- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Paul Vossen was among 22 world-class judges at last month's Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle.
The article said the event, part of the Los Angeles County Fair, has now become one of the premier olive oil competitions in the world.
There were many gold medalists who are repeat winners, among them California Olive Ranch, McEvoy, Round Pond, the Olive Press, Apollo, Pacific Sun and Stella Cadente.
"The state of American olive oil is in a very, very good...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
According to the Weather Channel Web site, temperatures in California’s inland valleys will soar into the triple digits next week. Those valleys include the Coachella, Sacramento and mighty San Joaquin, where much of the state’s agricultural industry is centered. The same geology that created the valleys' fertile farmland fed by snow melt from local mountains helps trap the heat, creating problems of its own.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Communicators Network has compiled tips with information from UC experts on coping with high temperatures. Issues run the gamut, from shading your home with trees to protecting outdoor workers and even how high temperatures help olive growers in...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Many people think of June when planning their weddings. This year, for a number of UC Cooperative Extension academics, the early summer month is time to retire from a long and distinguished career.
The four retirement releases I wrote this June represented a combined 111 years of experience with UC Cooperative Extension, and these aren't the only retirements to take place this month. The advisors' stories are being picked up by the media.
The Fresno Bee included Dave Snell's retirement in its Business Briefs.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
When I first heard that UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Morgan Doran would be training sheep to clean up weeds in vineyards, I knew it would be a great story. I personally enjoyed visiting Doran and his cooperators in the study at the beautiful UC Hopland Research and Extension Center, getting the details of the research and writing a piece for the UC Web site and to share with the media.
I have also enjoyed what the media have done with the story. The Central Valley Business Times led their article, published June 2:
"Who knew? It turns out that sheep can be trained to be vineyard workers,...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The recent rise in gas prices has many folks thinking about biofuels. In fact, in the last week, the Associated Press reported that the push from Congress and the White House for hugh increases in biofuels is prompting the oil industry to scale back it plans for refinery expansions -- which could keep gas prices high for years to come. (AP stories appear in many media outlets and Web sites. Use the seven-day free search with the keyword "biofuel" to find this story.) The article, by H. Josef Hebert, says oil industry executives no longer believe there will be the demand for gasoline over the next decade to warrant billions of dollars in refinery expansions.
As politicians and...