- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The Yolo County walnut growers will provide as much as $100,000 per year for “practical” research
The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) announced that Dan and Sarah Hrdy, owners of Citrona Farms LLC, a walnut farm in Winters, have established The Daniel & Sarah Hrdy Fund for UC Cooperative Extension Research.
The fund will provide as much as $100,000 in seed funding for early-stage research projects each year for UC Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists, as well as their academic collaborators. Dan, a former clinical professor of medicine (infectious diseases) at UC Davis Medical Center, and Sarah, a professor emerita of anthropology at UC Davis, created the fund to express their appreciation for UC Cooperative Extension's practical yet cutting edge research.
“Over the years, we have hosted a number of researchers from UC ANR, UC Davis and UC Berkeley studying topics related to sustainable agriculture, habitat restoration and wildlife conservation and have benefited both directly and indirectly from the UC Cooperative Extension network,” said Dan Hrdy. More than 20 years of UC research hosted at Citrona Farms is detailed on their website at www.citrona.com.
Research proposals will be selected by the leaders of UC ANR's Strategic Initiatives: Sustainable Food Systems; Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases; and Sustainable Natural Ecosystems.
Areas of special interest include:
- Sustainable Agriculture, with special regard to climate change
- Interaction of Natural Ecosystems and Agriculture
- Habitat Restoration and Conservation
- Wildfire and Forest Restoration
"The timing for this donation could not have been better as UC ANR is actively recruiting an extraordinary number of new UCCE advisors and specialists and support for their research is greatly appreciated," Wendy Powers, UC ANR associate vice president, said. “This is a great example of how local relationships build trust and support for UCCE efforts across the state."
The fund will be established with annual gifts as part of a payout from the donor's retirement account, along with a bequest that, when paid, will create a permanent endowment where the payouts will continue to fund this project. The Hrdys hope to make others aware of this method of charitable giving.
"We were able to use required payouts from a retirement account to set up this gift,” said Dan Hrdy. “I hope more people will look into doing this to help support Cooperative Extension.”
Investors who must satisfy a required minimum distribution from their retirement accounts may consider a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), said Greg Gibbs, UC ANR executive director of Development Services.
“A qualified charitable distribution is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA custodian, payable to a qualified charity, like the UC Regents/UC ANR,” Gibbs said. “Once you've reached age 72, the QCD amount counts toward your required minimum distribution for the year, up to an annual maximum of $100,000. It's not included in your gross income and does not count against the limits on deductions for charitable contributions.”
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Nearly $125,000 was donated for UC Cooperative Extension and the statewide programs, institutes and research centers that make up UC Agriculture and Natural Resources on GivingTuesday 2021, a globally recognized day of generosity,
“Our giving days are a small, but very important piece of UC ANR's annual fundraising,” said Greg Gibbs, executive director of Development Services. “In the last three months alone, we received two of the largest single gift pledges in our history – totaling $4.8 million to support research and extension.”
For GivingTuesday, on Nov. 30 this year, $40,000 was offered to incentivize giving to UC ANR projects and programs. This included $20,000 in matching funds provided by the California 4-H Foundation and donations from 4-H Foundation Board members designated for the 4-H program. It also included $20,000 awarded for programs that met challenges such as attracting the greatest number of unique donors on GivingTuesday. The prizes were drawn from funds raised throughout the year for UC ANR's Incentive Fund, which is used to encourage giving to all ANR programs.
Some donors left messages about why they support the programs, which collectively reach every county in California:
- “It's not always about what you have or get...it's more about what you give.” – Orange County
- “UCCE brings so much news we can use to the county. Thank you for all you do!” – Glenn County
- “4-H really helped me be a responsible person growing up. I am paying it forward. Thank you to all the adults who donate their time year after year.” – Sonoma County
- “Thank you for all your educational efforts to increase agricultural and native plant literacy!” – Ventura County
- “The 4-H Program helped our daughters develop their communication, leadership, citizenship, new skills and make lifetime friendships with others with the same passion. Our granddaughter enjoys it, too!” – Fresno County
- “UC ANR Elkus Ranch has been a foundational resource for my growing child and many children in the area. Thank you for this important work!” – Bay Area
- “Your work supports our business – flower farming in a way that works with nature. Thank you!” – UC Integrated Pest Management Program supporter
- “Thanks for keeping food safe and safely preserved.” – UC Master Food Preserver supporter
Examples of specific 4-H youth development projects made possible by the GivingTuesday donations include robotics in Placer County and leadership development, sheep and goat projects in Alameda County.
The UC Master Gardener Program will use the funds to develop a demonstration garden in San Luis Obispo County, the Sherwood Demonstration Garden in the Central Sierra, a sensory and pollinator garden in Stanislaus County and gardening projects in other parts of the state.
“These donations reflect donors' appreciation for UC ANR's work in their communities and we are so grateful for their support,” said Glenda Humiston, University of California vice president for agriculture and natural resources.
GivingTuesday is only one of many fundraising activities UC ANR conducts throughout the year.
To learn about other ways to contribute, visit https://donate.ucanr.edu.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources connects the power of UC research in agriculture, natural resources, nutrition and youth development with local communities to improve the lives of all Californians.
Join us on Tuesday, Nov. 30, for GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals to celebrate generosity worldwide. In 2020, UC ANR raised nearly $200,000 in online donations benefiting participating programs, research and endowments across the state.
Your #GivingTuesday gift helps us address important issues impacting all Californians. Choose your favorite program or county to support at ucanr.edu/givingtuesday.
Then take a virtual tour of UC ANR or peruse our annual report to read about the difference we're making.
