- Author: Mark P Bolda
My UC colleagues, including Emeritus Advisor Laura Tourte with whom I have worked together with so well on these studies for many years, and I have been working at a blistering pace over the past few months and completed updating three more studies for Central Coast Berry Production.
This work was emphatically not only us academics, but a great many area berry growers, who generously provided up to date information on production methods and costs with just dynamite insight all the time. These studies would be not realistic at all would we not count with the assistance of so many people. So THANK YOU to you growers, really it's great to be working with all of you!!
The links for each of the three studies are included here:
Blackberries
https://coststudyfiles.ucdavis.edu/2024/04/23/2024Blackberries-CorrectedFINAL-APRIL2024.pdf
Fresh Market Organic Strawberries
https://coststudyfiles.ucdavis.edu/2024/05/10/2024OrgStrawberries-FINAL-May2024.pdf
Fresh Market Conventional Strawberries
https://coststudyfiles.ucdavis.edu/2024/04/04/2024Strawberry-FULL-FINAL-March2024.pdf
- Author: Cindy Yee
Having seen many pretty pictures of succulent fairy gardens online, I finally decided to attempt one myself. Armed with a hammer, chisel and old towel, I was ready to start on some Dollar Store Terracotta pots. The klutz in me had said to definitely buy more than one pot. Good thing, because the first two tries were total fiascoes. They broke in all the wrong places…
But woohoo, the third time was lucky! I filled my broken pot with a mix of garden soil and pumice. Carefully arranged the pieces (good selection of pieces from the first two pots) and added more soil, rocks and pebbles until it looked just right. On the right edge going up, there are little rectangular pot shards arranged into a staircase. The colorful rocks are jasper, quartz, and chert from my collection of beach finds.
Lastly, succulent cuttings were carefully placed. Green moss tucked in here and there. And if you look very closely, you'll see the tiny fairy house I made in the top left side of the pot.
So there it is - my broken pot fairy garden. Cheers!
- Author: Sherry Blunk
The next time you are annoyed that your shoes get soaked during an early morning stroll across the yard, take a closer look at what is happening underfoot… Because, in the right light, the morning dew is magical!
Dew is moisture formed via condensation- water moving from a vapor (gaseous form) to a liquid- due to a drop in the nighttime temperature. This moisture was once held in the surrounding air as water vapor (think humidity), but as the overnight temperatures drop the air's water-vapor-holding capacity diminishes. When the temperature reaches the dew point (or dew point temperature), the water vapor condenses into liquid droplets and is deposited on grass or other structures. This process is dependent on many factors, including location and ambient conditions. Grass or other surfaces close to the ground receive a large portion of dew, in part, because of the ground's ability to retain both moisture and daytime heat and the relatively large surface of grasses.
The shape the dew takes is dependent on the amount of condensation and the surface properties of where the condensation is deposited, like surface geometry and smoothness. Smaller dewdrops tend to stay spherical (due to surface tension), but as more dew accumulates the condensation surface properties dictate the patterns and shapes. So, thin pointy blades of grass offer a host of sites for a hidden world of spherical Suessical whimsy. Yay, another reason not to mow- in case you are looking for an excuse.
Dew(drops) on grasses may replace raindrops on roses as one of the favorite things after seeing these close-up images. All photos were taken using a hand-held cell phone (iPhone8 with no attachments or filters).
- Author: Kendra T Rose
Dear Colleagues,
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is soliciting concept proposals for the Addressing Childhood Obesity and Health Inequities program. This program seeks to provide funding to projects that support, sustain, and evolve equity-oriented childhood obesity prevention, including efforts that promote systems-level change to prevent childhood obesity, address structural racism, and advance health equity. Special consideration is given to projects that:
- Address structural racism and other systems that perpetuate health inequities.
- Respond to gaps in evidence or action identified by the field.
- Engage with communities most impacted by childhood obesity and nutrition insecurity and organizations focused on people of color.
- Leverage and complement existing field assets (RWJF's and others').
Below four broader goals are highlighted in the Call for Proposals (CFP) as suggestions, but not as restrictive guidelines. Projects that cut across or go beyond these broader goals are also encouraged to apply.
- Influence Policy and Systems Change
- Produce and Disseminate Actionable Evidence and Data
- Catalyze Investment in Communities
- Change Narratives
Partnerships/ collaborations between two or more organizations; projects that engage and center communities most impacted by structural racism and other systems of oppression; and partnerships spanning state and community-level organizations are encouraged.
Interested applicants should submit a concept proposal of not more than 4 pages in length and a brief write-up on the organization and key partners by the concept proposal due date. Short listed applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal in August 2024.
Visit the program web page at https://www.rwjf.org/en/grants/active-funding-opportunities/2024/addressing-childhood-obesity-and-health-inequities.html?rid=0034400001rmHq IAAU&et_cid=2198117 for more information.
Concept Proposals Due: June 27, 2024, 12PM PT
Limited Submission: Universities can submit multiple proposals, however, RWJF is limiting proposal submissions to one per university department. Please double check with others in your unit before submitting.
Invitations to Submit Full Proposals: August 29, 2024
Full Proposal Due (Only by invitation): October 24, 2024, 12PM PT
Recommended Grant Amount: $3-$4 million, no less than $1 million
Duration: 1-4 Years
Required Match: No match required
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
A new study that can help growers and other readers estimate costs and potential returns for Central Coast organic strawberries was recently released by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
“This study provides growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help when applying for production loans, projecting labor costs, securing market arrangements, or understanding costs associated with water and nutrient management and regulatory programs,” said Brittney Goodrich, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and study co-author.
The cost study models a management scenario for a 30-acre farm, 27 acres of which are planted to organic strawberries. The remaining acres are for the irrigation system, roads, and buildings. The study describes the cultural practices used in organic strawberry production and harvest, including land preparation, soil fertility and pest management, irrigation and labor needs.
The 20-page study shows costs for each operation, material inputs and costs, and cash and non-cash overhead costs in a variety of formats for one production and harvest cycle. A ranging analysis is also included and shows potential profits or losses over a range of prices and yields.
The new study, “2024 Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Organic Strawberries,” can be downloaded from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.
For a detailed explanation of the assumptions and calculations used to estimate the costs and potential returns for each crop, readers can refer to the narrative portion of each study.
Sample cost of production studies for many other commodities grown in California are also available at https://coststudies.ucdavis.edu.
For more information about the organic strawberry cost study, contact Mark Bolda, University of California Cooperative Extension farm advisor, at mpbolda@ucanr.eduor Jeremy Murdock in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at jmmurdock@ucdavis.edu.