- Author: Stacey Wills
FARM SMART and Imperial County 4-H stirred up some spooky STEM adventures on the farm on October 29, 2016 at the University of California Desert Research & Extension Center. This new event aimed to increase STEM awareness (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) for younger youth, ages five to eight. This fun and educational event was open to the public and learners of all ages enjoyed the 16 stations set up around the center.
Dressed in Halloween costumes, over 250 kids visited the farm to enjoy all the spooky STEM fun. Over 60 youth leaders ages 11-19 controlled the 16 different stations, and the nominal entry fee included hot dogs, snow cones, chips, and drinks. The stations included learning about the life cycle of a pumpkin and planting a pumpkin seed, creating a healthy pumpkin pie in a glass, making green slime, and a ride on the hay wagon to the six-foot high FARM SMART corn maze.
This event was truly successful in creating an enjoyable family event and a catalyst for stimulating interest in STEM as well as develop the leadership skills of our Imperial County 4-H youth leaders. This would not be possible without the hard work of all our youth leaders and adult volunteers.
MORE Spooky Adventures on the Farm Photos
- Author: Stacey Wills
According to a recent report from the USDA, during the next five years, U.S. college graduates will find good employment opportunities if they have expertise in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources, or the environment. Currently, one out of every twelve jobs in the United States relates to agriculture. Because the world's population is expected to grow to 9 billion people by the year 2050, we will have to produce more food than we ever have before.
The USDA also reports that between the years 2015 and 2020, we expect to see 57, 900 average annual new job openings in the field of agriculture with only an average 35,400 new U.S. graduates with expertise in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources, or the environment to fill those positions. The need for graduates with agriculture expertise to work in the agricultural industry is increasing every day, and is essential to our ability to address the U.S priorities of food security, sustainable energy, and environmental quality.
To achieve the goal of attracting qualified students into pursuing a career in agriculture and address the need to increase the number of experiential learning opportunities for students hoping to engage in agriculture and enter into agriculture related careers, a student internship program was created that includes a range of experiential learning opportunities ft exposes them to a wide array of practical knowledge and career paths. With the participation of the University of California, Desert Research and Extension Center (DREC) staff, local agricultural partners, Southwest High School, and Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Group (IVROP) we were able to once again offer a summer internship opportunity to three local high school students.
The summer internship program was designed to enhance and stimulate interest in careers related to agricultural and environmental science, cooperative extension and agricultural research. The outreach that FARM SMART provided is an effective vehicle for providing pre-college students with practical experience in the field and serves to intensify student interest in agriculture related careers. Students had opportunity to expand their knowledge of agriculture beyond classroom through hands-on, real world experiences within the field of agriculture. The overarching mission of the internship program was to build an experience that fosters an awareness of agriculture related careers, broaden the student experience within the agriculture industry, determine their level of interest in the related career, as well as serve as a platform for making key contacts in the local agriculture community. The 2016 summer internship included visits to Keithly Williams Seed, BullFrog Dairy, Farm Credit Services Southwest, Ametza Hay Sales, Brent and Kenny Ashurst, IID, Imperial County Ag Commissioner, USDA, and various University of California researchers.
As mentioned in several final reports from participants, they were able to see Imperial Valley agriculture in a different way and were able to learn new aspects of the agriculture industry they were unaware of before. Because agriculture is a continuously changing industry and closely tied to many of today's major challenges, new jobs are always being added. Modern agriculture is so much more than small family farms; from farmers to scientists, or journalists to salesmen, there is a job for almost any interest area. With so many options, agriculture is a viable career choice for many young people in the US, even if they didn't grow up on a farm or have any agriculture background. Outreach is critical to fostering awareness of issues in agriculture among K-12 students as well as the many opportunities available within the field of agriculture.
- Author: Stacey Wills
Congratulations Francisco Maciel!