- Author: Linda Forbes
A team of UC scientists is working to mitigate “cow bunching” – when dairy cows cluster close together to avoid biting flies – which can cause discomfort, increase heat stress and impede the cows' access to nutritionally balanced food in individual feeding stations. Ambient temperature, relative humidity and trees appear to be factors in the prevalence of stable flies, which are more active during May and June.
“In working with California's dairy industry for 20 years, I have never seen a problem with so much interest and producer pleas for guidance as bunching,” said Sharif Aly, professor of population health and reproduction at the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center in Tulare.
To study the problem, Aly collaborated with Heidi Rossow, professor of Population Health and Reproduction, UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center; Alec Gerry, UC Riverside professor of entomology and UC Cooperative Extension specialist; Wagdy Elashmawy, veterinary medicine postdoctoral scholar; Fernanda Ferreira, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in herd health and management economics at UC Davis; and Essam Abdelfattah, a project scientist in Aly's lab.
“In the past, there were a few other reports studying this problem in different parts of the U.S., but we did not have a consistent group of people looking at the problem over time and trying to bring solutions,” said Ferreira. “Now, if farmers want to control the problem, they know what factors to look at. We also measured the economic impact, which brings attention to the problem.”
Among the risk factors for cow bunching they identified were field crops near the cow pen where bunching was observed, feeding rations that contain wet distillers grain or molasses, and an ambient temperature lower than 86 degrees (30 degrees C). In contrast, bunching was reduced when relative humidity was less than 50%, where a cow pen was surrounded by other pens or bordered by a main road and manure removed from fence lines of pens.
The team's study published in PLoS One also identified that cows in pens with trees on the periphery had higher fly counts in comparison to cows in pens away from trees. In addition, dairies feeding by-products including almond hulls, wet distillers grain, fruits and vegetables had higher stable fly trap counts compared to dairies that did not feed these ingredients. At the pen level, cows fed rations that contained straw had lower average fly counts compared to cows fed with rations that did not contain straw.
Rossow and Ferreira also studied the production and economic impacts of adding supplements to feed.
“For dairies, the largest cost is nutrition,” said Rossow. “Any way that dairies can become more feed-efficient and produce more milk for less is a major benefit to the industry.” Their work has focused on understanding which supplements are beneficial to production and economically feasible to introduce.
“These kinds of collaborations help us to ultimately benefit our clientele by translating research into applied knowledge to improve their production,” noted Ferreira.
During his postdoctoral studies with the team, Abdelfattah explored the impact of different treatments to control stable flies on dairies and is currently planning the next phase of the team's research on an integrated stable fly management plan for dairies.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources is pleased to announce a new partnership with the California Stewardship Network to accelerate economic recovery across the state by tapping expertise in broadband development, small-business acumen, agricultural technology and more.
To help communities recover from the recession and expand regional economic-development efforts, UC ANR is investing approximately $3 million to hire 15 new UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) advisors and one specialist. These UCCE experts will collaborate closely with members of the California Stewardship Network – an alliance of regional leaders who are committed to solving state's most pressing economic, environmental and social well-being challenges.
“The California Stewardship Network represents regions across California and each region is different, with its own challenges and opportunities. This UCCE investment brings science and solutions that fit the uniqueness of each region, while partnering across the state to improve our communities,” said Heidi Hill Drum, co-chair of the California Stewardship Network and CEO of the Tahoe Prosperity Center.
The UCCE scientists will leverage existing community and economic development efforts, especially in rural parts of the state, and provide vital expertise in business development, agricultural technology, biomass and wood products, disaster recovery, water justice, controlled environment food production, food systems development, urban resiliency and – crucially – digital infrastructure.
“We've long known how important it was to close the digital divide, but COVID really highlighted the absolutely critical need for all families and communities to have high-quality access to the internet,” said Glenda Humiston, University of California vice president for agriculture and natural resources.
In rural regions of the state, the pandemic, catastrophic wildfires and increased global competition have been whittling away at rural economies. The “working landscapes” of wilderness areas, farms and ranches provide food as well as wildlife habitat, recreational venues, energy and water. Humiston sees vital opportunities to expand revenue in these areas for rural residents.
“For California to thrive, these working landscapes must be managed to yield economic opportunities now and into the future,” Humiston said.
“California needs healthier forests for many reasons – reduced risk from wildfire, producing more water, better habitat and recreation opportunities – but we will not get there if we can't develop valuable uses for the excess biomass that needs to be removed from our forests.”
Hiring is underway for some of the new UC Cooperative Extension positions; others will be released for recruitment in early 2022. The 16 new UCCE positions and the counties they serve include the following:
1. Rural Community and Economic Development Area Advisor (Del Norte, Humboldt, and Trinity)
2. Agricultural Technology (Intermountain Research and Extension Center in Siskiyou County)
3. Biomass and Forest Products Advisor (Siskiyou, Shasta and Trinity)
4. Broadband Development Area Advisor (Butte, Tehama, Glenn)
5. Disaster Recovery for Housing (Plumas, Lassen, Sierra)
6. Water Justice Policy and Planning Specialist (UC Berkeley)
7. Regional Food Systems Area Advisor (Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, Solano)
8. Regional Food Systems Area Advisor (Amador, El Dorado, Calaveras, Tuolumne)
9. Woody Biomass and Forest Products Advisor, (El Dorado, Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Mariposa)
10. Agriculture Technology Area Advisor, (Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, San Luis Obispo)
11. Technology and Innovation for Small Farms Advisor, (Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fresno County)
12. Community and Economic Development Area Advisor, (Inyo, Mono, Northeastern Kern)
13. Water and Community Resilience Area Advisor, (Kern, Kings, Tulare)
14. Community and Economic Development Area Advisor – (Los Angeles, Orange)
15. Woody Biomass and Bioenergy Advisor, (Riverside, San Bernardino)
16. Agriculture Technology Area Advisor, (South Coast Research and Extension Center in Orange County)