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
She is passionate about working towards a more equitable and resilient food system. Her interests include food access, nutrition knowledge and well-being in relation to urban agriculture.
Prior to joining UC ANR, Erickson worked as a public health nutritionist for Santa Clara County Public Health Department's Women, Infants and Children program for five years.
Originally hailing from Michigan, she completed her undergraduate studies in Spanish and brain, behavior and cognitive science at the University of Michigan. She earned her master's of public health at the University of Michigan and became a registered dietitian.
Erickson is based in Concord and can be reached at americkson@ucanr.edu.
Godfrey named UCCE Bay Area environmental horticulture and water management advisor
Jessie Godfrey joined UCCE on Oct. 2, 2023, as an environmental horticulture and water resource management advisor. She serves Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties.
Godfrey works with nurseries, particularly those involved in tree production, and community-based organizations involved in urban tree planting or environmental horticulture. She will also guide the UC Master Gardener programs in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
She is a tree physiologist, with a Ph.D. in horticulture and agronomy from UC Davis. The bulk of her academic training focused on measuring abiotic stress responses in woody perennials, but she developed additional skills through research with seedling nurseries for the USDA Forest Service and CAL FIRE. As a former professional East Bay gardener who focused on climate-appropriate plants, Godfrey says she also learned a lot from landscape horticulture classes at Merritt Community College.
The Oakland native served in the U.S. Peace Corps as an agroforestry extension specialist in Northern Cameroon.
Godfrey is based in UCCE Alameda County's Hayward office. When she returns from maternity leave in June, she can be reached at jmgodfrey@ucanr.edu.
Singh joins UCCE as Central Coast agricultural technology advisor
Param Singh joined UCCE on Oct. 2, 2023, as a agricultural technology area advisor for Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and San Luis Obispo counties. Singh studies technology challenges in coastal specialty crop production.
In addition to fostering environmental and economic resilience through the adoption of new technologies, Singh aims to cultivate collaborations that will help establish an “ag tech” hub on the Central Coast.
“I look forward to building strong partnerships with industry, regional organizations, educational institutions and UC ANR colleagues to deliver economic growth and impact – both in our local communities and across the state,” he said.
Hailing from the small village of Kheri Jattan, Punjab, Singh earned his bachelor's degree in agriculture at Punjab Agricultural University. He earned his master's in plant sciences and Ph.D. in agronomy and crop science at New Mexico State University, where he studied sustainable production options that improve water-use efficiency and ecosystem services of Southern High Plains cropping systems.
Prior to joining UC ANR, Singh was a research project manager with the Irrigation Innovation Consortium at Colorado State University. He managed CSU-TAPS (Testing Ag Performance Solutions), a program that facilitates interactive, real-life farm management competitions.
Singh is based in Salinas, at the Monterey County UC Cooperative Extension office. He can be reached at psbsingh@ucanr.edu and (831) 214-8621.
UCCE Santa Clara County advisor Cohen aims to divert organic materials from landfills
Michael Cohen joined UCCE on Oct. 2, 2023, as an organic materials management and agri-food systems advisor in Santa Clara County.
Cohen's work seeks to enhance the efficiency of both rural and urban agri-food systems while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. He brings his background in applied research and community outreach to bear in finding means to divert organic materials from landfills for other uses, including as soil amendments and bioenergy production.
Through the implementation of such projects, nutrients from the organic waste sector cycle back into working landscapes and food system supply chains, thereby bolstering the resilience and sustainability of Bay Area food and farming systems.
Cohen holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from UC Davis and a bachelor's degree in biology from California State University, Northridge and has conducted research in wastewater and biomaterials management at universities and institutes in the U.S. and abroad.
Cohen is based in San Jose and can be reached at mfscohen@ucanr.edu and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-cohen-a21a7834.
Mireles named UCCE fruit and almond advisor for Fresno and Tulare counties
Raymond Mireles joined UCCE on Oct. 2, 2023, as the fruit and almond advisor for Fresno and Tulare counties.
Prior to joining UC ANR, Mireles was a research technician with Bayer Crop Science. He gained experience in identifying and controlling common insect pests in California cropping systems while working with Bayer Crop Science entomologists.
Mireles also played a key role in the establishment and operation of drone technology used to assess plant health for the Bayer Crop Science UAV Program. Mireles is excited to apply his industry and academic expertise to aid farmers in overcoming existing issues and challenges.
Born and raised in Visalia, Mireles earned his bachelor's degree in plant science at Fresno State. With a fellowship with Bayer Crop Science, he also earned a master's degree in plant science at Fresno State. For his thesis, Mireles studied the use of remote sensing technologies for assessing spider mite damage in almonds.
Mireles is based in Tulare and can be reached at (559) 684-3300 and jrmireles@ucanr.edu.
Rising Star Award winner Peña-Lévano named UCCE dairy specialist
Luis Peña-Lévano joined the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Oct. 1, 2023, as an assistant professor of Cooperative Extension in dairy cattle production, health and management economics.
In 2021, Peña-Lévano joined University of Wisconsin-River Falls as an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, and in 2022 became a Dairy Innovation Hub faculty affiliate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Peña-Lévano's research is focused on dairy economics, financial management, agribusiness, mathematical optimization and agricultural and environmental policy.
