- (Condition Change) Increased workforce retention and competency
- Author: Reka Vasicsek
- Author: Carolyn Rider
Local Health Departments are improving their CFHL programs using the Nutrition Policy Institute's LEAP awards. Three hundred thirty-three schools and programs were recognized across California for making strides on health and wellness practices.
The Issue
Establishing healthy eating and physical activity practices during childhood has become a priority in education and policy. Promoting nutrition and physical activity best practices in school and childcare programs is key to ensuring the next generation of Californians grows into healthy, active adults.
How UC Delivers
The University of California's Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI), in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health's CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) program, coordinates evaluation in schools, early care and education centers, and out-of-school time programs to assess nutrition and physical activity policies and practices. NPI's Site-Level Assessment Questionnaires (SLAQs) are used to assess programs and support plans for program development and improvement. CFHL programs target schools and childcare programs in low-income communities to create health-promoting environments for children.
“Thank you for sharing this! I am meeting with my team next week to discuss our school approach for FY24 and this will be super helpful to help identify new/expanded areas for working with the schools.”
- Local Health Department CFHL Project Director
NPI launched the Leaders in Eating and Activity Practices (LEAP) program in 2023, recognizing 131 schools, 124 early care and education programs, and 78 out-of-school time programs across California for achieving best practices in healthy eating and active living. All 333 sites received recognition in one or more specific areas: nutrition, physical activity, gardens, or breastfeeding support. Additionally, 38 sites were awarded gold, silver, or bronze for comprehensive achievement of overall nutrition and physical activity practices.To receive a LEAP award, sites reported wellness practices on a SLAQ and partnered with their Local Health Department's CFHL program to plan and implement health promotion projects. These projects target a range of children's nutrition and physical activity behaviors by changing policies, systems, and the environment at schools and childcare programs. NPI provided LEAP winners with personalized certificates and a digital promotions package to help them promote their achievement through social media, newsletters, or other media.
“Oh how exciting! Especially since we may be working more closely with middle schools in FY24-26 and this recognition might just encourage them join on for more PSE [policy, systems, and environmental change] focused work.”
- Local Health Department CFHL Project Director
The Impact
LEAP recognition of successful wellness programs can invigorate partnerships and inspire more impactful work. LEAP aims to motivate schools and childcare programs to implement comprehensive, evidence-based strategies to improve child health outcomes. The program also encourages Local Health Departments and their partners to promote their wellness efforts among families and community members, building community awareness of and support for CFHL. Within six months of launching the program, two-thirds of surveyed Local Health Departments reported utilizing the LEAP digital promotions package to promote their partners' healthy eating and physical activity interventions and 22% reported utilizing the LEAP award criteria to inform intervention planning at their partner sites. LEAP awardees and LHD partners have been featured on social media and in community newsletters, newspaper articles, and press releases, enhancing public awareness of CalFresh Healthy Living and UC's Nutrition Policy Institute.
Testimonials from Local Health Department CFHL Project Directors:
“I'm thrilled for our schools and extra excited for the Gold Award!! I can't wait to celebrate ourschools and the fabulous work they are doing. THANK YOU so much for this.”
This family childcare home gained LEAP recognition with a Gold Award and all four badges (Nutrition, Physical Activity, Gardens, and Breastfeeding Support).
“I never thought I would be serving asparagus to the kids. I had a hard time getting them to even eat fruits! After doing all the garden activities, they became more excited and more adventurous to try new foods. They were also very excited to check on their plants every day. They tell me they can't wait to eat the stuff they are growing.”
-Dulce Gaytan, Childcare Provider
- Author: Peter Ako Larbi
- Author: Franz J.A. Niederholzer
UC ANR supports California's almond crop protection workforce through Airblast Sprayer Calibration Trainings to maintain or improve their technical knowledge. 100% of participants reported both learning professional skills and their intent to adopt practices that can improve the sustainability and profitability of California ag.
The Issue
For efficient and effective pesticide spray application, all sprayers should be calibrated as often as necessary throughout the growing season of almonds, especially when dealing with orchards of different ages and sizes. Calibration is considered a best practice in pesticide spray application ensuring accurate application rates and adherence to pesticide labels which is the law. As such, proper understanding of sprayer calibration objectives and steps is needed to avoid using incorrect methods that give a false sense of accuracy. Educating growers and applicators in calibration methods will therefore empower them to ensure the use of properly calibrated sprayers well-adjusted to the target canopy to deliver maximum crop protection while minimizing pesticide loss.
