Yesterday Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center staff employees participated in the 8^th Annual University of California Walks Wellness event at the Yuba River Education Center. This UC-wide event is intended to develop, promote, and support a thriving culture of health & well-being in the workplace, with thousands of employees participating throughout the system. Our walk was organized by Staff Assembly Ambassador, Clint Tipton, who was joined by staff members at the river to exercise on the Douglas McCreary Nature Trail. UC WALKS is a UC Living Well program which promotes wellness & an active lifestyle by encouraging staff, faculty, and retirees to take just 30 minutes out of their day to walk with friends.

This is the new weather station in the Forage Production Plot- taken 3/7/18.

Sierra Foothill REC has been collecting and recording rangeland forage production data since 1979. Every year when rangeland forage production values are recorded, explanations as to the results of pounds per acre grown are based on past forage production values & statistics, plus a CIMIS weather station which resides at 660' elevation; whereas, the Forage Plot lies at 1470' and 1.3 miles away from #084 Browns Valley CIMIS Station. SFREC has recently installed replicated soil temperature sensors (5-10 cm in depth), soil water content sensors (5-10 cm, 25-35 cm, & 56-65 cm in depth), air temperature sensors, and a precipitation gauge. Two replicated soil sensor stations were each placed under canopy and in the open. Illustrated below are tables and graphs depicting rangeland forage production values and trends, newly installed soil sensor data (Open and Canopy), and a dramatic comparison (Forage Plot vs. CIMIS) in precipitation values.

This is the HOBO micro station, it takes soil temperature and moisture readings, under open sky.

There were two major developments during this rangeland forage production season (Nov 1, 2017 thru March 1, 2018). The first being that we had the highest level of forage production for the month of February (1637 lbs/ac) in our recorded history. The warm February we had may be a contributing factor to this. The other major development is the significant differences in monthly/total precipitation values between the CIMIS and the forage plot.

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This is the HOBO micro station, it takes soil temperature and moisture readings, under tree canopy.