- (Public Value) UCANR: Developing an inclusive and equitable society
Hope to see you at one of these events happening this weekend, Saturday, March 18, 2023.
Modesto Farmers Market
Turlock Community Gardens Workshop-Plant Swap-Potluck Palooza
Turlock Community Gardens invites you to stop in for a visit or for the day, activities for all ages are happening.
UCCE Master Gardener Composting Basics Workshop 9:00am-10:30am
Learn about how to compost at home! Reduce your carbon footprint & recycle kitchen/garden scraps. This workshop is a great opportunity to hear from an expert and ask questions, plus one lucky person is going home with their own compost bin!
11:00am-11:30am
Let's share cuttings, rooted plants, extra gardening supplies, seeds and any tips and tricks to help out our fellow plant enthusiasts! We will be doing a round robin with wristbands. If you don't have anything to bring, you are still welcome to take items home. There is always more than enough to share, especially extra perlite!
Rock Painting Station
11:30am
Decorate a rock to take home or gift to the garden. Paint, brushes, and rocks will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own.
Turlock Community Potluck
12:00pm-2:00pm
Bring your favorite dish or just bring yourself! Enjoy a slice of pizza while exchanging tips/tricks. It's a great way to meet neighbors, network and have some fun.
As a reminder, TCG asks children to be always supervised and for everyone to be mindful not to disturb the garden beds. They are lovingly maintained by different families and groups.
Be sure to check out the Free Garden Items & Seed Exchange Cabinet and Free Little Library. (Take what you need, give what you can.)
Turlock Community Gardens and parking are located behind the Cornerstone Covenant Church (4501 Crowell Road) and the nonprofit, Jessica's House. If you have any questions about the Turlock Community Gardens event, email info@turlockcommunitygardens.org
- Author: Deanne Meyer
Have you ever listened to the news at night and wondered why it wasn't broadcast 48 hours ahead of time with the headline of cool stuff to do? That's exactly how I felt last night as I heard the summary of the weekend's activities in Sacramento for Black History Month. The festivities were incredible. Although I missed the event, I did learn there's a Sojourner Museum. I look forward to going soon.
Thank you Stephanie Parreira-Zweier, Mary Blackburn, Esther Mosase, Tamekia Wilkins and our friends and colleagues in the Black and Allied Employees of ANR for the ANR Connected post. It's a great collection of activities to attend and resources to read. These collections are appreciated especially since everyone is fully engaged in ANR programs. The UC Black and Allied Employees strive to foster communication and create space for connection among past and present staff and academics, provide educational and professional development opportunities for Black staff and academics in pursuit of growth in their current role and advancement within UC ANR, and support and promote organizational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals. Your contributions enrich our lives.
It's been a few weeks since the Sustainable Pest Management Roadmap was published. Jim Farrar, Margaret Lloyd and Houston Wilson did heavy lifting on this product. Karey Windbiel-Rojas was involved in the Urban subgroup. I look forward to the future dividends of their great work!
Elsewhere in the Division, Jairo Diaz (Desert REC Director) was boasting with pride when Stacey Amparano shared that the Farm Smart Program was selected as a recipient for the CA State FFA Distinguished Service Award! This award is reserved for those few who provide assistance to FFA which is of an outstanding nature, thus distinguishing the recipient from the vast list of others who provide routine assistance to the FFA. Very exciting!
At the opposite end of the state (literally) Laura Snell received the young range professional award in Boise at the Society for Range Management conference. Way to go Laura!
Last week was the World Ag Expo in Tulare (AKA Farm Show). The wind shook the portable seminar building on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday were less windy and definitely colder. The snow in the mountains was reassuring. It was great to attend the Golden State Dairy Management presentations by our colleagues Tuesday and Wednesday. I also enjoyed attending a luncheon on Sustainable Agriculture in the United Kingdom. In addition to the great speakers, I was excited to have lunch with Cooperative Extension Specialist Safeeq Kahn, UC Merced. It was great to see him in person (out of his zoom box). He's chair of a Regenerative Agriculture Specialist position recruitment at UC Merced. I'm looking forward to seeing the search committee results!
The return trip was a bit less colorful than usual. I think the blooms stalled. That was probably a good thing. Bees would not like to be outside foraging when with the wind and cold.
- Author: Margaret J O'Neill
This month's spotlight is on UCCE San Bernardino County Master Gardener Donna Palmer. She has been a Master Gardener (MG) for a few years, joining during our first virtual class in 2021. She is a natural teacher and has taken on the role of being a MG like she had been doing it her whole life. She has done many talks for the community, and was a great support when we were in our initial stages of doing online talks, taking on the cohost role, and teaching us the fundamentals of what a good cohost was! She has taken this skill she has as a presenter and cohost on to help train her fellow MGs in that role and it is so appreciated! Be on the lookout for Donna giving talks in 2023 (they are great!) and also check out her articles in the Chino Champion on gardening as well. You will learn more from Donna below about her gardening passions, and I hope you too will feel excited about gardening all over again when you read Donna's thoughts from the garden.
-Maggie O'Neill, UCCE San Bernardino County Master Gardener Coordinator
Why did you decide to be a MG?
