- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Roger Duncan, UCCE farm advisor in Stanislaus County, retires after 36 years
For more than three decades, tree fruit and nut growers have depended on the advice of Roger Duncan, UC Cooperative Extension pomology farm advisor in Stanislaus County, to improve their production practices. Duncan, whose research and extension program focused on almonds, peaches, grapes and other tree crops, retired July 1.
“Roger Duncan has been an extraordinarily relevant researcher for the predominant crops in Stanislaus County,” said Rep. John Duarte, owner of Duarte Nursery in Hughson. “His research has encompassed rootstock and variety selection, tree spacing, chemical inputs and spraying, fertilizers, pruning and replanting amongst other projects.”
Duncan began working for UC ANR in 1988 as a field assistant to Integrated Pest Management advisor Jim Stapleton after earning a master's degree in plant science and plant pathology from Fresno State and a bachelor's degree in the same subjects from UC Davis. In 1990, he became a UC Cooperative Extension in pomology farm advisor in Stanislaus County.
During Duncan's tenure, the planted acreage of tree and vine crops has tripled in Stanislaus County to nearly 1,900 farms on over 230,000 acres. His research has helped to improve production efficiency through improved rootstocks, crop varieties and production practices.
“Roger provides growers with resources and tools on nutrition, sprays, nutrient deficiencies, calendars, costs, pest management and other horticultural practices,” Duarte said. “His work has had significant impact on the productivity and quality of almonds, peaches and grapes. Breeders, universities, nurseries, growers and marketers have all gained from the wisdom and dedication of Roger Duncan.”
Growing up in Modesto, Duncan wasn't raised on a farm. “I had friends whose families farmed orchard crops, so I had some exposure,” he said. “I caught the Extension bug while working as a summer intern for the pomology advisors in the Stanislaus County UCCE office after I graduated with my B.S. That is what inspired me to return to school with the goal of being a pomology farm advisor.”
Reducing production costs
To help growers lower production costs, Duncan introduced orchard practices aimed at reducing hand labor and other inputs. As a result of his research, minimal pruning has become the norm in California almond production, reducing input costs and carbon output and increasing yield. He also improved monitoring and management techniques of established and invasive diseases and insect pests.
“The practical applications Roger brings to the grower community are invaluable,” said Mel Machado, Blue Diamond Almonds vice president for member relations and Stanislaus County almond grower. “His minimal pruning study stood growers on their heads. People had preconceived ideas about pruning. He blew that up. His research showed that after you get the tree's frame, all you need to remove are the dead and occluded branches. With the market depressed, we needed to cut costs. He said, ‘You don't need pruning.' Now I'm growing bushes.”
Art Bowman, a crop adviser with Salida Ag Chem, agreed that Duncan's pruning research had an impact. “Roger's pruning trial that lasted over 20 years was a much-discussed subject among growers,” Bowman said. “Growers' pruning practices definitely changed due to Roger's research, with early emphasis on structural development and, later in the tree's life, concentrating on tree accessibility and deadwood removal.”
In 1990, when Duncan joined UC Cooperative Extension, California had 408,700 acres of almonds, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Service. Now the state has over 1.5 million acres of almonds.
About 75% of the farms Duncan has served have 40 acres or less, farmed by “small” or “part-time” farmers, who needed to learn basic horticulture and pest management. Stanislaus County also is home to some very large, sophisticated growers, who Duncan has kept apprised of new technology.
“I believe that personal interaction offers the most memorable means of information transfer, which is why I held an average of 12-plus extension events per year, gave 18-plus extension presentations per year, and went on an average of over 75 individual farm calls per year,” Duncan said. He also provided information via videos, blogs, podcasts, radio shows, newsletters, news media and extension publications as well as commodity boards.
Along with Duncan's research, Bowman has appreciated his availability. “Roger was always ready to take a call, make orchard visits and listen to a grower's concern or problem,” he said.
In 1997, Duncan began hosting twice monthly Tree & Vine Integrated Pest Management breakfast meetings for pest control advisers and growers to discuss current and potential pest threats. These meetings have continued for 28 years.
He speaks ‘farmer'
Machado attributes much of Duncan's success to his communication skills. “His research is scientific and he speaks ‘farmer,'” he said.
Machado gave rootstock as an example. “Roger is my rootstock resource; he knows rootstocks better than anybody,” he said. “His rootstock trial is dirt simple. There's a different rootstock every five trees. You can see walking down the row the differences in the rootstocks.”
