The foundation of an effective extension program is an understanding of needs. Although I have worked in California, previously (2012-2017), as a weed scientist with the University of California – Davis, most of my time was spent in specialty crop systems (trees and vines, processing tomatoes, and melons). Consequently, I entered my current position as an Agronomy and Weed Science Advisor less familiar with the concerns and requirements of the agronomic crop industry. Although I expect that issues such as the water availability and quality, soil health, varietal improvement, and effective pest management practices are of significant interest to my clientele, I engaged in a needs assessment to define and rank the expressed...

The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) recently released statistics review (https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/statistics/) reports that California led the nation in 2017 agricultural cash receipts ($50 billion) followed by Iowa ($27 billion), Texas ($23 billion), Nebraska ($21 billion), and Minnesota ($17 billion). California's (CA) top commodities were dairy ($6.6 billion, up 8.2% from the previous year), grapes ($5.8 billion, up 3.1%), and almonds ($5.6 billion, up 10.9%), followed by berries, cattle and calves, lettuce, walnuts, tomatoes, pistachios, and broilers. With respect to agronomic commodities, hay (all) and cotton (all) were ranked 13th ($758 million) and 18th...

Part of my role as a University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor is extending knowledge to my clientele and the public at large. I try to do this via this blog, through the use of social media (@agronomyweedsci on Twitter), and via popular press articles (for example, see this post about smartphone apps for weed identification: https://www.growingproduce.com/fruits/smartphone-apps-to-help-you-id-weeds/).

Another tool that I will be employing is a twice yearly (Fall and Spring) newsletter that will address issues of concern to growers in the San Joaquin Valley. Please enjoy this first...