- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Cattle ranches may be able to boost the bottom line by inviting tourists onto their land for bird watching, hiking, photography or just getting an up-close look at California beef production.
This was the message shared by the director of UC Cooperative Extension in Sierra and Plumas counties, Holly George, at UCCE's annual Oakdale Livestock Forum, according to a story published today in the Modesto Bee.
"I would advise you to look at what you have and genuinely share that," George was quoted in the story.
As an example, George cited the annual Eagles and...- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A delegation from China's Ministry of Agriculture visited a Marin County ranch on Wednesday to view a collaborative research project aimed at sequestering carbon in rangeland. The visit was covered by Contra Costa Times reporter Mark Prado.
The research collaborators, which includes UC Cooperative Extension, are studying whether application of compost on rangeland will boost plant growth, which in turn would store more carbon. Research leader UC Berkeley professor Whendee Silver shared with the delegation promising early results gleaned from the first year of the five-year project.
"Plants are...
/span>- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
As protests at the Copenhagen "climate summit" heat up and talks reach a critical stage, the media are looking at a variety of ways humans can slow carbon emissions into the atmosphere, such as changing the way we farm.
In an Ask Pablo column on a Web site called Treehugger, writer Pablo Paster considers whether people should go back to using horses instead of tractors to farm. At first glance, I thought the piece was meant to be humorous, but in fact, Paster researched whether such a change would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Among the data Paster used to support the idea was a 2008 UC Davis...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Forage monitoring at the UC Sierra Research and Extension Center in Browns Valley shows the land produced, on average, 2,984 pounds of vegetation per acre, 93.4 percent of normal, according to an article published today in Capital Press. That may sound fantastic - 93.4 percent looks like an A to me. But UCCE farm advisor Larry Forero said that the growth came too late for most ranchers.
In fact, in nearby Tehama County, officials are seeking a federal disaster declaration because of drought damage to its rangelands. Reporter Tim Hearden wrote that...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
On Friday, two reporters joined ranchers and UC, Fresno State and US Forest Service academics at the San Joaquin Experimental Range for a field day, presentations and barbecue marking the centennial of the Forest Service's research program. At the event, officials signed a new memorandum of understanding outlining the research goals and administrative arrangements for the 4,500-acre facility.
As part of the agreement, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor and county director for Madera County, Neil McDougald, takes on the role of site manager for the sprawling oak woodland research facility 26 miles north of Fresno.
Dennis Pollock, a freelance reporter for AgAlert, took a guided tour of riparian areas on the station, and...