- Author: Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
UC Cooperative Extension and UC Davis will host a Healthy Soils Program field meeting on compost. The meeting will take place on Thursday, July 28th from 10:00am to 11:30am. The meeting will take place off of S. Landi Road, on Roberts Island in the Delta. Presentation topics include how to acquire compost, different types of compost, how compost can improve soil health and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and how to apply for cost-share funding. The meeting location is where we are trialing different rates of green waste compost application for potential soil health and alfalfa yield benefits. Preliminary results will be described. Attendance is free, and...
- Author: Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
- Author: Rachael Long
- Author: Rob Wilson
- Author: Ian Grettenberger
I have received a couple calls this year from growers and a PCA about root scarring in alfalfa fields. These observations were a bit of a “head scratcher” for all of us. At one of the fields, I noticed what looked to be a wireworm on the root, so that was throwing me off (Figure 1). Cutworms can also feed on plant roots. The larger instars have been found below the crowns under plant debris, but we didn't find any at this site. I reached out to Farm Advisor Rachael Long to get her thoughts. I had once heard Rachael talk about clover root curculio, and I wondered if it was causing the problem. While we have not confirmed that clover root curculio is present and causing damage in...
- Author: Rachael Long
- Author: Sarah Light
- Author: Roger Baldwin
- Author: Daniel H Putnam
Growers frequently celebrate the presence of wildlife in their alfalfa and grain fields, providing valuable habitat as well as economic returns.
But sometimes it's just too much of a good thing.
Snow geese and Ross's geese foraging in alfalfa hay in the Sacramento Valley, 2021. Photo: Steven Beckley, Woodland, CA
The sight of thousands of geese foraging in agricultural fields is spectacular and a natural wonder, until they start devastating your crop. This winter, snow and Ross's geese have been eating farmers out of house and home in the Sacramento valley, devastating wheat, cover crops, and alfalfa fields.
Millions of Guests Arriving for Dinner. Geese foraging...
- Author: Rachael Freeman Long
- Author: Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
- Author: Dan Putnam
We all recognize human health as a goal, but healthy soils is a key goal for farming operations, since healthy soils frequently result in higher yields and economic returns over time. "Health" is often defined with a range of properties including high fertility, good water-holding capacity and drainage, long-term productivity, and sustaining organic matter content.
A joint UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension research project was recently awarded funding for $250,000 from the
- Author: Nicholas Clark
SIGN UP TODAY!
Date: September 23, 2020
Time: 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Zoom Meeting
Registration: Click here to register.
Registration fee: $9.23
What: UC Cooperative Extension will provide updates on applied research in alfalfa variety, irrigation, and pest management; sorghum and its use in dairy feeding; sugar beets and safflower as winter forages; and personal protective equipment in a time of...