The International Food and Agribusiness Management Association recently honored Peña-Lévano with its 2023 Rising Star Award, a global annual award given to an outstanding early career professional.
Peña-Lévano is currently the chair of the International Section of the Agricultural and Applied Economic Association.
Peña-Lévano earned a Ph.D. in agricultural economics with specialization on international trade and environmental economics at Purdue University, master's degree in agriculture and applied economics at the University of Georgia, and bachelor's degree in food science and technology from Zamorano University in Honduras. His doctoral dissertation focused on climate change interactions with food security, agriculture, livestock and forestry.
Peña-Lévano is located at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching and Research Center in Tulare and can be reached at lpenalevano@ucdavis.edu, on Twitter @drlouispl and on LinkedIn.
Volk joins UCCE as horticulture advisor for Santa Barbara and Ventura counties
Emma Volk joined UC Cooperative Extension on Sept. 1, 2023, as the production horticulture advisor serving Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Volk's role focuses on solving issues affecting greenhouse and nursery production. Her work can focus on anything from water quality and nutrient management, to pest and disease control in controlled environments.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvannia, Volk earned a master's degree in horticultural science from North Carolina State University and a bachelor's degree in international agriculture and rural development from Cornell University.
Volk brings experience in grapevines and strawberries. After graduating from Cornell, she was a full-time research assistant investigating how to produce strawberry plugs in a controlled environment. Her master's degree investigated soil steam disinfestation as an alternative to pre-plant fumigation in strawberry plasticulture systems.
In addition to her understanding of horticultural production, Volk's philosophy on education and extension will surely come in handy. Volk said that relaying scientific information in the simplest form is important because it allows everyone to engage with the topic at hand, from a backyard gardener to a grower who has been in the business for decades.
As a UCCE advisor, Volk is interested in promoting sustainable pest management and improving irrigation practices. “I'm also looking forward to learning about the growers and how I can become one of their trusted partners,” said Volk.
“To get there, I can't rely solely on formal presentations to share scientific information. Everything before that point matters. I've got to be communicative and collaborative from the very beginning,” she said.
Volk is based out of the UC Cooperative Extension office in Ventura County and can be reached at evolk@ucanr.edu.
Riar named restoration ecology and weed science advisor
Mandeep Riar joined UCCE on Sept. 1, 2023, as the restoration ecology and weed science area advisor for Kern, Tulare and Kings counties.
As water availability issues cause dramatic shifts in agricultural land use in California, these ultimately cause a shift in the weed flora too. In her current role, Riar is focused on ecological restoration and weed management in fallowed, retired and abandoned agricultural lands and natural areas. Her overall goal is to enhance restoration efforts while minimizing the impact of invasive weeds.
Riar earned a Ph.D. in weed science from North Carolina State University in Raleigh and a master's degree in agricultural meteorology and agronomy from Punjab Agricultural University in India. Her dissertation was focused on environmental, cultural and biological factors influencing the growth and geographical expansion of invasive weeds.
As a postdoctoral research associate, Riar worked on abiotic stress evaluation in various field crops including soybean and sorghum and identified genotypes for superior drought tolerance.
Riar is based in Bakersfield and can be reached at (661) 868-6216 and mriar@ucanr.edu.
Mosase named UCCE SoCal urban watershed resilience advisor
Esther Mosase began a new role on Sept. 1, 2023, as a UC Cooperative Extension urban watershed resilience advisor, serving Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Previously, Mosase was a UCCE community education specialist focused on climate-smart agriculture for San Diego and Riverside counties. Her work involved water conservation, soil health and alternative manure management efforts. She also supported farmers in securing funding for climate-smart agricultural practices.
In her new role, Mosase will be responsible for increasing the resilience of urban watersheds to secure water accessibility, availability and quality.
Concerns that are top of mind for Mosase include pollution exacerbated by urban development and tourism, which threatens the quality of available water. With urbanization comes infrastructure, such as roads that are a lot less permeable than grass, contributing to runoff instead of infiltration. Climate change also continues to produce heavy rainfall and, in some cases, flooding. Mosase is interested in understanding how these factors will impact watersheds and the communities that depend on them.
“My job is also working with communities for equity purposes,” said Mosase, noting that community members likely have reliable insight as to how their local watersheds behave, but are also more vulnerable to negative impacts affecting the watershed. “It'll be interesting to hear and learn from these communities because they see a lot more than we do.”
Mosase earned a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering, focused on modeling water availability, risk and resilience, from South Dakota State University. She also holds a master's degree in agricultural engineering from Botswana College of Agriculture and a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Botswana.
When asked what she is most excited about in her new role, Mosase said that she looks forward to educating and inspiring the younger generation to get involved.
“I realized that I never really talked to my daughter about my work. But she learned about climate change, and she's so obsessed now,” said Mosase. “Her excitement makes me excited about involving kids and teaching them about water and climate change and its effects while they're young.”
Mosase is based at the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine and can be reached at enmosase@ucanr.edu.
