- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, UC Cooperative Extension advisor Mike Marzolla joined a study tour of Cuba, picking up some ideas that could be implemented in the U.S. for a greener society. The 10-day trip was sponsored by the North American Association for Environmental Education, according to a Santa Barbara Independent article written by Chanti Burnett.
Marzolla noted a number of efforts Cubans are making to conserve energy, such as
- Almost universal use of energy-saving lighting
- Bio-energy refrigerators provided by the government
- Decentralized power generation
Local gardening...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Last year, agribusiness and most business sectors road an economic roller coaster. The 2009 outlook is tough to forecast, according to a Sacramento Business Journal article that used the director of the UC Agriculture Issues Center Dan Sumner as its primary source.
The bulk of the article is blocked on the Business Journal's Web site, accessible, it says, only to paid subscribers. But the Internet makes it available elsewhere, such as on the Wichita Business Journal's Web site (an example of the media's own...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Happy New Year! UC ANR experts are off to a running start in the New Year, with appearances in a number of well-read publications.
The Associated Press moved a story on the wire about the use of lasers for irrigation. The article was picked up widely in the news media over the holiday weekend, including the Los Angeles Times. The article, written by John Rogers, said a UC San Diego professor of environmental engineering is pointing a laser beam across an alfalfa crop in Southern California's Imperial Valley, looking for a better way to conserve the millions of gallons of water sprayed each year on thirsty crops. The objective is to give...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Like other famously difficult to define terms, capturing the meaning of "sustainable agriculture" often comes down to just knowing it when you see it. Even though, the California Farm Bureau Federation took another shot at figuring out just how to define what is an increasingly appealing agricultural concept, according to an article in the today's issue of AgAlert.
According to the story, delegates at the Farm Bureau's annual meeting discussed the meaning of sustainable agriculture. Here are some of their thoughts:
- "Sustainability is a new term for things we in agriculture have been doing...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Congratulations to Valerie Eviner, assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. She received the 2007 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers last Friday. Her research was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, according to a USDA news release
USDA nominated Eviner for her research in developing a creative method to manage rangeland and quantify its productivity. Eviner involved students, ranchers, research and extension centers, and environmental organizations to provide students with practical experience in using scientific...
