Water has always been a precious commodity in Imperial County. With rainfall averaging less than 3 inches per year, this arid desert region depends on irrigation water from the Colorado River to continue its production of over 100 different commodities on its deep, rich soil. While water flowed has freely since the early 1900's, water transfers and growing metropolitan cities have put increased pressures on Imperial County to conserve and meet the demands of the future. Imperial County is the top producer of Alfalfa in California, and it is one of the top commodities in Imperial County, with over 150,000 acres of alfalfa harvested annually and shipped across the world. Alfalfa has also been Imperial Valley's biggest user of water as well as IV's most valuable field crop, with a gross value of $218 million in 2018 according to the Imperial County Crop Report.

Dr. Aliasghar Montazar joined UCCE on June 1, 2017, as an Irrigation and Water Management Advisor. His research has included irrigation management of Alfalfa; a crop typically irrigated through flood irrigation. Because of Ali Montazar's work on utilizing subsurface drip irrigation and improved irrigation water management in alfalfa at UC DREC, growers reduced water and fertilizer uses by 25% and 10%, respectively, and increased alfalfa hay yields by 28%.

The scientific findings from UCDREC and UCCE will continue to play a critical role in forming successful solutions to Imperial Valleys emerging water issues related to agriculture and alfalfa.

For more information on DREC and its educational program, please contact our Center Director, Jairo Diaz at jdiazr@ucanr.edu or our Farm Smart Program Manager, Stacey Amparano, at scwills@ucanr.edu. You can also reach us at (760)356-3060

 

Further reading/viewing:

The Early History of Water in Imperial Valley: Video

Early History of Water in Imperial Valley- Presentation and Study Guide

A stop at the feedlot to observe the cattle is always a highlight of the day for the over 8,000 visitors to Farm Smart each year through school field trips and field tours. Cattle has been the #1 commodity in Imperial County(IC) for over 60 years and IC is among the top 5 producers in California. The University of California Desert Research and Extension Center (UC DREC) is a leader in feedlot cattle research and has one of the largest university feedlot facilities. The Desert REC feedlot can hold approximately 600 head of cattle and includes a feed mill and metabolism barn. With the extreme summer heat in our unique desert region, Dr. Richard Zinn's research on nutrition, health, and management of feedlot cattle has been an integral component of the success of the cattle industry in Imperial County. Dr. Zinn, a UC Davis Animal Science professor, has been with Desert REC since 1981. In addition to his extensive work at Desert REC, he collaborates with the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California (UABC), in Mexicali, Mexico, which is just over the border from UC DREC.

In his recent work, Dr. Zinn's research has investigated corn processing for feed in feedlots producing calf-fed Holstein steers at DREC, indicating feed values for corn increased by 18%, improving average daily gain and feed efficiency while decreasing the cost of feed to produce high quality beef. This methodology is widely used throughout feedlots in the Imperial County and desert southwest of the US.

Additionally, Dr. Zinn's analysis of sugarbeets as a partial replacement of up to 40% of corn in feed rations has demonstrated feed costs can be decreased by 15-40% when corn costs are high while maintaining animal productivity. While only used opportunistically depending on feed costs, this research allows for a reduction in feed costs while maintaining production.

 

 

In 2017, Brooke Latack joined the UC Cooperative Extension as a Livestock Advisor for Imperial, San Diego, and San Bernardino Counties.  In addition to her research, she provides support and assistance to livestock producers through programs covering livestock nutrition, management techniques, environmental factors affecting producers and the community, and other critical topics.

Joining the team in August 2020 as the Feedlot Management Specialist is Dr. Pedro Carvalho. Dr. Carvalho will report to UC Davis Animal Science Department. Having Latack and Carvalho in our Center will enhance our mission and continue a long and rich history of support to our local/regional/world cattle industry.

For more information on DREC and its educational program, please contact our Center Director, Jairo Diaz at jdiazr@ucanr.edu or our Farm Smart Program Manager, Stacey Amparano, at scwills@ucanr.edu. You can also reach us at (760)356-3060

The UC Desert Research and Extension Center (REC) is located in Holtville, California-a city dubbed the “Carrot Capital of the World”. While the city of Holtville spends the first 2 weeks of February celebrating the infamous carrot with weeklong activities including cooking contests and a carrot parade, just up the road, the UC Desert REC hosts the winter plantings of the USDA's carrot breeding program, which is based at the University of Wisconsin. Since the 1960s, these carrot variety trials provide a first look at up-and-coming new hybrids from the seed industry and draw attendees including major growers and seed companies.