I've long wanted to become a member of this community of gardeners and garden educators but was too shy to actually do it. When classes went online during lockdown, my husband suggested I use the opportunity to achieve my goal. Now I can't believe I waited so long!
What are your gardening passions?
Absolutely everything! I love a garden, learning about plants and plant families, trying something new in my garden beds, tracking growth and experimenting with techniques, harvesting and cooking from the garden, photographing the garden, teaching about gardens, reading about gardens, visiting gardens or nurseries or farms…. You get the idea. If I had to choose two of my very favorite things they would be teaching basic gardening and practicing plant propagation. There's nothing like watching a student discover the sights, textures, and smells of a garden. Witnessing a new gardener relish a sun kissed tomato or devour a fresh crunchy green almost brings me to tears. And I love populating a new area of the garden with the progeny of my own plants.
What do you think gardening gives back to our community and why do you think it's important for overall community health?
What doesn't a garden give back? The solitary gardener gains a nutritious harvest while building soil, promoting neighborhood habitat, supporting pollinators, beautifying a site, and enriching individual well being. Not to mention achieving a sense of accomplishment with every bloom or harvest. And I've never met a gardener who didn't want to share a harvest or favorite seed. Something about plant stewardship nurtures people and creates community. Gardening within a group does all of this on a larger scale. Gardens beckon us in. They invite us to become aware and participate. They prompt us to share and to nourish one another.
Do you have any tips for the community about conserving water in the drought?
I'm learning to garden in a drought just like every other gardener. Drip irrigation, mulch, and Waterwise plants are becoming my best gardening friends.
What is a tidbit or two you've learned as a MG that the public reading our newsletter could gain from?
Nurturing a plant to harvest is a skill. It's ok to experiment and fail and try again. Gardens are hard work for all of us. The most experienced gardeners earned their gardens one plant at a time.
What advice would you give someone considering becoming a UCCE MG?
Do it! The community of Master Gardeners is welcoming, supportive, exciting, and fun. You and your new friends will find opportunities to learn, grow, and make a difference.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Un mejor acceso a la atención médica y a los programas de redes de seguridad ayudaría a este grupo de trabajadores esenciales.
La pandemia del CORONAVIRUS-19 cambió literalmente nuestra forma de vida. Paralizó por días toda actividad comercial, industrial, educativa y recreativa. Dejando solo a un reducido número de trabajadores realizando una serie de tareas consideradas esenciales. Entre estos trabajadores se incluyó a los trabajadores agrícolas para poder determinar la realidad del estado de salud de estos trabajadores esenciales es importante más datos. Un nuevo estudio publicado por científicos de la Universidad de California va más allá de los problemas de salud relacionados con el trabajo, como el calor y la exposición a pesticidas, a la salud general de las personas que ayudan a plantar, nutrir y cosechar alimentos en California.
"Los hallazgos del estudio confirman la alta carga de enfermedades crónicas en una fuerza laboral que se considera esencial pero que carece de acceso adecuado a la atención médica y a los programas de redes de seguridad", dijo Susana Matias, autora principal y especialista en Extensión Cooperativa de la UC en el Departamento de Ciencias de la Nutrición y Toxicología de UC Berkeley. "Esta es una preocupación porque California necesita una fuerza laboral saludable de trabajadores agrícolas. Estos trabajadores son clave para poner comida en nuestras mesas y deben ser protegidos y apoyados como cualquier otro trabajador de California".
Después de leer el estudio, una defensora de las trabajadoras agrícolas dijo que ve oportunidades para mejorar la salud de los trabajadores agrícolas al mejorar sus condiciones de trabajo mediante la promulgación de políticas que rigen los permisos de trabajo; cuidado de niños; manejo de plagas; prestaciones de desempleo; el acceso a alimentos sanos y asequibles; y viviendas seguras y asequibles.
Para ver una perspectiva más amplia de la salud de los trabajadores agrícolas, Matías analizó datos de tres estudios realizados por Marc Schenker, médico y profesor emérito de UC Davis. Los estudios de Schenker examinaron la salud general de los trabajadores agrícolas, las lesiones ocupacionales y las causas importantes de enfermedades y enfermedades. Las causas o los llamados "determinantes sociales" de la enfermedad incluyen bajos ingresos, inseguridad alimentaria, estatus migratorio indocumentado y malas condiciones de vivienda.
"Esos determinantes sociales son particularmente negativos e impactan los resultados de la enfermedad en la población de trabajadores agrícolas", dijo Schenker. "Con demasiada frecuencia, los trabajadores agrícolas no tienen los beneficios de otras poblaciones trabajadoras, incluida la atención médica adecuada. Se espera que el reconocimiento de esta situación pueda conducir a abordar estas deficiencias y a mejorar la salud de los trabajadores agrícolas".
Irene de Barraicua, directora de operaciones y comunicaciones de Líderes Campesinas, dijo que el estudio se relaciona con gran parte del trabajo que realiza su organización para abogar por las trabajadoras agrícolas.
