- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
The 4-H Youth Development Programs at HAREC will host another Sustainable You! Train-the-Trainer.
Saturday, November 1st from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (bring your own lunch)
Who should attend this hands-on training? REC educators, 4-H volunteers, teachers, garden educators, after-school leaders or anyone working with youth grades 4-6 and interested in adding a sustainability component to their programs.
Sustainable You! is an interactive curriculum for youth. It was developed by Dr. Roslynn Brain and her colleagues at Utah State University Extension Sustainability and designed as a 4-H summer camp. Fun, hands-on activities help youth understand what it means to be sustainable. The camp format is broken down into five days, each based around one the the major areas of sustainability: Air, Energy, Water, Food, and Land. While the curriculum is written for ages 9-12, it can be easily adapted for all ages.
Chris Massa, our 2014 REC summer intern, will present. Chris is currently a Food Corps member working with Ventura Unified School District.
The workshop will be held at HAREC and is free. Space is limited and registration required.
For questions, contact Susana Bruzzone-Miller, Education Outreach Coordinator at HAREC sbmiller@ucanr.edu
- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
Although the weather says summer, fall education outreach at HAREC is in full swing. Both 4-H Farm Field Trips and Classroom Outreach programs are full and the farm is once again filled with the sound of children. The big question is….. What is that new structure in the garden?
Over the summer, UC volunteers Judy and John Ascheman designed and constructed a Monarch Waystation. An ample supply of Milkweed was propagated on site to accommodate the many hungry monarch caterpillars that have taken up residence. The Waystation is a welcomed addition to the garden and compliments pollination lessons. Youth and adults alike are fascinated by watching caterpillars munch and observing the various stages the Monarch life cycle.
Many thanks to John , Judy, and gardeners that propagate milkweed and monitor the Waystation plants, caterpillars, and butterflies.
- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
As part of their youth development outreach, Join the Farm offers field trips to the farm and a Farmer in the Classroom program for Ventura Unified School District and urban Los Angeles Unified School District. This year, Erynn Smith, Director of Farm Education, expanded offerings of her Farm Summer Camp. Two, one-week summer Farm Camps were held in July and August. Over 60 elementary aged youth from the Camarillo YMCA participated.
Farm Camp education highlights:
- Soils science
- Worm composting
- Integrated pest management
- Local food systems
- Nutrition....and more
Fun, hands-on activities including planting, weeding, harvesting and cooking reinforced topics discussed during the 1/2 day camp. As an added bonus, the children delighted in harvesting enough fruits and vegetables to share with their families.
- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
Chris Massa, Food Corps service member presents at the 2014 Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Austin, Texas. Seventh and eighth grade students from Balboa Middle School participated in this after school program-a collaborative effort between HAREC and Ventura Unified School District.
Chris will lead a new crop of student farmers-Fall 2014! We look forward to their return.
- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller
UCCE-Ventura farm advisors, Oleg Daugovish and Andre Biscaro are partnering with Joji Muramoto-UC Santa Cruz, on a new step or stage of a research project-Optimizing Anaerobic Soil disinfestation, a technology they have investigated since 2009.
Anaerobic soil disinfestation, or ASD, enhances plant performance and suppresses pests. The technique maintains soil anaerobiosis (life sustained by an organism in the absence of oxygen) for 3-4 weeks and relies on a carbon source and irrigation under plastic mulch. It was developed as a non-chemical alternative to soil fumigation with methyl bromide in the Netherlands and Japan. It has become increasingly popular in California organic fields (over 500 acres) and generated interest among conventional producers of high value crops. Large scale operations require 7-10 days to connect and test the drip lines before initiating irrigation. This may compromise ASD efficacy.
Over the past seven years, research has optimized ASD in California strawberry production. Researchers on this project, located at HAREC, will concentrate on:
- evaluating delayed irrigation on ASD effectiveness
- test two types of carbon sources-rice bran (dry powder, incorporated into soil) and glycerol (liquid solution)
The hope is that a delay in irrigation will not compromise efficacy of the ASD and provide growers with a realistic timeline for implementing this technology. Additionally, a liquid carbon source, if feasible and effective, could simplify the application process and help growers adopt ASD.
Study results will be presented at a field day, the North American Strawberry Growers Association tour, and disseminated at industry oriented meetings in Ventura County and other coastal counties that produce strawberries.
Installation of the project required many hours, extra hands, and heavy equipment. "We thank growers Hector Gutierrez and Jose Romero and UCSC students for their help in setting up the experiment and UC Hansen staff for their support of the project." said Oleg Daugovish.