- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Mien farmers get advice for growing strawberries in Yolo County
(Woodland Daily Democrat) ANR news release, May 31
Abnormal Weather Takes a Toll on California Olive Crop
(Ag Net West) Brian German, May 30
The late winter freeze caused significant issues for several different commodities throughout the state and has been especially problematic for the California olive crop. The fluctuating temperatures have created substantial...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The spotted lanternfly, native to Asia, first came to America in 2014 when it was found in Pennsylvania. Despite a quarantine, populations have been discovered in New York, Delaware and Virginia, reported Zach Montague in the New York Times.
“They've been appearing in grapes, and we have reports from growers last year of a 90 percent loss,” said Julie Urban, a senior research associate at Penn State.
The reporter also contacted UC Cooperative Extension advisor Surendra Dara, who published an article in 2014 about spotted lanternfly in
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Unprecedented Study Discovers what Urban Coyotes Really Eat
(Care2) Laura Goldman, March 30
Hiking boots, avocados, candy wrappers and fast-food containers. These aren't a few of my favorite things, but they are some of the items found inside the stomachs of dead urban coyotes in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
…Since the study began over a year ago, the researchers, led by Dr. Niamh Quinn, the human-wildlife interactions advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension, have discovered that cats make up only about eight percent of a coyote's diet.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) advisor Surendra Dara was featured on a half-hour program broadcast by NRI Samay, a California-based public radio service focused on Indian-American news. Dara, an Indian native himself, shared with the host the academic path that led him to his current position serving as an advisor to strawberry and vegetable crops growers in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Dara is also affiliated with the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.
The program's host asked how...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Many farmers and other California residents are hoping that the strong El Niño forming in the Pacific Ocean will bring abundant rain to the drought-stricken Golden State this winter. However, the possibility of too much rain in a short period of time is also a concern, reported Phillip Joens in Pacific Coast Business Times.
In 1997, the last time meteorologists recorded a strong El Niño, strong rains from April through August caused $1.1 billion in damage to California's economy because of severe flooding and landslides, the article said. In February of 1998, weeks of rain caused an additional $550...