From his field evaluations, Duncan identified a complex hybrid rootstock that is highly tolerant to ring nematode, bacterial canker and salt toxicity. He found other hybrid rootstocks that boost crop yield while reducing risk from soil chemistry and soil-borne disease challenges, enabling almonds to be grown in the marginal soils on the west side of the North San Joaquin Valley. To help growers choose the appropriate rootstock for their soil, he wrote a comprehensive ANR publication, made a video and worked with the UC Fruit & Nut Center to create an interactive rootstock comparison website.
Over the last 15 years, use of hybrid almond rootstocks has increased dramatically. Burchell Nursery now sells approximately 40% of their trees on hybrid rootstock compared to less than 5% of almond trees 15 years ago, and more than 95% of Duarte Nursery almond trees are on hybrid rootstocks, according to Duncan.
“We've worked with Roger for years, back when he didn't have a mustache and then when he had a mustache,” said Robert Longstreth, who grows almonds, walnuts and cherries.
“Roger does research in the area you need, not frivolous stuff that you don't need,” said Longstreth, who has benefited from Duncan's research on pruning, rootstocks, irrigation timing, plant nutrition and disease control. “He's thought very highly of by almond growers. When he has something to say, people listen.”
The UCCE farm advisor has overseen long-term trials to learn how to design and maintain an almond orchard to capture early production, maintain long-term yields and maximize profits. “In the first 17 years of the orchard design project, I increased cumulative net profits by up to $14,000 per acre, including increased yield while reducing labor and carbon inputs,” Duncan said.
Influenced by Duncan's tree-spacing research results, growers have increased almond tree density by 20% per acre statewide, leading to higher crop yields, longer-living orchards and better farm economic sustainability.
As California's expert on almond rootstocks and almond orchard design, Duncan has taught the subjects for the UC Almond Production Short Course, was lead author on the UCANR publication “Almond Rootstocks,” wrote the rootstock chapter, and co-authored the orchard design chapter of the UC Almond Production Manual. He was invited to Chile, Spain and Australia to share his expertise with growers there.
Expanded programs for kids and gardeners
In addition to being a farm advisor, Duncan served as director of UC Cooperative Extension in Stanislaus County from 2011 through 2013 and again from 2017 through 2020. As the UCCE county director, he acquired new county funding to hire a 4-H youth development program representative in 2018 to provide more learning opportunities for local, underrepresented children.
That year, he also acquired county funding to hire a full-time Master Gardener coordinator and launched the first UC Master Gardener Program in the county.
“I felt very lucky to serve as an advisor in the same county where I was born and raised,” Duncan said. “I am most proud of the trust I have developed with the growers and other clientele.”
Professional awards
Recently, Duncan's peers at UC ANR honored him with a Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding extension program, which gave growers the data and confidence to adopt orchard practices that have bumped up the productivity and economic value of California almond orchards.
The popular breakfast meetings to discuss pest management earned Duncan and his UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor colleagues the Entomological Society Award of Extension Excellence and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation's IPM Innovator Award. The California Legislature also recognized the breakfast club's commitment to sustainable pest management.
Recognizing Duncan's extraordinary contributions, the university recently granted him emeritus status.
“I have a lot of respect for the other farm advisors, but Roger is at the top of the pile,” said Machado, who has served on Almond Board committees with Duncan and known him since he joined UC Cooperative Extension. “I'm going to miss him. You can absolutely count on him.”
Congressman and nurseryman Duarte added: “While he will be sorely missed by us in his role of pomology advisor for the University of California, we hope that he keeps his interest, and continues to influence the food production industry in the Central Valley.”
- Author: Peggy Smith
We are a gardening family, nothing very grandiose, garden size and configuration determined by the situation, a few pots or postage stamp sized at times, other times more landscaped. One of the great delights and joys of visiting family and friends is to see the changes and development of their gardens since the last visit. Having spent my early childhood in England often, as part of these visits, we would explore a local ‘Open Garden' often attached to one of the great English houses, many special memories are of these trips with friends and relatives to these ‘Open Gardens' after which we would have a picnic or stop by the local tea shop for traditional Eccles cakes and Bakewell tarts. With moves to different countries and cities there has always been a desire to look for, explore, enjoy, but also to learn from local public or open gardens.
