A group of 109 gathered for a casual lunch to celebrate the twenty-eight years of service that  Dr. John Kabashima, Environmental Horticulture Advisor for Orange County, has dedicated to the UC ANR Cooperative Extension. Attendees included colleagues – researchers, advisors, staff, and business contacts; along with many of the UCCE Master Gardener - Orange County volunteers.

The festivities included a looping picture collage of his career, speeches, and a barbeque lunch hosted by Darren Haver, Center and County Director, and cooked by UC ANR South Coast REC staff.

In addition to many administrative and academic accomplishments, John's active career has included cutting edge research on invasive species such as the red imported fire ant, the glassy winged sharp shooter, and the polyphagus shot hole borer to new name a few, in the Southern California area and beyond.

Luckily for those of us who work with him, retirement will not last long for John who will retain emeritus status conducting further research on the invasive species that plague Southern California and beyond.

Managing the rodent population on 200 acres of open ag fields is not easy task for Center staff, especially when surrounding areas have been developed, or are in the process of being developed. The question is always asked what is the best method? Well, one is to let mother nature take her course.

Center Superintendent, Chris Martinez, was happy to see evidence of one of our latest visitors that will certainly be of big help.

Holding the recently shed skin of a Gopher Snake, Pituophis catenifer, Chris explained that while it is similar in appearance and posturing to a rattlesnake, it is harmless. One significant difference to distinguish them apart is that the gopher snake will always lack the rattle. These snakes are very helpful since they are attracted to rodents which can destroy crops, landscape plantings, and can potentially spread disease.

Due to the drought, you may see more and more wildlife such as this in your nearby surroundings seeking food and water - especially in the morning and evenings during the summer. Please do not panic, they are a very important part of the ecosystem and will typically not hurt you if you give them space and let them be on their way.

For more information gopher and rattle snakes, check out UC ANR publications or visit the California Herps site

Joined by industry participants such as the Almond Board, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Milk Advisory Board, FFA & 4-H, California Cattleman's Association, and the Dairy Council of California, UC ANR and others gathered at the State Capital in Sacramento to showcase the many contributions of agriculture in honor of National Ag Day as done across the country.

Proudly representing UC ANR Research and Extension Center System, Tammy Majcherek (Community Educator, South Coast REC), Nikolai Schweitzer (Staff Research Assistant, Sierra Foothill REC), and Chris Greer (Vice Provost) were on hand to answer questions and build awareness of the UC ANR REC system and its many contributions to issues concerning sustainable food production both on a local and global level.

Consisting primarily of the general public and State legislative employees, the thousands of attendees turned out to celebrate the abundance provided by California agriculture.  Participants were free to visit the various booths learning how food and fiber products are produced and how agriculture plays such an important role in the economy.

Creating a buzz through the crowd were the various fruits on display generously provided by the RECs – cotton samples and neatly packaged wheat berries (recipes included), oranges, raisins, and avocados. Appreciating the morning and/or afternoon snack, visitors were especially fascinated by the spectacle of unusual avocados and the rare atamoyas from the South Coast REC collection giving way to wonderful conversations not only about the research and extension being done at the various Centers throughout the state but also how we are caretakers of our natural resources and strive to improve the lives of Californians.

 A fun and educational day was had by all!

 

           The South Coast Research and Extension Center opened up it gates to invited guests, the California Rare Fruit Growers Assoc. and the UCCE Master Gardeners on Friday, January 23, 2015. Attendees were treated to the fourth annual cherimoya tasting held at the UC ANR South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine.

A crowd of (107) were lined up out the door to evaluate this tropical treat grown at the Center. Through a blind tasting, evaluators were asked to rate the (10) varieties using a basic one to five scale based on texture, flavor, and overall performance.

The cherimoya collection at the South Coast REC contains various cultivars that are not widely available, and sought after by avid fans of this fruit. The varieties that were evaluated included ‘Big Sister', ‘Booth', ‘Chaffey', ‘Concha Lisa', ‘Deliciosa', ‘El Bumpo', ‘Nata', ‘Orton', ‘Ott', ‘Oxhart', and ‘Pierce'. The harvest at the time of the tasting was limited this year due to the cold temperatures and rain in December and early January, in addition to the uncharacteristically dry June during pollination.

Unlike the previous open tastings where ‘El Bumpo' reigned as the unanimous winner, there was a shift in the favorites.

South Coast REC 2015Cherimoya Tasting Top Three Varieties
2015 (Blind)	Texture		Flavor		Overall
1	Orton		Orton		Orton
2	Deliciosa		Booth		Booth
3	Booth		Deliciosa		Deliciosa