Due to its mild winter temperatures and access to water, Desert REC is the primary site for developing and testing USDA carrot breeding stock.  The work of Dr. Phillip Simon, who holds a joint position with USDA's Agriculture Research Service (ARS) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Horticulture Department, has contributed to today's carrot providing 50% more vitamin A to US consumers than in 1990.

While the orange carrot is a standard in carrot varieties, it is actually a more recent carrotvarietal. The purple and yellow carrots were the original carrot colors and these novel colored carrots (ie purple, yellow, and red) are becoming increasingly popular among consumers and chefs again.  Each color has a different health benefit and nutritional value. Dr. Simon's research includes the development of novel colored carrot strains with increased nutritional values, such as carotenoids and anthocyanins.

Dr. Simon has partnered with the UC DREC Farm Smart program to offer outreach and educational program focused on expanded awareness of carrots and carrot diversity. Starting in 2016, the Farm Smart outreach has included presentations to teachers and classrooms, taste testing of the novel colored carrots, curriculum and seed distribution to educators, and carrot harvesting and tours for youth and adult participants.

Click here to read more about the carrot outreach at Farm Smart   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on DREC and its educational program, please contact our Center Director, Jairo Diaz at jdiazr@ucanr.edu or our Farm Smart Program Manager, Stacey Amparano, at scwills@ucanr.edu. You can also reach us at (760)356-3060

For further reading:

DREC Carrot Trial Results Since 1998:

Carrot Facts

CalAg Journal: Desert REC: Educational outreach and crop breeding by Jim Downing

The University of California Desert Research and Extension Center (UC DREC) was established in 1912 and is the oldest research and extension center in the UC system. For the past 108 years, UC DREC has conducted innovative and relevant agricultural, natural resources, and environmental research and extension in arid desert regions. DREC has gone by many names in its 108 years of Imperial Valley agriculture research. Some may remember the Imperial Valley Experiment Station (1912-1948), Imperial Valley Field Station (1948-1984), Imperial Valley Agriculture Center (1984-1990), and now, the Desert Research and Extension Center (1990-present). The longstanding unofficial title of DREC has been “The Meloland Field Station”, named after Meloland (formerly, Gleason Switch), the unincorporated community from 1908-1911 where DREC is currently located. There was a post office (which has since burned down) and a schoolhouse (which still stands as a personal residence across the street from UC DREC).

The need for agriculture research in California became recognized by the University of California in 1908. The Meloland Station was developed from a need for research on the unique climate and soil conditions of Imperial Valley that were, and still are, unique in American agriculture.
What started as 20 acres of land purchased by the Imperial County Board of Supervisor and 16 local, interested citizens (including Mr. W. E. Holt, founder of Holtville, and Mr. Harold Bell Wright, author of “The Winning of Barbara Worth”) has transformed into 255 acres, which includes 190 acres of research plots, classrooms where Farm Smart is housed, and the UC Cooperative Extension offices.

Over the past century of changes, UC DREC researchers have helped Imperial Valley farmers meet the many challenges of desert agriculture, including lack of water, extreme summer heat, and rampant pest insects that devour crops and spread diseases. The center's major contributions include (see table):

• Developing cattle feeds and shade structures to enhance feedlot production during the summer, when high temperatures hinder livestock weight gain
• Developing plastic-tile drainage systems to maintain soil productivity by flushing salt from the root zone
• Increasing yields and pest resistance of desert-grown crops, from alfalfa and wheat to melons and lettuce
• Testing thousands of rice lines from around the world for introduction to California

In addition, today's UC DREC researchers are helping farmers prepare for the future. This week we will be highlighting the work of research at UC DREC and their impact on Imperial County agriculture.

 

 

 

 

 

One of the pillars of DREC's mission is to educate the public through a growing Farm Smart program that was established in 2001. Farm Smart is the flagship outreach program of the REC system. In the 2018-2019 period, Farm Smart reached 13,839 citizens of all ages during K-12 field trips, career workshops, a Senior U-Pick day, Farm to Preschool Festival, internships, farm tours, and community activities. 48 schools from 21 districts across Imperial County (California), Yuma (Arizona), and Mexicali (Mexico) visit Farm Smart each year. Designed to be fun as well as informative, the program emphasizes hands-on activities, from harvesting and eating winter crops to milking artificial cows and making butter, in addition to the infamous tractor-pulled hayrides around the farm. This program is made possible through the generous donations from our community, including the Imperial Irrigation District, Farm Credit West, Imperial County Farm Bureau, Keithly Williams Seeds, and Golden Valley Seed.

For more information on DREC and its educational program, please contact our Center Director, Jairo Diaz at jdiazr@ucanr.edu or our Farm Smart Program Manager, Stacey Amparano, at scwills@ucanr.edu. You can also reach us at (760)356-3060

Further reading: From Citrus to Centennial by Alan Robertson