- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Stockton Record agricultural writer Reid Fujii wrote an entertaining piece on 2008's designation as the International Year of the Potato. While acknowledging that San Joaquin County isn't generally thought of as a potato capital, county farmers cultivate 2,000 to 3,000 acres of potatoes a year, generating a harvest worth an estimated $22.7 million in 2006, according to the story.
"That would put potatoes at No. 3 in terms of vegetable crops in the county, behind tomatoes and asparagus," Fujii quoted Brenna Aegerter, UC Cooperative Extension vegetable crop farm advisor in San Joaquin...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Los Angeles Times reported that PG&E will be handing over 100,000 acres of ecologically rich and endangered watershed lands in California to new owners that are aiming for conservation. For the story, reporter Tami Abdollah spoke to UC Cooperative Extension forestry specialist Bill Stewart of UC Berkeley.
"You're basically looking at lots of free real estate," Steward was quoted. He also pointed out some concerns associated with the land transfer.
"The truth is, when you have to manage land, it costs money," Stewart said.
"Those are real costs, and that's...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Yesterday, the San Francisco Chronicle ran an obituary on Ed Weber, which included quotes from family, colleagues and growers. Weber, the UC Cooperative Extension county director and viticulture farm advisor in Napa County, died Dec. 31 while riding his bike.
Here are some of the comments:
"He was not only the lead guy in providing vineyard and viticulture advice, but also had oversight of the Master Gardeners program and 4-H activities in the county. Ed was a quiet, solid, good-natured deliverer of knowledge and competence, and he did it in a way that never ruffled anyone's feathers. He was always perceived as being helpful...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Wine Spectator said, "Weber was highly respected among wine writers and grape growers alike, who relied upon him to translate into plain English the latest information on anything related to growing grapes."
The Napa Valley Register also reported on Weber's ability to clearly convey information: "Colleagues said he could take the most complicated data...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UC Cooperative Extension made a number of appearances in the media as last year came to a close . . .
The Hanford Sentinel ran a feature story on Kings County UC Cooperative Extension nutrition education program manager Shonnon Gutierrez. "What we do is provide nutrition education curriculum for teachers in Kings County schools that qualify with 50 to 100 percent in the free or reduced lunch program," she said. In the story, Gutierrez conveyed her enthusiasm for her work: "It's a great job and everyone in the office is amazing," she said. "It's such a great place to work and Peggy Gregory is a...
