Note from UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) San Bernardino County Master Gardener Management:
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By Elizabeth McSwain
There is something magical that happens when you enter a garden. The stress of the day goes away as you take in the beauty of a flower or plant. When my son Troy III and I visited our first community garden in 2017 it felt euphoric. UCCE San Bernardino County Master Gardener Valerie Dobesh was teaching a class on using herbs for medicinal purposes. We tasted the elderberry syrup she created, and I was hooked. Food can be medicine! After the workshop concluded I visited the info tables and that's when I met Master Gardener Program Coordinator Maggie O'Neill. I had so many questions and Maggie patiently answered many of them. I was intrigued by Maggie's professionalism, knowledge, and enthusiasm for the Master Gardener program. She inspired me to apply to the program and I am so very happy that I got accepted and that I get to interact with her throughout my gardening journey.
I didn't have a lot of gardening experience prior to becoming a UCCE San Bernardino County Master Gardener in October 2020. Our “Caramel Connections” nonprofit had a plot at a local garden and several of our volunteers facilitated organic gardening workshops. However, I did not feel knowledgeable enough to teach classes. I was part of the first Riverside Food Waste Ambassador training cohort. As part of the training, I visited my first landfill/recycling plant. After that visit, I was determined to decrease the amount of waste that my family and nonprofit would create moving forward. The UCCE Master Gardener vermicomposting training was interesting to me because it reinforced my belief that if I mastered this concept, I could help the community divert food waste from landfills.
I am excited about the opportunities ahead of us, and I cannot wait to see the garden flourish! Elizabeth McSwain showing first harvest vegetables at Seeds of Joy Community Garden Since I was a little girl, my mother Laureen instilled a joy of making food for the soul. She would make dishes that were always filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Now alongside my husband, Troy II, our mutual passion for the culinary arts became a staple in our home as we raised our two sons, Alex and Troy III. It was in the kitchen while cooking and sharing meals together that our family bonded most - sparking unforgettable memories. Our love for food and serving the community compelled us to open Beola's Southern Cuisine in Ontario, CA.
Ultimately, we longed for families throughout the Inland Empire to experience the same joy for the culinary arts that we shared with our own family. In 2016, the McSwain's founded the Caramel Connections Foundation (CCF) to empower families throughout the Inland Empire to do just that. All CCF activities promote mental and physical wellness to help parents and their children discover the fun of healthy eating together. I began offering cooking classes and healthy beverage pairings at The San Bernardino Boys and Girls Club and Options House Transitional Homes. It was then that I quickly realized the needs of these families were much deeper.
Not only were they unaware of what healthy food options were available to them, but many of them also struggled with knowing where their next meal was coming from. I soon found that the health issues many parents and children were struggling with, such as high blood pressure and diabetes could be prevented if they knew how to make better food choices and where to access healthier options. Elizabeth
The Seeds of Joy Community Garden 1240 W. 4th Street, Ontario CA 91762, 909 697-9017, www.caramelconnections.org has conducted programs and held events to introduce Inland Empire families to a myriad of healthy activities, beverages, and meal options. CCF programs promote health, wellness, and education in the areas of physical fitness, mental wellness, literacy, organic gardening, nutrition, and combating health challenges such as
Other community service volunteer activities include:
• Abundant Living Family Church – Children's Ministry 2003-2007 • Healthy RC Steering & Compassionate Communities Committees 2015 – Present
• Caramel Connections Foundation 2016 – Present
• Black Chamber of Commerce Inland Empire
• Ontario Montclair YMCA (Board Member 2017 – 2020). The benefits of gardening stretch far beyond just the growing of food. Although growing your own food can help you eat healthier by forming the foundation of better food choices and thereby lead to a healthier lifestyle. We will be offering an extensive array of nutrition and cooking sessions here. But even deeper than that, the act of gardening offers physical activity which can lead to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, enhance mental well-being, and build self-confidence.
- Author: Laura R. Crothers
The University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program — a statewide program of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources — announced the recipients of its 2021 Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Small Grants Program today (April 13, 2021).
The grants program, which was reinstated this year after a 10-year hiatus, supports pilot projects focusing on strengthening California's sustainable agriculture and food systems. Together, 11 recipients are receiving $77,000 in funding to support their work.
