- Author: Devii R. Rao
Saharan mustard is originally from the Mediterranean. It was introduced to California where it became a weed, particularly in the dryer parts of the state. Livestock can be poisoned by Saharan mustard if they are kept in fields that have little else to eat but Saharan mustard. Signs of toxicity include “colic, diarrhea, excessive salivation, and thyroid enlargement” (DiTomaso, J.M., G.B.Kyser et al. 2013). Saharan mustard can also increase fire hazard.
Saharan mustard has been documented in eastern San Benito County on Panoche Road; in western Fresno County; in Monterey County at Fort Hunter Liggett; and in San Luis Obispo County it is concentrated near Morrow Bay and north of Santa Maria, but has been identified elsewhere as well. Below is an image from the CalFlora website showing documented locations of Saharan Mustard. For the interactive version of the map, click here to go to CalFlora then you can click on individual observations to get more detailed information.
The plants bloom from January to June (Ihsan 2012). It is not known how long the seeds can live in the soil, but scientists think they can survive for many years.
Although Saharan mustard's distribution is relatively limited in San Benito County, it appears to be spreading. The San Benito Weed Management Area is hoping to minimize the spread of this plant and encourages people to control it, especially when there are just a few individual plants. It's much easier to control a small infestation before it gets out of hand.
If you see this plant please let me know. You can email me at drorao@ucanr.edu or call me at 831-637-5346 x14. If you have a plant that looks like Saharan mustard, but you're not sure if that's what it is, you can bring (or mail) the plant to my office and I can identify it for you. My office is located at 3228 Southside Road, Hollister, CA 95023, right next to the Ag Commissioner's office.
For more information about Saharan mustard and how to control it click here for the UC Weed Report.
All information for this article comes from DiTomaso, J.M., G.B.Kyser et al. (2013), unless otherwise noted.
References
CalFlora. 2018. Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation,
with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals, including the Consortium of California Herbaria. [web application]. 2018. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization].
Available: http://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: Feb 12, 2018).
DiTomaso, J.M., G.B. Kyser et al. 2013.Weed Control in Natural Areas in the Western United
States. Weed Research and Information Center, University of California. 544 pp. http://wric.ucdavis.edu/information/natural%20areas/wr_B/Brassica_tournefortii.pdf accessed February 12, 2018.
Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz. 2012. Brassica tournefortii, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=16085, accessed on February 12, 2018.
- Author: Devii R. Rao
Maurice Pitesky is a UC Cooperative Extension Specialist at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine with a focus in poultry health and food safety epidemiology.
He is working on a study looking at various contaminants (lead, PCBs etc.) in eggs from certain regions of CA.
If you are a backyard poultry owner in San Benito County and you'd like to participate in the study, please submit a half dozen eggs to Maurice. Click here for more information about the study, including which other counties can participate in the study, and how to package the eggs. Maurice can reimburse you for shipping, the price of the eggs and any other costs you may incur.
The goal of the project is to better understand the connection between the environment and our food with respect to exposure to various inorganic chemicals.
If you have additional questions you can contact Maurice at mepitesky@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Devii R. Rao
What is Range Camp: Range Camp is a week-long summer camp that provides high school students an opportunity to learn about rangeland ecology and management, and livestock management. They learn from academics and professionals in a variety of fields including range management, livestock management, soils, fire, botany, wildlife, and more.
Who can attend: High school students who have completed their freshman year. Students can be from anywhere in the state. Students come from a wide variety of backgrounds - some are from ranching families and some are from cities or suburbs and have never been to a ranch.
When: June 17-22, 2018
Where: Elkus Ranch in Half Moon Bay
Cost: $450. However, most students get full scholarships from their local Resource Conservation Districts (RCD's) or other local groups.
Contact: For more information, contact Cece Dahlstrom at (619) 532-2269 or range.camp@gmail.com
Click here for a link to the pdf version of the flyer.
Range Camp Flyer - 2018
- Author: Devii R. Rao
Come to a joint meeting of the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition and the California-Pacific Section of the Society for Range Management.
The meeting is titled: Conservation Easments to Keep Ranches Working.
Date: April 19, 2018
Time: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Location: Koopmann Ranch, 9406 Koopmann Road, Sunol, CA
Cost: $35
Meeting goal:
Improve the opportunity for mitigation conservation easements to support working rangeland sustainability on the Central Coast
Meeting Objectives:
• Identify and understand the threats to sustaining working rangelands on the Central Coast and the conservation values associated with these lands
• Improve the understanding of the role of various types of conservation easements in sustaining working rangelands, with a focus on mitigation easements
• Provide information to ranchers, landowners, consultants and land trusts to work towards improved mitigation policy, creation of easements and planning for sustaining working rangelands
• Foster productive discussion of these topics
To register, see presenters, or check out the agenda, please visit:
http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/training/show_train_detail.php?TRAIN_ID=Ma64UDQ
- Author: Devii R. Rao
The Pajaro Compass Network is hosting their Spring meeting at the Gabilan Ranch (Rancho Cienega del Gabilan) April 25th from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm (lunch provided). The 11,000-acre cattle ranch in San Juan Bautista is featured as a Pajaro Compass Case Study. The theme for the day is “Ranching for Resilience: Grazing for a Healthy Watershed, Soil Goals, and the Bottom Line”. In addition to ranch manager Jeffrey Mundell, speakers will include ecologists and soil scientists. Please RSVP HERE by April 18th. This is a free event. Space is limited!