- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The California water news blog Aquafornia posted a video on YouTube today featuring Cass Mutters, the UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Butte County who specializes in rice, winter cereals and turf.
In the video, Mutters explains that UCCE has for years been engaged in reducing the amount of water needed to grow rice in the Central Valley. He gave two examples:
Variety development. A generation ago, it required 160 days to grow a variety from seed to maturity. New varieties require 140 days. This has resulted in a 15 percent reduction in water use.
Precision leveling of land. Laser...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Residents around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta feel left out of the decision-making process over a local water conservation plan, University of California researchers learned by conducting "conversations" in five counties last year. Tim Hearden of Capital Press spoke to two of the UC Cooperative Extension advisors involved in hosting and evaluating the conversations, Jodi Cassell and Shelly Murdock of Contra Costa County.
Residents repeatedly said experts and policymakers gave their points of view at public meetings about a water...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A report in Capital Press about California's fall 2011 weather pattern - sunshine and valley fog occasionally punctuated by several days of rain and snow - included comments from UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Josh Davy about the effect of this year's weather on rangeland.
Germination occurred as a result of the season's first rains in October, but it didn't hold in some pastures because of the lull in precipitation, Davy said.
"This ought to get it up and going," Davy said of the rain that fell before Thanksgiving. "It usually takes between half and 1 inch in a week to get it...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Invasive plants and insects are proliferating faster than ever, causing massive problems in the environment, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Ben Faber told farmers at the Ventura County Research Symposium yesterday, the Ventura County Star reported.
Faber said invasive species are being introduced at a rapid rate around the world, and are primarily spread by humans.
He differentiated between non-native plants that are beneficial, such as avocados and citrus, and invasive plants that have been accidentally introduced into an ecosystem where they...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Family farmers and fishermen, California Indian tribes and grass roots environmentalists are working together to preserve the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the fish and communities that depend on it for their livelihoods, according to a commentary by Dan Bacher published on Calitics.com.
Calitics is a "progressive online community" that provides individual Californians a platform for discussing state issues and campaigning. Anyone can sign in and contribute to the blog.
Bacher reported on the "Farms & Salmon Summit," held last month in Atwater. During the forum, farmers and fishermen urged...