- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A news release distributed yesterday by UC ANR News & Info Outreach was within hours picked up by the Central Valley Business Times. The story outlines the impact on UC research of the Westlands Water District's announcement last week that it will not have water to deliver to its constituents during the 2009 water year. The UC West Side Research and Extension Center relies on Westlands water to irrigate research projects.
West Side REC director Bob Hutmacher said, because of the anticipated water shortage, the research program for the 2009 water year must be...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
California's January weather was exceptional in 2009. While many enjoyed the unseasonably warm days, farmers fretted about the impact on their crops. According to an article in today's Santa Rosa Press Democrat, horticulturists say some plants and trees are budding two weeks to a month earlier than usual.
“Spring is coming earlier and it has been doing that the last three or four years. But this year is astonishing,” the article quoted Bob Hornback, a garden educator and adviser to a Sebastopol farm.
Press-Democrat writer Meg McConahey also sought comment from UC Cooperative Extension farm...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Notwithstanding that oft-repeated rhyme scientists use to guide food safety decisions, a UC Cooperative Extension specialist offered some more detailed advice in a newspaper article today that people can follow when they open a carton of yogurt or a hunk of cheese to find a spot of mold.
Ed Blonz of the Contra Costa Times contacted UC Davis dairy specialist emeritus John Bruhn when preparing to answer a reader question about moldy dairy products.
In a nutshell, Bruhn told the reporter:
- Creating an acidic atmosphere using a vinegar-soaked cloth or paper towel might help in controlling mold growth, but it's not always...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Director of the UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center Beth Grafton-Cardwell predicted Valley citrus growers' fears will be realized. Eventually, she believes, the Asian citrus psyllid will make its way northward from San Diego County, were it was first discovered in California last year.
Grafton-Cardwell shared her view in the lead business story of yesterday's Fresno Bee. Written by reporter Robert Rodriguez, the story said growers are mobilizing resources to get ahead of the invasion and protect the state's $723 million citrus industry.
However, Grafton-Cardwell told Rodriguez that quarantines, trapping and pesticide...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
An AgAlert story by Kate Campbell expands on earlier news coverage of a recent State Board of Food and Agriculture meeting, where UC Davis agricultural economist Richard Howitt offered depressing news about water allocations for the 2009 growing season.
Howitt told the board that, based on an 85 percent cut in water deliveries for the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project, "We're estimating a 50 percent increase in groundwater pumping, compared to 2005. We're also factoring in the removal of older permanent crops and the use of stress irrigation, as well as the likelihood of water...