How UC Delivers
In June 2023, UC ANR co-hosted two Calibration Safety & Compliance Training events, one for Northern California and the other for Central California, with the Almond Board of California (ABC), AgSafe Food and Farms (AgSafe), and the Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA). The Northern California training was held at the Nickels Soil Lab in Arbuckle, CA, while the Central California event took place at the UC's Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension (KARE) Center in Parlier, CA. The events were aimed at providing practical calibration training on how to prepare and calibrate airblast sprayers as well as compliance training such as how to manage required documents for pesticide applications. The 4.5-hour trainings included “Welcome” by the ABC, “Regulatory Update” by WAPA, “Calibration Training” by UC ANR, “Headquarters Compliance Training” by AgSafe, and “DPR Laws & Regulations Update” also by AgSafe. The DPR approved 4.0 hours of continuing education credits – 2.0 ‘Laws' and 2.0 ‘Other' – for qualifying participants. Overall, 50+ attendees participated in both events: 30+ in Arbuckle and 23 in Parlier.
The Calibration Training by UC ANR was a 2-hour practical session conducted in an almond orchard along with airblast sprayer demonstrations. It was presented in an interactive format allowing participants to interject with questions, comments, and observations. The Northern California training was led by UC Cooperative Extension advisor Dr. Franz Niederholzer in collaboration with UC Cooperative Extension specialist Dr. Peter Ako Larbi. Alternatively, the Central California training was led by Dr. Larbi in collaboration with Dr. Niederholzer. Both sections covered: “Sprayer parts review”; “Sprayer calibration basics and calculations”; “Sprayer speed determination”; “Sprayer air profile assessment and nozzle configuration”; “Flow rate measurement”; and “Spray coverage evaluation”. Staff from the Nickels Soil Lab, the Agricultural Application Engineering (AgAppE) Lab, and KARE Center provided Logistical, technical, and documentation support. The participants completed evaluation forms to provide feedback for just the Calibration Training section. Comments from the evaluation forms included…
“Very good class.”
“Great rapport with participants.”
The Impact
In all, 22 participants provided feedback on their learning for the combined Calibration Training sections for the Northern and Central California events. Overall, 100% reported “much” to “very much” learning from the combined Calibration Training sections indicating that they were very effective and provided participants with a great amount of learning. Likewise, 100% also indicated their intent to adopt the practices learned from the section. Looking at each section of the training, 82% reported learning “much” to “very much” from the “Sprayer parts review”, 100% the same for “Sprayer calibration basics and calculations”, 91% for “Sprayer speed determination with flagging”, 91% for “Sprayer air profile assessment and nozzle configuration”, 91% for “Flow rate measurement”, and 82% for “Spray coverage evaluation” (full breakdown of feedback by section in the graphic below). Additional written comments were mostly positive.
The needs assessment conducted by Dr. Larbi for his Agricultural Application Engineering Program in 2019 showed that 56% of perennial specialty crop growers and applicators in the San Joaquin Valley used airblast sprayers, 12% used tower sprayers, 15% used electrostatic mist blowers, and 17% used other sprayers. Also, 22% calibrated their sprayers 10 or more times a year, 32% calibrated 4-6 times, and 46% calibrated only 1-3 times a year. According to the California Pesticide Use Report, in 2021, 456,802 pesticide applications delivered 34,323,828 lbs. of pesticide across 24,147,968 acres of almond orchards. This amounts to 75.14 lbs. per application or 1.42 lbs. per acre. If even 1% of the application was overapplied and another 1% was underapplied due to using uncalibrated sprayers in the year (a conservative guess if nearly half of applicators only calibrate 1-3 years times a year), then 686,477 lbs would have been misapplied leading to either reduced pest control or increased pesticide loading on the environment. This number is very significant considering that the situation does not apply to only almond production. Thus, by increasing the competency of California's almond crop protection workforce for properly calibrating sprayers as a best practice, UC ANR potentially improved environmental sustainability.
UCCE academics Dr. Niederholzer and Dr. Larbi have an extended collaboration in providing spray application and sprayer calibration training in both Northern and Central California since 2019. The results presented here exemplify the impact of such trainings. Expanding this collaboration to include industry stakeholders reaches other audiences, potentially new participants, and increases the extent of impact. UC ANR will continue to support California agriculture through such trainings and the dissemination of science-based information to promote operational efficiency and profitability.
- Author: Peter Ako Larbi
UC ANR supports California's crop protection workforce to become more qualified through hands-on Airblast Sprayer Calibration Training. 100% of participants reported learning professional skills that also can improve the sustainability and profitability of California ag.
![Dr. Peter Larbi teaching sprayer calibration basics during the Airblast Sprayer Calibration Training on November 18, 2022 Dr. Peter Larbi teaching sprayer calibration basics during the Airblast Sprayer Calibration Training on November 18, 2022](http://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCDelivers/blogfiles/101290.jpg)
The Issue
As a best practice in pesticide spray application, growers and pesticide applicators should calibrate their sprayers to ensure accurate application rates and compliance with the law as represented by pesticide labels. However, proper understanding of sprayer calibration objectives and steps is needed to avoid a false sense of accuracy using incorrect methods. Educating growers and applicators in calibration methods will therefore empower them to ensure the use of properly calibrated sprayers well-adjusted to the target canopy to minimize pesticide waste and drift loss.