Das joins UCCE as regenerative agriculture specialist
Srabani Das joined UC Cooperative Extension on Aug. 29, 2023, as a regenerative agriculture specialist at the UC Merced campus. While Das supports statewide efforts, she is especially excited about working in the surrounding Central Valley.
Das describes regenerative agriculture as “incorporating collaborative practices that make agriculture more sustainable, nourishing people and Mother Earth.” With her background in soil health, Das is helping farmers adopt practices that not only increase crop productivity, but also sequester soil carbon.
“Regenerative ag is not new; it is only now that it is being labeled and communities are realizing that it can be a powerful vehicle for climate mitigation and environmental justice,” she said.
Before joining UC Cooperative Extension, Das worked for the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis on the Century Experiment, which focused on tracking the influence of different fertilizer, cover crop and irrigation systems on soil health. Prior to moving to California, she worked for The Ohio State University, collaborating with corn, soybean and pasture farmers and Ohio State Extension.
“I was responsible for assessing the soil's physical and chemical properties, and communicating the impacts of on-farm practices on the soil health of prime agricultural lands that have been cultivated for more than 100 years,” Das said.
Practices such as conventional tilling cause erosion so minimum tillage is preferred. “Other practices like covering the soil, increasing crop diversity, rotating crops, planting perennials are also important to improve soil health,” she added.
For California, Das said an immediate need is developing decision-support tools that will aid farmers with tracking soil-carbon buildup from regenerative agricultural practices. She wants to make those resources equitably accessible for all growers, especially those who are marginalized, women or members of racially or ethnically diverse communities.
Currently, she is partnering with the Compost Climate Action Plan in San Joaquin Valley, led by UC Merced, which aims to advance the science, education and practice of composting. Das co-leads the outreach efforts of the project.
Das earned a bachelor's degree in plant biology and a master's degree in environmental sciences from the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai, India. She also earned a doctorate from Cornell University in biological and environmental engineering, studying soil carbon sequestration in marginal lands.
Das can be reached at sradas@ucanr.edu.
Costa named UCCE rural community disaster preparedness specialist
Lais Costa joined the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine on Aug. 1, 2023, in the Department of Population, Health & Reproduction as an assistant professor of Cooperative Extension for rural community disaster preparedness.
Costa's research is focused on animal health and welfare, safety and disaster preparedness.
Costa has held a variety of clinical academic positions, predominately as an equine internist, research specialist or associate veterinarian at Tufts University, Mississippi State University and UC Davis. In 2018, she was hired as the lead veterinarian for the UC Davis Veterinary Emergency Response Team and in 2021 she also assumed responsibilities as the director of the International Animal Welfare Training Institute.
Costa received her master's in veterinary medicine from São Paulo State University, Brazil and her master's degree at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. She completed her doctor of veterinary medicine equivalence from the American Veterinary Medical Association Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates. Costa received her Ph.D. from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
She also attained dual Diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Large Animal, 1999) and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (Equine Practice certification 2006, recertification 2016). Costa is certified as a veterinary acupuncturist with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society.
She can be reached at lrcosta@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
The VINE at UC ANR partners with GO-Biz and CDFA to subsidize agtech companies
Agricultural technology companies in California are eligible for sponsorships to participate in the upcoming AgroBaja 2024, the leading agricultural technology event taking place in Mexicali, Mexico, on March 7-9. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 16 by The VINE, an initiative at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, in partnership with the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
This effort is part of a broader initiative to encourage the growth and development of the agtech sector, providing a stage for California businesses to share their innovative technologies and services with the international community. The collaboration highlights a shared commitment to advancing California's position in the global agtech landscape.
To encourage participation, The VINE and UC ANR are extending a robust support package to attendees, which includes:
- Reduced participation fees: Offering subsidized registration costs ranging from $250 to $500, enabling a wider array of companies to engage.
- Hotel accommodations: Providing complimentary hotel stays to alleviate logistical challenges for participants.
- Exhibition space: Allocating a dedicated pavilion area for companies to showcase their technologies and services.
- Logistical support: Offering assistance with local transportation and equipment logistics.
"This initiative represents a significant step towards enhancing the global competitiveness of California's agtech industry," said Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer at UC ANR and co-founder of The VINE. "By reducing financial barriers, we are opening doors for innovative companies to showcase their solutions, connect with international stakeholders and pave the way for future collaborations. We believe that our support will ignite new opportunities for growth and innovation in the agricultural sector."
Feb. 16 is the deadline to apply. For application details and more information about AgroBaja 2024, please visit https://bit.ly/CA-Agrobaja-Delegation.
About The VINE:
The VINE, an initiative of University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, is California's agriculture, food and biotech innovation network. Our mission is to harness the power of open innovation to help industries and entrepreneurs grow and scale globally while catalyzing technology innovation and commercialization for productive, sustainable and equitable food systems. We connect entrepreneurs to a vast network of public and private sector resources, build collaborations that accelerate technology solutions to solve industry challenges, and grow regional capacity to support global innovation as an economic opportunity.
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- Author: Ria DeBiase, Communications Director, Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics
After AB 1066, ag workers see average hours, wages fall
Proponents of California's agricultural overtime law, AB 1066, have called it a victory for farmworkers, while critics have asserted that it will harm the very people it was designed to protect. New research by Alexandra Hill, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and assistant professor in UC Berkeley's Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, shows that, on average, there has been a decrease in worker hours and wages.
