- Author: Janet Byron
Technology that allows orchard sprayers to skip the space between trees can protect the environment while saving growers money.
The idea is simple: when orchards receive dormant and in-season sprays of agricultural chemicals, the spray should only fall on the trees where it is needed, rather than on the ground, where it is not.
Orchard sprayers can be retrofit with target sensors that activate spray nozzles only when a tree is present.
A review of research on this “smart” sprayer technology, published in the April-June 2011 issue of the University of California’s California Agriculture journal, found that...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
With the early childhood eating habits of toddlers and young children, it is no surprise that preschools and child care centers often have problems with ants and cockroaches. Schools for the state’s youngest residents may also have concerns about black widow spiders, yellow jackets, mosquitos, rodents and other pests.
Many of the centers respond to the problem with pesticide sprays and foggers that could expose children and staff to residues on surfaces and in the air, a 2010 survey by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation revealed.
California’s Healthy Schools Act requires DPR to collect information about pesticide use and pest management in...
- Author: Ann Brody Guy
We’ve all noticed the changed landscape on the grocery shelves: eco-friendly brands like Mrs. Meyers, Seventh Generation and even Clorox’s Sierra Club-endorsed Green Works sit next to conventional stalwarts like Tide, Cheer and those ferocious scrubbing bubbles. The new products are the consumers'-eye-view into a quiet “green chemistry” revolution taking shape in university and commercial labs across the country, and in education and public policy.
Even if the proliferation of green cleaning products, office supplies, packaging and appliances make the planet and its inhabitants healthier, the fact remains that more than 80,000 chemicals with uncertain health and environmental impacts currently are registered with the...
- Posted By: Trina Wood
- Written by: Jay Lund, Ellen Hanak, Richard Howitt, Ariel Dinar, Brian Gray, Jeffrey Mount, Peter Moyle, Barton “Buzz” Thompson
With this latest set of storms replenishing California’s snowpack and water levels in reservoirs, rivers and streams, it may be hard to think about water conservation issues. But this is a still a semi-arid state, so it is always prudent to prepare for droughts.
So where can we save the most water? Farming in California depends on irrigation, so agriculture seems the largest potential source for cost-effective water savings in the state. Although agriculture’s share has been declining, it still accounts for roughly 75 percent of all human water use, compared to 25 percent for urban uses.
The recent book, Managing California’s Water: From Conflict to...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
If you are passionate about a forest near you then you may want to tune into the UC Cooperative Extension webinar series on Community Forests. The webinars will begin at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on April 7 with additional programs on April 13, 20 and 27. Participants may also want to take part in related field trips to Arcata Community Forest, Usal Redwood Forest, Tahoe-Donner and Weaverville Community Forest.
Community forests are forested lands that are managed to produce what people value. Forests may be valued as a source of timber for lumber, clean water, wildlife habitat, recreational purposes or for all of these benefits in combination.
The webinar series aims to present an overview of community forestry...