"El artículo y los estudios enfatizan los hallazgos que exigen salarios más altos, mejores condiciones de trabajo, más derechos de los trabajadores y acceso a la atención médica", dijo de Barraicua. "A partir de estos hallazgos, también podemos deducir que la salud de los trabajadores agrícolas se ve afectada por diversos factores de estrés relacionados con la pobreza, las condiciones de trabajo insoportables e inseguras, y la falta o el costoso cuidado de los niños, por nombrar algunos".
Matías encontró que las trabajadoras agrícolas tenían un mayor riesgo de obesidad y una circunferencia de cintura más grande, mientras que los trabajadores agrícolas masculinos tenían un mayor riesgo de presión arterial alta y colesterol total alto.
"Estas diferencias en los riesgos crónicos para la salud entre hombres y mujeres trabajadores agrícolas sugieren que las respuestas clínicas y de salud pública podrían necesitar ser específicas del sexo", dijo Matias, quien también es codirector asociado de la facultad en el Instituto de Alimentos de Berkeley.
Los estudios se realizaron con trabajadores agrícolas en Mendota, Oxnard y Watsonville. A Matías le gustaría ampliar el alcance para evaluar la salud de los trabajadores agrícolas en todo el estado.
"El artículo 'La carga de enfermedades crónicas entre los trabajadores agrícolas latinos en California' claramente pone en primer plano 'brechas' sociodemográficas y socioeconómicas muy importantes únicas para los trabajadores agrícolas, un segmento esencial de nuestra población y fuerza laboral", dijo de Barraicua de Líderes Campesinas.
"Necesitamos promulgar políticas que faciliten el acceso a la atención médica, incluidos los servicios de salud mental; clínicas rurales y móviles gratuitas de fácil acceso; servicios de telesalud, esencialmente cobertura de salud sin restricciones para todos", dijo de Baracuaca y agregó que se necesitan trabajadores de salud comunitarios de confianza que conozcan la cultura de los trabajadores agrícolas y hablen su idioma.
También señaló la creciente población de trabajadores agrícolas indígenas mexicanos y enfrentan mayores desafíos relacionados con el acceso al idioma, la educación limitada y el estatus migratorio.
El artículo, co-escrito por Matias, Schenker, la investigadora postdoctoral de UC Berkeley Caitlin French y el estudiante Alexander Gomez-Lara, se publica en Frontiers in Public Health.
Adaptado al español por Ricardo Vela del artículo en inglés
- Author: Saoimanu Sope
Before Brent Flory, 22, started bagging fruits and vegetables at his local Stater Bros. Market, he picked them at the University of California South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine.
In partnership with Saddleback Unified School District's Esperanza Education Center, an adult transition program that provides independent living and life skills training for students with disabilities, South Coast REC hosts students on its 200 acres of land and introduces them to careers in agriculture.
Flory recalls picking avocados as one of his favorite moments from the program at South Coast, one of nine RECs across California operated by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. “I picked a huge avocado and got to bring it home. It was the size of a medium pumpkin,” he shared.
Field work doesn't warrant business attire, but Flory said that working at South Coast REC taught him the importance of dressing appropriately for work. In this case, it meant pants, closed-toe shoes, a shirt with sleeves, and sunscreen or a hat if working in the sun.
While program managers hope that participating students would pursue a career in agriculture, South Coast REC is more concerned about providing opportunities for students to gain real work experience in a unique setting. 
“This is the first time I have had the opportunity for my students to work at a job site in the agricultural field. We never really thought of the agricultural industry as an option for our students,” said Esperanza's education specialist, Michael Seyler.
Esperanza's partnership with South Coast REC began in October 2019. Since then, nine participants have been assigned to work at the research center where they help create seedlings, plant and harvest crops, and learn plant management.
Ray Bueche, Adult Transition Program coordinator and Career Start administrator at Esperanza, is proud of the creative energy it took to develop the program and unite partners, crediting Jason Suppes, South Coast REC's community education specialist. “Working with Jason and UC ANR has inspired me to continue to reach for unique partnerships in this field and elsewhere,” Bueche said.
Dylan Shelden, 19, another past participant, said that the program revealed how important it is for him to choose a career that makes him feel happy and independent. “You are responsible for yourself,” he said. “So, don't quit on the first try.”
Shelden currently works at Party City as a store organizer. Even though he prefers working indoors, Shelden described working with plants and being outdoors as refreshing. “Working in agriculture makes me feel good,” he said.
When asked what advice he would give incoming students, Shelden said: “Be kind, mindful, and thoughtful to others.”
“Things are constantly changing at the farm and follow seasonal patterns. Students get to work with different types of produce depending on the season. So many of my students only thought about jobs in retail or food services industries,” said Seyler. “This has opened their eyes to other possibilities.”
The soft skills learned while working at South Coast REC has helped other students secure paid competitive employment during or following the program. It has also inspired program staff like Bueche and Seyler to consider other unique opportunities for their students to connect the skills they have learned on the farm to other types of jobs.
To learn more about the Adult Transition Program at Esperanza Education Center, visit: https://www.svusd.org/schools/alternative-schools/esperanza/about/why-esperanza
