- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
Entomology Association of Southern California Quarterly Meeting
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia CA
March 3, 2015 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
9:00am
Dr. Erin Rankin, Professor University of California Department of Entomology, Riverside CA
yellow jacket research
10:00am
Dr. Akif Eskalen, Specialist, University of California Department of Plant Pathology, Riverside CA
Update on Foamy Canker Disease of Coast Live Oak in Southern California
11:-11:30 County reports
11:30 to 1:00 Lunch on your own.
1:00pm
Brett Chandler, President, Associates Insectary, Santa Paula CA
Producing insects for biological control
2:00pm
Dr. Gevork Arakelian, Senior Biologist , Los Angeles County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures
An update on invasive insect pests in Southern California.
3:00pm
Dr. Alec Gerry, Specialist, University of California, Department of Entomology, Riverside, CA
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly—research update on pestiferous flies.
- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
Farm to school enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools Pre-K to high school. Although Farm to school programs may vary in each community they include one or more of the following:
- Procurement—local foods are purchased, promoted and served in school cafeterias or as a snack or part of a taste-test activity.
- Education—students participate in agricultural, health or nutrition related activities
- School gardens—students engage in hands-on learning through gardening
The farm to school movement is alive and well in Ventura County. Sandy Curwood, Child Nutrition Services Director for Conejo Valley Unified School District and California Farm to School Regional Lead coordinated an event at HAREC. Over 30 farmers, garden educators and school nutrition and food service administrators gathered for a Local Foods Procurement Workshop hosted by the South Central Coast Regional California Farm to School Network. This region encompasses Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. The purpose was to bring like-minds together to share and learn from each other. Curwood led a discussion for direct marketing and provided tools for developing contracts between local farms and schools. A panel of local farmers discussed the opportunities, obstacles and sense of pride associated with sourcing to school districts. Garden educators had the opportunity to network and share resources.
Additionally, Adam Kesselman from the Center for Ecoliteracy introduced California Thursdays. This program is a statewide collaboration between the Center for Ecoliteracy and a network of school districts and organizations that agree to serve healthy, freshly prepared school meals made from California-grown and processed fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins. Kesselman shared that “when fifty percent of youth in the U.S. get more than half their calories from school lunch programs, it makes a case for healthy fresh prepared meals”. Currently 43 districts participate in California Thursdays. Sandy Curwood has embraced the program in her district and is working with a procurement consortium that may help other Ventura County districts participate.
- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
California, a leader in strawberry production, hosted the North American Strawberry Growers Association Conference and Symposium this year. Over 20 countries as farway as Egypt, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, United Kingdom, and France sent representatives to the three-day event right here in Ventura County.
Over 400 farmers were invited to HAREC on the last day of the conference to see what we do and hear presentations from UCCE-Ventura Advisors. Oleg Daugovish, Strawberry Advisor, helped organize the research event and presented results from his ongoing Anaerobic Soil disinfestation (ASD), a technology he has investigated since 2009. Anna Howell, Staff Research Associate and Entemologist reported on her project, efficacy of a new miticide against twospotted and Lewis spider mites and how miticides may affect the beneficial predatory mite Phytoseiuluspersimilis. Advisor Ben Faber highlighted the on-site orchard and subtropical varieties.
Master Gardeners were on hand to help with sampling of strawberry and citrus varieties grown at the Center. Following a hearty lunch and networking opportunity, farmers enjoyed a tour of various Ventura County strawberry farms. Insight to tour discussions is highlighted in a Ventura County Star article.
- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
In the spirit of eating and sourcing local—Food Corps seeks to recruit a homegrown service member to work with Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) for the 2015-2016 school year.
Food Corps is a nationwide team of AmeriCorps leaders who connect kids to real food and help them grow up healthy.
Food Corps recruits, train and are placed into limited-resource schools for a year of service implementing a three-ingredient recipe for healthy kids.
Food Corps Service members provide:
- Knowledge: food and nutrition education that gives kids the information they need to make smart choices
- Engagement: hands-on activities like gardening and cooking that foster skills and pride around healthy food
- Access: connecting nutritious meals from local farms
Currently, VUSD and Food Corps collaborate in the HAREC 4-H Student Farm, an afterschool program that teaches middle school youth to grow food that is then used in the cafeteria. To learn more about the opportunities with Food Corps at VUSD contact Alise Echele, Healthy Schools Project Coordinator at alise.echele@venturausd.org or apply for a Food Corps position at www.foodcorps.org.
Food Corps Informational flyer
- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
UCCE/HAREC Director Christopher Smith and HAREC Education Outreach Coordinator, Susana Bruzzone-Miller participated in the 2nd Annual Agriculture Career Fair hosted by the Ventura County Agriculture Museum in Santa Paula. Over 80 Ventura County high school juniors and seniors attended. Youth had the opportunity to meet and mingle with community members, business people and others involved in Ventura County agriculture. Many were interested to see how STEM related college majors translated into highly skilled professions.
The UCCE/HAREC generated interest in science and research and the opportunity to speak directly with “a real live scientist” as one student remarked. Exposure to these real world people and experiences is valuable to students plotting out their course. Additionally, students had the opportunity to participate in mini-workshops on resume writing, public speaking, and interviewing skills.
For more information and quotes from participants visit the Ventura County Star article.