Ancestors of my family worked at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, England, where in the early 1800's a pioneering young horticulturist and innovative garden designer, Joseph Paxton, with his wife Sarah developed and oversaw the creation of many of Chatsworth's most famous gardens and features. You may have seen the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly and Mathew Macfadyen where Chatsworth and its gardens are featured as ‘Pemberley'. With our ‘lowly' family connection, to visit Chatsworth, we would always catch the bus from home to Derbyshire then walk over the moors past the ‘Eagle Rock' and the Wellington monument, then drop down through bracken that was often shoulder high on my 6-foot father, through what we called ‘Fairy Glen' with its babbling brook through the bluebells to the cottage in which my family lived. To the childish me, Chatsworth was ‘owned' by my family as we would ramble throughout the estate. Memories of riding down the path to ‘Fairy Glen' on my father's shoulders, my head popping over the tall bracken feeling as though I was swimming in a sea of fronds, playing imaginary games in nooks and crannies of the garden are still special to me.
With a move to Australia something similar to the tradition of the English great house open gardens was no longer a possibility. Walks through the ‘bush',rainforest and botanical gardens of Australia on family visits were now to be looked forward to with the tradition of family picnic or afternoon tea, still a punctuation point of the exploration, now enjoying ‘Aussie' cream buns andLamingtons. Much of Australia's flora is rugged while seemingly delicate and small but there are bold plants, such as theWaratah that catch the eye easily and a wattle in full bloom cannot be beaten. This gave me an added appreciation of the diverse beauty in the natural world.
California was the next stop, the Descanso Gardens and Huntington Gardens with its themed garden areas showing examples from around the world were places of peace and beauty in a busy city. Living up against the San Gabriel mountains I learnt not to pick the glorious red, three-leafed poison oak and loved to see the tall candles of Yucca miraculously grow on so little rain to display themselves on the shale of the hillsides.
With relatives in Seattle I have become a regular visitor and have been exploring the garden viewing opportunities there – quite a feast. A walk through the UW Botanical Gardens in March/April when the Rhododendrons and Azalea are out in full bloom is a feast for the eyes. On a recent visit I sampled the Japanese Garden and the Botanical Greenhouses on the UW campus. There is also theSammamish Big Rock Park Central where theSammamish Botanical Society has two projects, a Heritage Garden and a Lower Commons Native Garden.
https://www.sammamishbotanical.org/projects
https://seattle.curbed.com/maps/seattle-botanical-gardens-visit-horticulture
We have wonderful gardens in Yolo and nearby counties to explore but for me it is also a treat to discover gardens of other climates when traveling. I may not be able to grow the plants I see there in our Yolo County climate – too hot, too dry, not cold enough, too cold but I love seeing the adaptations, diversity and beauty in the plants that populate our wonderful blue marble home. Plus, I have happy memories of family and friends, whether local or far away, combined with garden adventures – who could ask for more?
- Author: Barbra Braaten
Summer is flying by and somehow it is already August, kids are going back to school and we are starting to dream of fall gardens. Our August gardens still need our love and care though. Here are some tips to keep your August garden going:
- Morning Watering: Water your plants early in the morning while it's still cool. This practice reduces evaporation and moisture loss, ensuring plants receive the water they need to thrive. Additionally, morning watering allows the plants to dry off during the day, reducing the risk of fungal diseases.
- Keep Young Plants Watered: Monitor fruit and shade trees, shrubs, and perennials planted within the last year closely. Young roots are especially vulnerable to drying out during their first summer. Check soil moisture regularly to prevent dehydration.
- Monitor Vegetable Plants: Wilting or drooping leaves on vegetable plants during hot afternoons do not always indicate dry soil. Check the soil moisture by digging down and water only when necessary to avoid overwatering.
- Prune Fruit Trees: After harvesting fruit, prune the new summer growth of your fruit trees. This is a great way to properly manage growth, shape the tree, and an opportunity to remove dead or diseased wood. The pruning will also help sunlight penetrate the interior wood, encouraging the development of fruiting wood for the next season.
- Regular Harvesting: Harvest beans, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes at least every other day. Regular harvesting promotes further production, ensuring a continuous and bountiful supply of summer vegetables.
- Protect Tree Trunks: Apply a coat of light-colored interior latex paint to tree trunks to prevent sunscald, a condition where the bark on the south or southwest side of a tree becomes sunburned. The light-colored paint reflects sunlight, helping to keep the bark temperature more consistent and preventing damage from the sun. This is particularly important for young trees, as they have not yet developed a thick bark to protect them from the sun's rays.
- Weed Control: Continue pulling weeds before they form seed heads and scatter their seeds. Consistent weeding now will reduce weed problems later in the season.