Our Center Director, Jairo Diaz, awarding a certificate of appreciate to our very own Francisco Maciel for his 15 years of distinguished service with the University of California. Francisco is currently a Staff Research Associate here at the Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville, CA. Thank you for all you do Francisco and here's to many mores years with us at the Desert Research and Extension Center.
4/18/15 - An update on the statewide drought topped the agenda for the Agronomic Crops and Water Conservation Field Day held at the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Desert Research and Extension Center here early Thursday morning.
The event, sponsored by Imperial County's UC Cooperative Extension and the California Department of Water Resources, played out in a six-stop tour, with specialists from across the agribusiness world providing attendees with an inside look at a variety of initiatives taking place within the Valley and all over California.
Despite being classified according to Palmer Drought Severity Index markers as an area afflicted with “severe drought” in July 2014, Imperial County has seen its eastern regions downgraded to “moderate drought” levels. Only Del Norte County, in the extreme northwest of the state, fits into the “normally dry” category, while regions of 32 other counties face “exceptional drought,” per a report by Daniele Zaccaria dated March 23 of this year.
Per Gov. Jerry Brown's 25 percent water cut mandate enacted two weeks ago, those numbers are projected to steadily decrease, though California residents should prepare themselves for a long, self-restrictive haul, experts say.
Also Thursday, visitors were given tours of homegrown alfalfa fields born of subsurface irrigation, an approach which cuts water usage by reducing evaporation from the soil surface. Research results from variety trials and deficit irrigation studies were also presented, with Dan Putnam, an agronomist and professor at UC Davis, taking the lead on numerous talking points.
In the case of deficit irrigation, one of Putnam's areas of interest, water is withheld at specific times during the crop's development so that yield loss is minimized despite the water cutbacks which have recently been enacted statewide.
In addition to alfalfa research, the field day included presentations on oil crops, bell peppers, sugar beets, sorghum and giant king grass — a non-genetically modified hybrid that is currently undergoing consideration for bioenergy production due to its high yield.
Author: Michael Dukes, Imperial Valley Press
![0416150925[1]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/debblog//blogfiles/29119_original.jpg "0416150925[1]")
![0416151107[1]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/debblog//blogfiles/29121_original.jpg "0416151107[1]")
- Author: Sam Urie
Holtville, CA –
Nearly 250 local high school students from Calexico, Imperial, Southwest, Holtville and Central Union high schools visited UC FARM SMART the first week of November over five separate days. The program was a collaboration between United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Hispanic Serving Institutions, led by Regional Director Roberto Gonzalez, and the UC FARM SMART Program. The program was titled “Agrilicious Research Days: From Farm to Table”.
Presenters from the University of California and the University of Arizona opened the eyes of students to potential careers in agricultural science, veterinary medicine, and more. Tanya Hodges, Academic Programs Coordinator at University of Arizona-Yuma, highlighted options for Imperial Valley students to take courses at Imperial Valley College and receive in-state tuition rates upon transfer to University of Arizona-Yuma. Among the degree programs offered are agriculture technology management and sustainable plant systems/agronomy. Tanya Hodges also promoted the USDA AgDiscovery program, a two-week summer camp for high school students interested in an agricultural career.
Students were encouraged to make career goals and to consider agricultural careers. UC FARM SMART staff Sam Urie and Stephanie Collins highlighted research being done throughout California and the effects of that research on our daily lives. Students were then given an overview of local farm practices from “farm-to-table” including soil preparation, irrigation, pest management, and harvesting.
A highlight of the program included a visit on the last day by Oscar Gonzalez, newly appointed State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in California, and Rosa Singh, Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in Imperial County. Oscar and Rosa encouraged students to take advantage of educational opportunities and Rosa Singh offered information about USDA youth loans for agricultural projects including fair animals.
Students boarded hay wagons and were given a tour of the Desert Research and Extension Center including the research feedlot, biofuel experiments, irrigation projects, and the FARM SMART vegetable garden. Each day ended with lunch and the opportunity for students to ask questions about research and agricultural careers.