"Many groups have innovative ideas on how to build a more profitable, environmentally sustainable and just food system in California, but they often need seed funding to get those ideas off the ground,” said Glenda Humiston, University of California vice president for agriculture and natural resources. “That's what UC ANR and UC SAREP are bringing to the table with these small grants: an opportunity to bring a creative idea to fruition."
The recipients of this year's grants are:
Agricultural and Land-Based Training Association, to pilot an agricultural plastics recycling program among primarily Spanish-speaking small-scale producers. (Project lead: Nathan Harkleroad)
California State University, Fresno, to evaluate the effect of cover crops on water demands and weeds in table grape vineyards in the Eastern San Joaquin Valley. (Project lead: Anil Shrestha)
Napa Farmers Market, to communicate the importance of locally and sustainably grown produce from farmers of diverse backgrounds through a bilingual educational campaign. (Project lead: Cara Wooledge)
Red Bluff Joint Union High School District, to teach high school students environmentally regenerative agriculture and leadership skills through its School Garden to Cafeteria project. (Project lead: Marissa Stevens)
San Diego Second Chance Program, to offer classes and workshops on sustainable agriculture for low- to middle-income youth with prior involvement in the juvenile justice system. (Project lead: Caelli Wright)
Santa Rosa Junior College, to add hibiscus products and mutual-aid garden kits to a bilingual mobile herb clinic that offers culturally relevant holistic health programs to Latinx and Indigenous populations. (Project lead: Heidi Hermann)
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, to study the effects of livestock guardian dogs on wildlife species and the potential for conflict with recreationists. (Project lead: Carolyn Whitesell)
UC Cooperative Extension in Fresno County, to develop an equipment share program for equipment needed to apply compost on small-scale, diversified vegetable farms operated by socially disadvantaged farmers in Fresno County. (Project lead: Ruth Dahlquist-Willard)
UC Cooperative Extension in San Bernardino County, to provide interactive nutrition education classes, gardening lessons, and food safety and preservation demonstrations for ethnically diverse and limited-resource residents in San Bernardino County. (Project lead: Christine Davidson)
UC Davis, to build a team of researchers and community groups to develop a research and extension program to support beginning and first-generation ranchers in building resilience to environmental, economic, and social shocks and stressors. (Project lead: Leslie Roche)
UC Santa Cruz, to translate instructional videos on organic growing skills and practices into Spanish and to pilot a short course with Spanish-speaking trainees. (Project lead: Stacy Philpott)
“We're excited to watch these projects unfold over the coming year,” said Gail Feenstra, director of UC SAREP.
“This grant program isn't just important for supporting new ideas. It's also an opportunity for the University of California to build stronger connections with producers and other food system stakeholders across California. Those connections are essential for making the research and education that comes out of the university benefit everyone.”
UC SAREP was established in 1986 to strengthen California's agricultural production and supply chains to advance knowledge of the science of sustainability, support farmers and ranchers to develop more sustainable farming practices and assist communities to build healthy regional food systems.
- Author: Jodi Azulai
Join us on June 21 at noon for our next WebANR Café Thursday: “How Your Work Builds ANR's Public Value” (or, how we impact California).
Learn about the public value movement and how it is being embraced by Extension and research, become familiar with the UC ANR public-value statement development process, and explore practical uses for public value statements.
Speakers include
- Nancy Franz, Professor Emeritus, Iowa State
- Wendy Powers, Associate Vice President ANR
- Mark Bell, Vice Provost Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs
- Katherine Webb-Martinez, Associate Director Program Planning & Evaluation
For more background on ANR public values, see ANR Public Value Statements.
Join us at:
- https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/963167636
- (646) 558-8656 or + (669) 900-6833
- Webinar ID: 963 167 636
- WebANRs will be recorded and archived at WebANR Café Thursday.
It's employee appraisal feedback season. What if an 18-minute learning module could steer you into successful feedback sessions and help you navigate through negative reactions?
Is it worth your time?
CEB Now Garter has an excellent module called Dealing with Negative Reactions to Performance Feedback. It provides two scenarios, one to avoid and one to employ. If you have not taken advantage of CEB Now Gartner, you can register for free. ANR pays for an annual subscription for all ANR employees.
This module will help managers:
- Understand the types of reactions to feedback they may encounter
- Recognize that avoiding conflict is not the solution
- Prepare themselves to handle possible negative reactions effectively
For more information on registering, just go to the Welcome page and start using this great resource!