How UC Delivers
A half-day “Airblast Sprayer Calibration Training” was conducted in November 2022 at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension (KARE) Center. The in-person extension education event was supported by a California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) grant. It involved classroom and field exercises focused on axial airblast spray applications directed to tree and vine canopies. The training was instructed by Dr. Peter Ako Larbi and assisted by his postdoc scholar Dr. Abiodun Abioye, with logistical support from his Agricultural Application Engineering (AgAppE) Lab and KARE Center personnel. It covered the basic steps and calculations involved in sprayer calibration, with practical follow up via hands-on demonstrations in the field. The DPR approved 3.5 hours of continuing education credits in ‘Other' category for qualifying participants. Sixteen participants were in attendance consisting of growers, applicators/operators, pest control advisors/certified crop advisors, scientists/researchers, and others.
The training started with classroom instruction covering “Welcome, Introduction, and Purpose” (comprising an overview of spray application goals, spray application outcomes, and sprayer calibration and adjustment objectives) and “Sprayer calibration basics and calculations” by Dr. Larbi. It then transitioned to in-field setting in a citrus block in an interactive format allowing participants to interject with questions, comments, and observations. With active participant involvement, the field experience included a presentation on “Sprayer Equipment Parts/Nozzles” by Dr. Abioye, hands-on exercises covering the calibration steps led by Dr. Larbi, a wrap-up discussion and answering of additional questions, and ended by evaluating participant learning. Engaging participants in various hands-on activities corresponding to the recommended calibration steps was intended to reinforce their learning. The spray equipment was operated by KARE Center staff research associate Ryan Puckett.
“Really helped me understand calibration much better.”
“Excellent speakers, demonstrators, trainers.”
The Impact
The participants were fully engaged throughout the training, and all (100%) provided feedback on their learning. Overall, those who reported gaining “much” to “very much” learning are: 94% for “Welcome, Introduction, and Purpose”; 100% for “Sprayer calibration basics and calculations”; 100% for “Equipment: Sprayer parts/Nozzles”; and 100% for “Hands-on calibration exercise”. On average, 97% reported gaining such learning in the classroom portion and 100% in the field. Overall, 100% reported “much” to “very much” learning from the entire training, indicating that it was very effective and provided participants with a great amount of learning. Additional written comments were mostly positive, and many participants verbally expressed their appreciation for the thoroughness of the training.
Dr. Larbi and his AgAppE Program plan to continue providing similar trainings in the future on both ongoing and need bases to arm his clientele with science-based knowledge and skills that will promote their operational efficiency and profitability.
According to the 2021 California Pesticide Use Report, 82,550,620 lbs. of pesticide was used in 941,751 applications for the top five (5) crops in all counties in the San Joaquin Valley covering 45,087,167 acres. Eighty-nine (89) percent of the quantity was applied on 39,742,883 acres of perennial specialty crops, which are the systems of primary focus for Dr. Larbi and his AgAppE program, amounting to 79.38 lbs. per application or 2.34 lbs per acre. Moreover, Dr. Larbi's 2019 Agricultural Application Engineering Program needs assessment revealed that only 22% of growers and applicators calibrated their sprayers 10 or more times a year, 32% calibrated 4-6 times, and 46% calibrated only 1-3 times a year. Hence, assuming a mere 1% of the application done in perennial specialty crop in 2021 was overapplied and another 1% was underapplied due to using uncalibrated sprayers, then 1,467,100 lbs would have been misapplied leading to either reduced pest control or increased pesticide loading on the environment. This number is very significant considering that the situation does not apply to only the top five crops. Thus, by increasing the competency of California's crop protection workforce for properly calibrating sprayers as a best practice, the AgAppE Program potentially increased workforce retention, improved environmental sustainability, and increased the profitability of growers.
- Author: Peter Ako Larbi
Upon attending the Citrus Spray Field Day in November 2022 at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension (KARE) Center, 93% of participants reported learning much or very much about spray application best practices, which can lead to increased agricultural efficiency.
The Issue
Because of the complex nature of spray application under field conditions, growers and pesticide applicators have difficulty in recognizing or using best practices that result in desired application efficiencies. Therefore, applications often fall short. Developing and disseminating science-based recommendations from field trials and decision support tools to assist with pesticide spray application decisions will reduce the guesswork, improve efficiency, and promote effective pest control.
