- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Japanese dodder, an exotic parasitic weed which is a high priority noxious weed in California, was recently detected in a natural wooded area in Lompoc, reported the publication Growing Produce. It is the first time it is reported in Santa Barbara County and the Agriculture Commissioner’s office is taking immediate action. The article drew information from a blog post by Surendra Dara, a UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Santa Barbara County.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The USDA issued a news release on Friday announcing $55 million in block grants to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops around the country, with California receiving more than $17 million. Of the 64 California projects, 19 are led by researchers affiliated with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
A large share of funding - $1.4 million - goes to nine food-safety projects to be coordinated by UC’s
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Sarah Palin's dismissal of fruit fly research (criticized in a Salon.com article that was covered in this blog) is reverberating on the Internet. In the news blog "The Scientist," writer Bob Grant included reaction from two UC entomologists and other scientists.
Here's the YouTube video in which the vice presidential candidate derides "fruit fly research in Paris, France":
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
As the 2008 presidential election reaches its crescendo, even ANR experts get into the action. Salon.com today posted a mocking commentary on what it calls "Sarah Palin's latest swat at science" that included comments from UC Cooperative Extension's Paul Vossen.
In a speech in which Palin ridiculed earmark money, she noted sarcastically that one such allocation was made for "... fruit fly research in Paris, France," Salon writer Kevin Berger reported.
But, of course, there is more to the story. Berger surmised that Palin was referring to money secured by Mike...