Her estimates suggest that in the first two years of its implementation, California's farmworkers worked a total of 15,000 to 45,000 fewer hours and earned a total of $6 million to $9 million less on their weekly paychecks than they would have without this law in place.
In 2016, California passed Assembly Bill 1066, legislation that removed existing overtime exemptions for farmworkers in the Fair Labor Standards Act. The FLSA is the federal law that mandates many employment conditions, including overtime standards. In non-exempt industries, it requires that employers pay 1.5 times an employee's regular pay rate for any hours worked beyond 40 hours per week.
Prior to AB 1066, agricultural workers in California were entitled to overtime pay for hours worked beyond 60 hours per week, but AB 1066 changed this beginning in 2019. The law mandated a gradual phase-in (over four years) of reduced overtime thresholds (lowering the weekly hours threshold by 5 hours/week each year) until agricultural employees are subject to the same overtime standards as workers in other industries (40 hours/week).
Many farmers feared that this new policy would drive food prices up, push them out of business, or force a faster transition to mechanization. Most reported that they would reduce hours for individual workers to remain below the new overtime standards and avoid paying the higher rates.
However, media, advocacy groups, and others heralded the law as a major win for farmworkers, as it would provide workers with more fair compensation for long workweeks. While long-term effects of the law for farmers and farmworkers remain to be seen, Hill's work sheds light on the early effects of the law on worker hours and earnings.
Using worker-reported hours from the National Agricultural Workers Survey both before and in the two years after the law went into effect (2019 and 2020), economist Hill explored the effects of AB 1066. Overall, she finds that worker hours and earnings decreased as an effect of the legislation.
Her work highlights that the share of workers working 56–60 hours/week, just below the old overtime threshold, decreased by roughly half. Most of these workers shifted to working fewer hours; the share working 46–50 hours/week, just below the new (as of 2020) overtime threshold, increased by roughly one-third. She found similar reductions in worker earnings.
The share of the workforce with higher weekly earnings (between $600 and $800/week) decreased by roughly one-third, with most of these workers shifting into a lower earnings bracket of $400–$500/week. These changes in hours and pay are consistent with employers behaving as they claimed they would – by cutting hours to avoid paying overtime rates.
Hill notes that these decreases in average wages and hours may be positive for those who want more leisure time and may – due to shorter workdays and weeks – improve workplace safety. However, she also warns that this can be detrimental for “workers and their families who were depending on this lost income to cover living expenses (and who) may now need to seek out second employment opportunities, negating these other benefits and adding the inconvenience of traveling between jobs.”
To learn more about the effects of AB 1066 on California farmworkers, read the full article by Hill: “California's Overtime Law for Agricultural Workers: What Happened to Worker Hours and Pay?” online at https://giannini.ucop.edu/publications/are-update.
ARE Update is a bimonthly magazine published by the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics to educate policymakers and agribusiness professionals about new research or analysis of important topics in agricultural and resource economics. Articles are written by Giannini Foundation members, including University of California faculty and Cooperative Extension specialists in agricultural and resource economics, and university graduate students. Learn more about the Giannini Foundation and its publications at https://giannini.ucop.edu.
/h3>- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
- Author: Mike Hsu
- Author: Saoimanu Sope
The most recent group of scientists and educators hired by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources includes several firsts, including a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in water equity at UCLA and a UC Cooperative Extension Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community development advisor for the Bay Area.
To better serve Spanish-speaking Californians, UC ANR also added a communication specialist to its News and Information Outreach in Spanish unit.
Officially established in 1914, UC Cooperative Extension's researchers work directly with community members to apply research-based information to improve the lives and livelihoods of Californians. Increased funding from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature has enabled UC ANR to expand the number of experts working in communities across the entire breadth of the state, from Siskiyou to San Diego counties.
The newly hired UC Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors bring expertise in nutrition, health impacts of climate change, youth development, dairy science, economics, weed management and pest management.
To see a list of UC Cooperative Extension advisors who have joined in the past few months, visit https://ucanr.edu/About/DirectorySearch/Recent_Hires. The most recently hired scientists are introduced below.
De Guzman named first UCCE specialist at UCLA
Edith de Guzman joined UC ANR Sept. 1 as a UC Cooperative Extension water equity and adaptation policy specialist. She is the first UCCE specialist to be based at UCLA.
Her work investigates best practices for the sustainable transformation of the Los Angeles region and beyond, and has included research, demonstration projects, public policy and planning in the areas of water management, climate adaptation, heat mitigation and urban forestry. She tackles these topics through the lenses of urban planning, public health, behavioral sciences, biophysical sciences and public policy.
She co-founded and directs the Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative, a multisectoral partnership working to alleviate the public health risks of extreme heat. Their research has found that one in four lives currently lost to extreme heat could be saved if L.A.'s land cover had more trees and its built surfaces were more reflective, particularly where low-income communities and communities of color live and work.