MSAP mobilizes ANR people managers into professional development and helps MSAP assessors catch trout
For four days, ANR supervisors Christine Davidson, EFNEP program supervisor in Riverside and San Bernardino counties; Shirley Salado, EFNEP community education supervisor in San Diego County; and Emma Sandoval, UC CalFresh program supervisor in Riverside County; shared an amazing experience at a systemwide program for UC people managers at the gorgeous retreat grounds of the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center. The goal of the Management Assessment Skills Program (MSAP) is to address skill gaps and grow competencies that will prepare employees for future leadership roles in their workplaces and within the UC system.
shared an amazing experience at a systemwide program for UC people managers at the gorgeous retreat grounds of the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Conference Center. The goal of the Management Assessment Skills Program (MSAP) is to address skill gaps and grow competencies that will prepare employees for future leadership roles in their workplaces and within the UC system.
During the April 2018 training, Salado, Sandoval and Davidson participated in simulated UC management scenarios, received behavioral feedback from trained assessors, attended career development workshop and connected with colleagues from throughout the UC system. Before arriving at Lake Arrowhead, they participated in pre-assessment components and will be involved post-program activities to continue their professional development.
“Being a people manager is not easy and that is why it is important for supervisors to participate in evaluation,” Shirley remarked of her experience. “MSAP provided me with that evaluation. It assessed my people manager skills, highlighting my strengths and identifying areas in which I could grow. Working through the MSAP process, I found I could stretch myself because I care about my work, staff and the entire UC system. The way I will do that is by setting goals through my continued professional development as a people manager.”
Emma emphasized the value of objective feedback: “My experience at MSAP was great; it helped me be aware of the way I supervise my team. I recommend the training because it supplied me with objective feedback about my performance from a professional, which was spot on. Since I am a new supervisor, my goal is to work on leadership with my employees. This assessment program has helped me be more self-aware and given me the tools to identify areas for improvement, so I can reach my goals.”
Christine echoed the others, saying, “MSAP was a great experience. The program gave me an opportunity to really focus on my personal development as a supervisor. It was very encouraging to highlight my strengths and be given tools and small goals to improve weaknesses.”
A big THANK YOU is in order to Tunyalee Martin, associate director for UC IPM Communications, for serving as an assessor at the April MSAP.
“My second experience as a MSAP assessor was even better than my first wonderful experience,” Martin said. “The assessees I worked with are amazingly talented and truly dedicated to their teams. They were there to learn about themselves and practice their communication and team-building skills in a safe environment. My assessees were kind enough to open up to me so that we were able to have in-depth discussions about the action plan they'd implement when they returned to their jobs. I commend my assessor partner, the assessees, and the MSAP trainers and coordinators for a job well done.”
The next MSAP will be held Oct. 8-11. Contact Jodi Azulai at jlazulai@ucanr.edu if you have any questions about being an assessee or assessor.
Each week presents a new opportunity for you and your team to learn the skills necessary to take on your next big ANR challenge. Lynda.com provides the help to make that happen.
Each week, Lynda adds to a 12,000+ course library. Below are new courses covering everything from IT networking to Microsoft Excel to how to make a career change.
These new courses are now available on LinkedIn Learning:
Giving and Receiving Feedback
Time Management
Managing Your Calendar for Peak Productivity
Business Software
Excel: Statistical Process Control with Curt Frye
Microsoft Teams Essential Training with Nick Brazzi
Microsoft Teams Tips and Tricks with Nick Brazzi
Career Development
Making a Career Change with Stacey Gordon
Customer Service
Customer Service: Handling Abusive Customers with David Brownlee
Education and Instructional Design
Photoshop for Teaching and Learning with Chris Mattia
Leadership and Management
Delegating Tasks with Dorie Clark
Presentations
PowerPoint: Designing Better Slides with Heather Ackman
Marketing
Learning Web Analytics with Matt Bailey
Social Media Marketing: Social CRM with Megan Adams
CAD (AEC)
AutoCAD Civil 3D Essential Training with Josh Modglin
Graphic Design
Design Thinking: Data Intelligence with Randall Elliott
InDesign CC 2018 New Features with Anne-Marie Concepción
Video
Online Video Content Strategy with Roberto Blake
Video Script Writing with Rick Allen Lippert
Back-end Web Development
Advanced SQL for Data Scientists
Machine Learning & AI Foundations: Recommendations
Data Science
R Programming in Data Science: Set up and Start
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