- Prune Berry Canes: After berry harvest, prune the canes that have finished bearing fruit. Different berries require specific pruning techniques, so know your variety and prune accordingly.
- Tomato Care: Watch for pests and diseases on your tomato plants. Maintain a consistent watering schedule to prevent issues like blossom end rot and monitor for destructive pests like the tomato hornworm caterpillar.
- Care for Roses: Hose off the foliage of roses frequently to reduce the likelihood of powdery mildew and discourage spider mites. Contrary to popular belief, this practice benefits the plants' health. Complete this task early in the day to allow leaves to dry before evening, it's important to ensure proper air circulation and avoid prolonged wet conditions to prevent other fungal issues.
- Planting Warm-Season Vegetables: July is still an excellent time to plant warm-season vegetables such as beans, cucumbers, eggplants, okra, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. These vegetables thrive in warm weather and can be harvested in late summer or early fall. Ensure they are well-watered to support their growth.
- Plan Cool-Season Vegetable Garden: It's time to start planning our Fall gardens. This is a time to plant cool season crops like leafy greens (kale, chard, mustard greens, arugula, lettuce, spinach, bok choi and more), brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, romanesco, Brussels, kohlrabi), root veggies (radish, beets, turnips, carrots) plus peas, garlic, onions, and leeks.
Keep your August gardens going with these tips and enjoy dreaming of the cooler weather coming soon!
Ask your local UC Master Gardener Program.
Have a gardening question? UC Master Gardener volunteers are available to help. Click here to Find a program and connect with your local UC Master Gardener Program. You will be redirected to your local county website and contact information. UC Master Gardener volunteers are available to help answer questions for FREE. Happy gardening!
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- Author: Jennifer DeDora
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) invites proposals to the Science-to-Practice (S2P) Grant Program for new projects that integrate research and extension. The S2P program provides funding to support the formation and development of teams proposing to explore innovative methods, structures, and projects that foster the translation of research into programs and outputs for dissemination and implementation.
Interdisciplinary teams of eligible participants can apply for grants up to $10,000 for one year, renewable as funding permits for up to three years. In addition, UC ANR's Research and Extension Center System will match funding levels awarded, up to $10, 000 per year, to offset the cost of any research and extension conducted at one of its nine Research and Extension Centers.
The S2P program's purpose is to foster integrated research and extension teams to address pressing, complex challenges requiring multiple perspectives and modes of knowledge. The S2P supports applied research-based activities that prioritize the development of collaborative networks in the UC ANR system across research and extension faculty, specialists and/or advisors as well as engaging partners beyond, such as practitioners, decisionmakers and thought leaders in the field.
Eligibility
The team must be composed of a research leader and an extension leader, both of whom will serve as the principal investigators co-leading the project. Team leadership must meet the following criteria:
1. Research PI must be a faulty member (tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure-track)with a research appointment in one of the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) designated campuses and have an active Hatch or USDA multistate project.
2. Extension PI must be a Cooperative Extension specialist or advisor.
Additional participants are encouraged and may be from UC ANR, from other UC-affiliated campuses or from outside the university. All funds must be used to directly support UC ANR activities and personnel. Funds cannot be used to support graduate students, employees or other persons not employed by or not enrolled in a UC ANR program.
Proposal Requirements
The full proposal will be submitted online as a PDF. The required components are outlined below with page limits and guidelines.
Proposal information:
A. Project Participants
- Designate only the research and extension principal investigators who will co-lead the project. Refer to the eligibility requirements stated above.
i. Applicant may be either research or extension lead; include the other project lead in the “Co-Applicant” field.
ii. Include the two project leads and all other team participants in the Team Roles section.
B. Summary (300 words maximum)
- Summarize the integrated project, including the primary stakeholders or clientele standing to benefit by the project, a brief statement of the goal(s) and the integrative strategy.
C. Total Research and Extension Budgets
Unified PDF must contain all the following components:
D. Title and Project Narrative (90 points)
Three pages maximum for new proposals does not include team roles, budget and justification or references.
- Research Component (20 points)
- What is the research problem, defined in the context of a field of research or discipline?
- What are the gaps in data or knowledge that make this project significant?
- What is this project's potential to impact knowledge advancement in a particular research field/discipline/area?
- Identify research-specific activities required to advance the integrative strategy outlined below, including defined research-related deliverables (e.g., publications, grant applications, etc.) and expected outcomes and impacts.