From 2014 to 2020, de Guzman served as director of research at the Los Angeles-based organization TreePeople. Her projects at the nonprofit included the City of Los Angeles Stormwater Capture Master Plan; facilitating the creation of a Greening Plan with the Inglewood and Lennox communities; bringing to fruition multiple urban water-management demonstration projects; and leading an extensive study tour of Australia's response to its historic Millennium Drought and gleaning lessons for California. She also produced the first interactive, high-resolution public map and spatial analysis of Los Angeles County's urban forest.
Having completed all of her studies at UCLA, de Guzman holds a Ph.D. in environment and sustainability, a master's degree in urban planning and a bachelor's degree in history and art history.
Learn more about her research advancing climate resilience and access to clean water and sustainable resources in a Q&A at https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/2023/07/31/welcome-to-our-new-water-equity-and-adaptation-policy-expert-edith-de-guzman.
De Guzman is based at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation in Los Angeles and can be reached at eb3@ucla.edu and @edithbdeguzman on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Murillo-Barrick named BIPOC advisor for Bay Area
Cristina Murillo-Barrick transitioned into a new UCCE position on June 1 as the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community development advisor serving Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco and San Mateo counties.
Murillo-Barrick, who had worked as UCCE academic coordinator focused on planning grants for Fresno, Merced, Madera and Tulare counties since 2021, described her new role as “more holistic,” prioritizing historically marginalized communities. Murillo-Barrick will be identifying opportunities to leverage the strengths of BIPOC communities.
In addition to conducting a needs assessment, Murillo-Barrick is planning to form a language access group at ANR – something she is very passionate about. This group will focus on identifying language barriers and best practices by engaging programs like CalFresh Healthy Living, UC and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program that have expertise conducting multilingual programs throughout California. For example, they may recommend increasing accessibility using infographics and/or video, both of which can be translated into different languages and/or dialects.
The realm of diversity, equity and inclusion is not new to Murillo-Barrick, who has worked in outdoor education spaces, serving historically underserved communities of color. “I worked in DEI before it was considered ‘cool,'” she said.
“I have a lot of influence over program development in this role,” said Murillo-Barrick, who is fluent in Spanish. “So, my goal as an advisor is really focused on the community engagement part,” she added.
Murillo-Barrick earned a master's degree in geography and community development and a bachelor's degree in Spanish and international relations at UC Davis. During graduate school, she studied conservation issues in Nicaragua, as well as in her homeland, Costa Rica.
Murillo-Barrick is based out of the UCCE office in Hayward and can be reached at cmurillo@ucanr.edu.
Cervantes joins UC ANR as broadcast communication specialist
Diana Cervantes joined UC ANR on Sept. 5 as the new broadcast communication specialist for News and Information Outreach in Spanish, or NOS.
Cervantes brings over 25 years of experience as a journalist serving the Spanish-speaking community in Southern California to help fulfill the NOS mission of disseminating information to California's Spanish-speaking community.
Before joining NOS, Cervantes was an editor for El Latino, the most widely circulated Spanish-language newspaper in San Diego County. She participated in the creation of the El Latino website and spearheaded the newspaper's digital platform migration.
Her professional journey includes working as a reporter for La Opinión, the largest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the nation, as well as a reporter for La Prensa/The Press Enterprise in Riverside.
She is bicultural and bilingual, qualities that uniquely equip her to understand the needs and nuances of the immigrant community in this country.
Cervantes holds a bachelor's degree in communication sciences with a minor in written journalism from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California.
"I am very happy for the opportunity to participate in the valuable work that UC ANR does to bring knowledge to the Hispanic community," Cervantes said.
Cervantes is based at the UC ANR office in Riverside and can be reached at diacervantes@ucanr.edu.
Hill named weed science and agronomy advisor
Ryan Hill joined UCCE on Aug. 14 as a weed science and agronomy advisor in Tehama, Shasta and Glenn counties.
In his new role, Hill will be exploring safe and effective weed-management options for a range of cropping systems in the northern Sacramento Valley. He also will be advising on production of agronomic crops to support growers who are looking for ways to diversify their farming operations.
When the UC Master Gardener Program gets established in Tehama County, Hill will provide academic oversight for the local program.
“I have been very fortunate to have a wide background of experience in agricultural research and I intend to draw on that as much as I can as a UCCE advisor,” Hill said. “I also intend to draw on the diverse array of resources and expertise that UC ANR has to offer to support my research and extension programs, as well as the Master Gardener program. I am looking forward to making consistent progress toward more sustainable food systems as a member of the UC ANR team.”
Before joining UC ANR, Hill worked for the Oregon State University Extension Service, the California processing tomato industry, and the Joint Genome Institute. At OSU, he managed research operations and field plantings at the research farm for 3.5 years, while learning weed science. He worked on weed control and herbicide safety projects in hazelnuts, hops, caneberries, cranberries, blueberries, ornamental trees and shrubs, apples, cherries, pears, wine grapes and Christmas trees.
Hill earned a master's degree in plant breeding and genetics from Oregon State University, where he studied the genetics of self-incompatibility in hazelnuts. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.
“I was born and raised in Stanislaus County,” Hill said, “and I am happy to be back in the Central Valley after spending the last six years in Oregon.”
Hill is based in Red Bluff and can be reached at rjahill@ucanr.edu.