How UC Delivers
The Citrus Spray Field Day was a 4-hour classroom and field meeting that discussed pesticide application effectiveness, focusing on axial airblast spray applications directed to citrus (and other tree and vine) canopies. It was instructed by Dr. Peter Ako Larbi with support from hisAgricultural Application Engineering (AgAppE) Lab andKARE Center personnel. Discussions covered techniques and considerations for optimizing spray deposition and coverage as well as for minimizing pesticide drift. Sixteen participants were in attendance consisting of growers, applicators/operators, pest control advisers/certified crop advisors, regulators/policymakers, scientists/researchers, and others.
Starting with classroom instruction, it covered “Welcome, Introduction, and Purpose” and “Introduction to ‘Airblast Spray Advisor' decision support tool”, transitioning to field instruction which included “Airblast spray demonstration”, “Spray deposition in mandarin” and “Spray deposition in navel orange”. Continuing back in the classroom with sessions on “Spray drift potential in citrus applications” and “Evaluating ‘Airblast Spray Advisor' deposition predictions”, Citrus Spray Field Day ended by evaluating participant learning with approximately 94% response rate.
The Impact
The participants were fully engaged throughout the training. Overall, those who reported gaining “much” to “very much” learning are as follows: 87% for “Welcome, Introduction, and Purpose”; 80% for “Introduction to ‘Airblast Spray Advisor' decision support tool”; 87% for “Airblast spray demonstration”; 93% for “Spray deposition in mandarin”; 94% for “Spray deposition in navel orange”; and 87% in “Spray drift potential in citrus applications”. On average, about 85% reported learning gains in the classroom portion and about 91% reported learning gains in the field. Overall, 93% reported “much” to “very much” learning for the entire field day, showing that the training was very effective and provided participants with a great amount of learning.
Dr. Larbi and his AgAppE Program plan to continue providing similar trainings in the future on both ongoing and need bases to arm his clientele with science-based knowledge that will promote their operational efficiency and profitability.
- Author: Jeffrey P Mitchell
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
- Author: Anil Shrestha
- Author: Wyatt Brown
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Universities adopted UCCE agriculture production innovation and technology video series, contributing to workforce competency.
The Issue
Projections for near-future retirements of people working in California's agricultural production, marketing and post-harvest handling sectors indicate severe re-staffing needs in the coming years. Technological advances have reduced manual labor in agriculture, but increased the need for skilled labor to maintain the sustainability of the vegetable industry. Maintaining California's leading role in producing abundant, safe vegetables is critical not only to Americans' health, but also to the state's economy.
How UC Delivers
UC ANR's Cropping Systems Cooperative Extension Specialist, Jeff Mitchell assembled a team of professors from California's public universities with agricultural programs – UC Davis, Chico State, Fresno State and CalPoly San Luis Obispo - to pull together the series of videos designed to spark the interest and begin training future farmers and agriculture workers in sound agronomic, economic and environmental stewardship skills. The team received financial support from the California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crops Block Grant Program. The video series is offered on the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) YouTube page on a playlist titled “Training of a New Generation of California Vegetable Producers.”
The videos depict state-of-the-art technologies and techniques that are in use in many production regions of California today, vegetable farming systems used in other parts of the world, and increasingly popular cottage farming systems that are popping up in urban areas for easy access to healthful foods. A key feature of the videos is their showcasing leading vegetable farmers and industry leaders and having them speak directly to students about their work and how they manage the complex dimensions of today's vegetable crop production systems.
“We know that maintaining California's leading role in producing abundant, safe vegetables is critical not only to Americans' health, but also to the state's economy,” UC ANR's Mitchell says. “These videos have greatly increased knowledge and awareness of production practices.”
The Impact
The video-series has been adopted by four universities, used in courses to provide real-world information on state-of-the-art production practices and technologies to over 200 students each year. Pre- and post-video viewing surveys indicate student knowledge of production innovation and technology provided by an example video on “urban agriculture” increased from 0% being very knowledgeable to extremely knowledgeable to 67% after viewing the video. Because many of today's students in agriculture-related courses do not have practical experience with crop production, the videos have provided a critically important means for learning and increasing the practical knowledge of this next generation of production workers. In addition, the video series has had broad interest beyond the classrooms. The agricultural industry, students in other parts of the United States and the world, and the broader public all have an interest in understanding how the vegetables we eat are produced at the ever-increasing scale at which they are needed. Importantly, the California Agricultural Vision statement of CDFA (https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/agvision/docs/AgVision_2017.pdf(2017) strongly recognizes the critical need to equip the next generation of workers in the field and throughout the packing and processing chain. A World Bank study (2007) determined effects of agricultural education and training on agricultural productivity, including enhanced worker productivity; increased grower abilities to choose prime combinations of inputs and outputs, and increased grower capacity to innovate and adapt new technologies. In this way, UC ANR contributes to increasing workforce competency and the public value of developing a qualified workforce in California.
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