- Extension Component (20 points)
- What are the learning objectives that will deliver the science-based knowledge generated through the research component?
- What is the significant public benefit of this project?
- Who will benefit from or be affected by this project?
- Identify education-specific activities required to advance the integrative strategy outlined below, including defined extension-related deliverables and expected outcomes and impacts.
- Integrative Strategy (40 points)
- What is the strategy that combines the generation, translation, and transfer of technology and/or knowledge into practical applications or practices?
- How do the research and extension components complement one another?
- Why does this project require an integrated approach and interdisciplinary team to create societal value through research-based education relevant to identified stakeholders' needs?
- How will the identified stakeholders be engaged in the research and extension activities?
- Project Timeline (10 points)
- Outline significant benchmarks along this project's timeline that can illustrate the team's vision and trajectory during and beyond this proposal's timeframe. The benchmarks should align with the objectives described above in the research, extension and integrative strategies.
- Identify all approvals required to complete the project (e.g., IRB, IACUC, etc.) and the timeline for obtaining them.
- This may be presented as a diagram or table.
E. Team Member Roles (10 total points)
- Briefly describe the roles and expertise of the research and extension PIs.
- Include a coordination plan for integrating team members across UC ANR functions and units and university and external partners.
- List all team members with their affiliations. Describe the role and responsibilities of each member, including how the expertise of each will contribute to the research, extension or integrated activities. A balanced team representing both research and extension is important.
F. Budget and Justification
- Provide a two-column budget, dividing research and extension expenses.
- Successful projects will be awarded up to $10,000, with the funding period beginning on January 1, 2025.
i. All budgets should be constructed so that up to $5,000 in expenses support research activities and up to $5,000 support extension activities.
ii. If the project's research and/or extension will be conducted at a Research and Extension Center, a budget should be developed in collaboration with the specific REC Director to ensure funding levels requested are aligned with the Center's recharge rates and do not exceed $10,000 for the funding period.
iii. Please note that submissions to this internal competition do not require the budget to be created through the UC ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OGC).
3. Include a detailed budget justification, providing a brief description and explanation of need for costs associated with project activities.
4. Funds used to pay part-time wage-payroll must be for activities outside of any job description currently paid for by UC ANR, or it must support work on a new activity.
i. Part-time wage-payroll must be paid through the UC ANR system (funds cannot be transferred to county systems).
5. All other project costs typically allowed by federal extramural sponsors are allowed in this program.
6. Funds cannot be used for the following:
i. Faculty salaries (including supplemental) or standing appointment salaries
ii. Travel to professional meetings
iii. Out-of-country travel
iv. Equipment purchases exceeding $5,000
v. Support of non-UC ANR personnel
7. Funds to support personnel outside the UC ANR must be obtained from other units and require a letter of commitment from the non-UC ANR unit, submitted with the proposal as a supplemental document.
8. Budgets are constructed for a maximum of one year and must be expended by Dec. 31, 2025. No carryover is allowed.
9. Funded projects can be competitively renewed up to two times, for three years of support; unexpended funds in one year will not carry over. Extensions for unexpended funds are not allowed for any projects.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated and scored on the following criteria:
- Presents a clear plan for building or supporting an interdisciplinary team
- Demonstrates the potential for effective strategies to integrate research and extension activities
- Proposes activities that help to initiate, advance and strengthen teams and projects to obtain extramural support
- Defines both research and extension deliverables and provides clear benchmarks for achieving expected outcomes and impacts
- Incorporates audiences traditionally not targeted
- Projects that demonstrate considerable opportunities to achieve the UC ANR mission and our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion are especially encouraged
- Identifies outcomes that are easily measurable and scalable
- Contributes to the knowledge base through distribution of results that benefit other efforts.
Submission and Review Process
Full proposals must be submitted as a single PDF by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2024. Proposals are to be emailed to Brent Hales, Associate Vice President, at bdhales@ucanr.edu and to Kathryn Stein at kathryn.stein@ucop.edu.
Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers established by the Associate Vice President. Applicants will be notified of decisions by mid-November 2024.
Please direct any questions regarding your proposal to Brent Hales at bdhales@ucanr.edu.
Reporting Guidelines:
The period of performance for S2P grants will begin Jan. 1, 2025, and terminate Dec. 31, 2025. Projects may be renewed for up to three years of support. Proposals for renewal can
Be submitted in the next cycle for the S2P grants. An interim report for all awarded proposals will be due on July 15, 2025. Final reports will be due Jan. 15, 2026.