Branco Lopes joins UCCE as dairy advisor for Tulare, Kern counties
Rúbia Branco Lopes joined UC Cooperative Extension on Aug. 1 as a dairy farm advisor for Tulare and Kern counties.
She is looking forward to working with dairy producers, consultants and allied industry throughout Tulare and Kern counties. Branco Lopes aims to develop a research and outreach program that will contribute to the competitiveness and profitability of California dairies.
Raised on a beef ranch in Brazil, Branco Lopes nurtured an interest in agriculture from an early age.
She came to the U.S. to work as a visiting scholar at the UC Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center in Tulare. At VMTRC, among other projects, she studied the feeding management of close-up rations in California dairies.
Recently, Branco Lopes finished her Ph.D. in animal biology from UC Davis. Her dissertation investigated the effect of probiotics on growth of dairy calves and assessed the safety of commercial cattle probiotic products. During her academic career, she conducted research mainly on ruminant nutrition and antimicrobial stewardship.
She holds a bachelor's degree in agronomy and a master's in animal science from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Branco Lopes is based out of the UC Cooperative Extension office in Tulare and can be reached at rbrancolopes@ucanr.edu.
Vega joins UCCE in San Diego and Orange counties
Liliana Vega is the new UC Cooperative Extension 4-H youth development advisor serving San Diego and Orange counties as of Aug. 1.
Her research and outreach focus on positive youth development through a JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) lens, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), youth leadership, outdoor education, and college and career readiness/workforce development programs focused on reaching BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) youth and families.
Vega holds a bachelor's degree in multi-ethnic and Mexican American studies from Boise State University and a master's degree in adult/organizational learning and leadership from the University of Idaho.
With over 15 years of experience as a 4-H professional – previously serving San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties for the last five years and in Idaho's Ada and Canyon counties before that – Vega feels prepared for her new role as an advisor in San Diego and Orange County.
In 2021, Vega was part of the team that won a Diversity & Inclusion Award from the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals for increasing the number of Latino youths participating in the California 4-H program by more than 250% over three years.
“I'm excited to forge new partnerships in San Diego and Orange counties and collaboratively work to provide access to experiential learning, increase youth-adult partnerships, and help youth gain the support they need to grow and thrive as individuals,” she said.
Vega has extensive experience in forming community partnerships to deliver quality youth development programs, with a focus on increasing access for minority, low-income and underserved audiences. Her expertise is in culturally adapting programs for the Latinx community.
Currently, Vega serves on the National 4-H LGBTQ+ and Immigrant/Refugee Youth and Community Champion Groups. She also chairs the 4-H Statewide JEDI Advisory Committee, California 4-H True Leaders in Equity Youth Taskforce, and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' Career/College Readiness and Workforce Development Workgroup.
Vega is based at the UCCE office in San Diego and can be reached at live@ucanr.edu.
Ramirez Bonilla named pesticide-safety education program coordinator
Jasmin Ramirez Bonilla joined the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program on July 10 as a pesticide-safety education program coordinator. She is working on projects promoting pesticide safety.
Prior to joining UC ANR, she worked for the CDFA Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch as a lab technician for the molecular lab, analyzing and processing crop samples for nematode identification.
Ramirez Bonilla earned a master's degree in entomology from UC Davis and bachelor's degree in Earth systems science from UC Merced. At UC Davis, she worked under the supervision of Ian Grettenberger, UCCE specialist, on IPM in forages and vegetable crops. For her thesis, Ramirez Bonilla researched the efficacy of an experimental aggregation pheromone for the management of cucumber beetles, key pests of fresh market melons in California.
Ramirez Bonilla is based at the ANR building in Davis and can be reached at jramirezbonilla@ucanr.edu.
Van Cleave-Hunt named UCCE nutrition, health and food security advisor
Before beginning her current position, Van Cleave-Hunt served for four years as a community education specialist for the CalFresh Healthy Living, UC program before becoming the program supervisor serving the same counties.
“Luckily, I already have my finger on the pulse of the community in these five counties just through my experience with CalFresh. I've been able to build rapport and connections with a lot of community partners and stakeholders,” said Van Cleave-Hunt.
As an advisor, Van Cleave-Hunt will focus on nutrition, education and healthy living efforts for people who are at a disadvantage, for example, those living in food deserts or experiencing food insecurity, a term used to describe the societal and environmental barriers to access and manage food.
“Food security is about environment and access, but also skills related to food,” Van Cleave-Hunt said. “For instance, budgeting, even things like gardening, cooking and knowing how to prepare food so that you don't always have to buy ready-made food, or how to store things properly so that they last as long as possible.”
According to Van Cleave-Hunt, food security includes skills that will help you get the most out of the food that you have.
Currently, Van Cleave-Hunt is compiling secondary data to conduct a needs assessment. In addition to engaging stakeholders such as resident service coordinators at low-income housing units or community organizations, she is also working with the State Council on Developmental Disabilities to develop healthy living trainings and curricula that will benefit communities in her counties.
Van Cleave-Hunt said that her time with UC Cooperative Extension has been a “full-circle journey” since she studied human behavior and health in school. She started her undergraduate career at Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to California State University, Chico where she earned a bachelor's in nutrition and a master's degree in nutrition education.
Chelsey Slattery, former UCCE area nutrition, family, and consumer sciences advisor for Butte County, recruited Van Cleave-Hunt right out of college to be a UC Cooperative Extension community education specialist. Today, Van Cleave-Hunt holds the position that Slattery once did.
Van Cleave-Hunt can be reached at vvancleavehunt@ucanr.edu and is based in Oroville.
Wayne joins UCCE as food systems advisor
Laurie Wayne joined UC Cooperative Extension on July 5 in Modoc County as a nutrition and food systems advisor for Modoc, Lassen and Siskiyou counties. Wayne will work with community members on healthy lifestyles, nutrition, food access and security, local food production, preservation and availability.
Wayne brings years of high-desert food systems experience to her role: she owned and operated Locavore Farms in Fort Bidwell, helped found the Surprise Valley Saturday Market and Modoc Harvest, and was on the team that started the Modoc Harvest Food Hub. She also has worked supporting healthy communities for Oregon State University Extension in Klamath Falls, and at the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance in Bend, Oregon.
She earned a master's degree in TESOL (to teach English as a second language) from Portland State University and worked in school and community gardens with immigrants and refugees as part of her research project. She earned a bachelor's degree in Italian literature from UC Santa Cruz.
This job feels like the culmination of the farming, studying, supporting farmers and working in food systems she has done in the past 15 years, Wayne said.
“I'm especially interested in working on expanding access to affordable, healthy, local food year-round, including extending and preserving the harvest,” Wayne said. Her goal is to help everyone feel empowered to make healthy food choices, and she's learning what resources producers need to improve processing, transportation and production strategies, and overcome barriers that are unique to the region.
To better understand both the food systems needs and the abundant food assets of northeastern California, she will be meeting with community members; state, local and regional nonprofits; schools and other organizations in the next few months. They will discuss ways to strengthen community food system resilience.
“It's all about healthy community members who can eat good local food without breaking the bank, and producers who can make a living feeding them,” Wayne said.
Based in Alturas, Wayne can be reached at lwayne@ucanr.edu and (530) 233-6400.
Hyland named UCCE environmental health sciences specialist
Carly Hyland joined UC ANR in July as a UC assistant Cooperative Extension environmental health sciences specialist and assistant professor in the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
She recently finished a mixed-methods project at Boise State University examining pesticide exposure and perceptions of the risks of pesticides among Latino men and women farmworkers in Idaho. In California, she is pursuing projects examining interventions to protect farmworkers from pesticides, extreme heat and wildfire smoke in collaboration with community partners.
“There are so many reasons I wanted to come back to Berkeley, and I think one of the biggest motivating factors for me was the collaborative environment focused not just on conducting innovative research, but also translating those findings into solutions to improve community health,” Hyland said. “Farmworkers are increasingly experiencing the health impacts of climate change on a daily basis, and this position will provide me with the resources and collaborations necessary to identify strategies to address these urgent issues.”
Hyland earned her Ph.D. in environmental health sciences and master's degree in global health and the environment, both from UC Berkeley, and bachelor's degree in environmental science from Carthage College in Wisconsin.
Hyland is based at UC Berkeley and can be reached at chyland@berkeley.edu and on X (formerly Twitter) @c_hyland1.
Smith-Helman joins Climate Smart Agriculture Program
Bailey Smith-Helman joined UCCE Santa Cruz County on July 3 as a community education specialist with the UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture Program.
Smith-Helman, who relocated from Washington, D.C., is excited to get back in the field and support Santa Cruz County growers with climate-smart agriculture practices and California Department of Food and Agriculture financial incentive programs.
CDFA programs provide financial incentives to eligible farmers and ranchers implementing new practices that maximize water efficiency, build soil health, and improve manure management. She is ready to assist interested growers with grant applications, project planning and implementation.
After graduating from Northwestern University with a bachelor's degree in political science and environmental policy, Smith-Helman moved to Paraguay to serve as an agriculture volunteer with the Peace Corps. In Paraguay, she worked closely with agricultural educators and local producers to develop education plans and lessons to engage high school students in agricultural coursework.
After returning to the U.S., Smith-Helman worked for USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, where she gained experience in agriculture policy analysis and program management.
Smith-Helman is based in Watsonville and can be reached at bsmithhelman@ucanr.edu.
Sayre named UCCE agriculture and resource economics specialist
James “Jay” Sayre joined UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics as a CE Specialist on July 1.
His role focuses on the economics of food supply chains across the state of California. Sayre aims to study policies to promote greater competition in food supply chains to benefit smaller-scale producers, understand the role of international trade in agriculture and its effects on Californian consumers, and assess how supply chains can best respond to a changing climate.
Sayre is excited about combining economic theory and modeling approaches with understanding the needs of stakeholders in California to benefit food supply chains within California.
Sayre earned a doctorate in Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley. His dissertation research spanned several disciplines, with chapters seeking to understand how agricultural supply chains lead regions to specialize in certain crops, the consequences of phytosanitary and other non-tariff barriers to trade, as well as developing methodology to accurately assess crop yields across large regions using satellite imagery and other sources of publicly available data. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics and mathematics from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
The Colorado native is looking forward to addressing a variety of issues relevant to California stakeholders. An ongoing project looks to develop fine-scale projections of future agricultural productivity for most of the major crops California produces, including crops that have historically not had such measures available, like perennials such as almonds, avocados and other fruits.
He hopes such information will be relevant not only for growers seeking to understand whether their land will be relatively more suitable in the future for different crops, but also agricultural intermediaries and policy makers looking to understand where production of certain crops may shift in the future.
Before joining Cooperative Extension and UC Davis, Sayre worked in Mexico, seeking to better understand the cross-border nature of supply chains that operate in both California and Mexico. He is proficient in Spanish and aims to increase the accessibility of extension to Spanish speakers.
Sayre is based out of the Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics at UC Davis and can be reached at jsayre@ucdavis.edu.
Valliere joins UCCE as weed and restoration ecology specialist
Justin Valliere joined UC ANR on July 1 as an assistant professor of Cooperative Extension in invasive weed and restoration ecology at UC Davis.
Valliere's research aims to evaluate how human-caused environmental change and invasive plant species impact native ecosystems, and how we can reverse this degradation through ecological restoration. The overarching goal of his research and outreach is to develop real-world solutions for land management in the face of global change.
“CE already is such an effective system for supporting agriculture, but it's also an important model for natural resource management and restoration,” Valliere told Trina Kleist, writer for the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. “There is a real need for help advising folks throughout the state about managing and restoring natural lands, and I'm excited to help bolster that.”
Prior to joining UC Davis, Valliere was an assistant professor of biology at CSU Dominguez Hills, a research fellow at the University of Western Australia, and a postdoctoral fellow at the La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science at UCLA.
Valliere earned his Ph.D. in plant biology from UC Riverside, and a bachelor's degree in biology from Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont.
Valliere is based in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis and can be reached at jmvalliere@ucdavis.edu.
Hill named UCCE specialist in diversity and equity economics
Alexandra “Ali” Estvan Hill joined UC ANR and UC Berkeley's Department of Agricultural and Resources Economics on July 1 as an assistant professor of Cooperative Extension specializing in the economics of diversity and equity.
From 2019 until she joined UC, Hill worked as an assistant professor of agricultural economics at Colorado State University. Her research centers around the U.S. agricultural workforce and seeks to demonstrate how a variety of factors impact worker well-being, quantified in terms of income or health impacts – and to make a business case for employers, in terms of implications for production or profits, to institute policies and practices that promote worker well-being.
Hired farmworkers contribute greatly to the racial, ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic diversity of U.S. agriculture; however, they are frequently not treated equitably and face a multitude of economic, physical, legal and emotional hardships in their personal and professional lives. Hill's research seeks to begin dismantling these inequities by finding avenues through which employers can increase worker well-being while maintaining or increasing profits.
Hill brings extensive experience working with individual agricultural businesses to accomplish these objectives through enhancing firm data collection and analysis to provide an array of effective, efficient and actionable insights.
She is building an extension program centered around advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the agri-food system by enhancing the well-being of agricultural employees and other disadvantaged members of rural and urban agricultural communities.
She earned her Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics from UC Davis and master's degree in agricultural and applied economics and bachelor's degree in agricultural and consumer economics from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Hill is based at UC Berkeley and can be reached at alihill@berkeley.edu and on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-estvan-hill.
- Author: Saoimanu Sope
National 4-H Council today (Sept. 29, 2023) announced that Michaela Auyeung of Los Gatos, is a runner-up for the 2024 4-H Youth in Action Award. Auyeung is recognized nationally for her commitment to providing STEM access and improving mental and physical well-being for girls in her community.
Auyeung, 17, provides free coding classes and instruction to girls through her program, Girls Who Love to Code. Through partnerships with two school systems, Girls Who Love to Code has engaged more than 250 girls while seeking to close the opportunity and education gap for girls in STEM. Auyeung also provided mental health workshops to aid students in addressing anxiety and created two school pantries to provide hygiene items, school supplies, and snacks to students in need. A senior in high school, Auyeung plans to continue to advocate for gender and socioeconomic equality in education through her outreach and beyond.
The 4-H Youth in Action Awards began in 2010 to recognize 4-H'ers who have overcome challenges and used the knowledge they gained in 4-H to create a lasting impact in their community. To learn more about the 4-H Youth in Action program and the 2024 runners-up, please visit http://4-H.org/YouthInAction.
About 4-H
4-H, the nation's largest youth development organization, grows confident young people who are empowered for life today and prepared for career tomorrow. 4-H programs empower nearly six million young people across the U.S. through experiences that develop critical life skills. 4-H is the youth development program of our nation's Cooperative Extension System and USDA, and serves every county and parish in the U.S. through a network of 110 public universities and more than 3,000 local Extension offices. Globally, 4-H collaborates with independent programs to empower one million youth in 50 countries. The research-backed 4-H experience grows young people who are four times more likely to contribute to their communities; two times more likely to make healthier choices; two times more likely to be civically active; and two times more likely to participate in STEM programs.
Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H. To learn more about the California 4-H Program, visit: https://4h.ucanr.edu/.
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