- Author: Megan G Osbourn
Just another beautiful day at the Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center! SFREC is located just 60 miles north of Sacramento in Browns Valley, bordering both Englebright Lake and the Yuba River.
For the latest and greatest happenings at SFREC you can now visit us on Facebook and Twitter. Check us out today!
- Author: Ben Granholm
At the end of May trained SFREC staff along with members of Cal Fire conducted a prescribed burn to manage vegetation on the center. There are many advantages to conducting a burn rather than other management practices. These advantages include the ability to kill off weed-seed violations and remove any unwanted species that threaten the native species in an ecosystem. However, with the current air-quality regulations and state of drought, a prescribed burn can be difficult to get approved this time of year. SFREC had a burn scheduled last week that was postponed to a later date because of these difficulties.
The burned area will be used to look at the utility of spring burns to manage vegetation and eliminate invasive species such as medusa head and star thistle as well as look at the success rate of the native species after the invasion and burn.
We thank the members of Cal Fire for working with our staff to conduct a safe and successful burn.
- Author: Jeremy James
The annual California Grazing Academy held at UC SFREC and led by Roger Ingram, Nevada/Placer County UCCE Director and Livestock Advisor was once again a widely attended and engaging event. Over a third of an inch of rain cooled off the 24 participants that attended the two-day event that mixed lectures and hand-on activities to explore and demonstrate key principles that drive the ability of producers to be successful grass farmers. Topics included controlled grazing principles, water and mineral cycles, pasture cell design, rest/grazing periods, nutrition and supplementation as well as grazing planning and monitoring. Each participant had the opportunity to visually estimated carrying capacity, install electric fencing, move cows with calves into their designated paddocks, and watch the cattle consume pasture grass over a period of 24 hours. This annual training has remained hugely popular across California and the West with some participants coming as far as Utah to learn from UCCE and Roger Ingram. We looked forward to another year!
- Author: Maddison Easley
Producers from the Food and Farm Show filmed and interviewed multiple speakers at the Future of Farming and Ranching Forum at the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center on February 22nd. The Food and Farm Show highlights local agricultural events, news, and issues. They are part of Touchdown Productions, which films other regional activities like the “Game of the Week” on the local news channels.
Three episodes were released featuring the Future of Farming Ranching event at SFREC. Important speakers interviewed include Jamie Johansson, farmer and 2nd Vice President of the California Farm Bureau; Susan Hoek, 5th generation rancher in Penn Valley; and Roger Ingram, UCCE Farm Advisor for Placer and Nevada Counties.
These 30-minute videos give the viewer a taste of what the event covered. Click on the following links to watch:
Episode 1 – featuring the keynote speaker Jamie Johansson and the introduction
Episode 2 – interviews with Jamie Johansson and Roger Ingram
Episode 3 – featuring Sue Hoek speaking from experience about resource planning and preparing for the future
With media attention like this, SFREC is becoming more visible throughout the region. Collectively, the educational events occurring at all of the Research and Extension Centers help enforce the tangible impacts of UCANR within communities statewide.
- Author: Maddison Easley
This past Saturday, February 22nd, SFREC hosted a forum focused on the future of farming and ranching in the Sierra foothills.
About sixty members of surrounding communities in Nevada, Placer, Yuba, and Sutter counties made it out to UC SFREC for a day of learning, interaction with professionals, and networking. For the vast majority of the attendees, this was their first introduction to SFREC and the UC Research and Extension Center system.
The speakers offered insightful and useful information that engaged the entire audience. Jamie Johansson, Second Vice President of the California Farm Bureau and owner of Lodestar Farms, kick started the conversations by speaking about the opportunities and challenges of farming in the foothills. Dan Macon, representing Placer County UCCE and Flying Mule Farm, offered logical business planning strategies from a personal and professional perspective.
A significant aspect of this event focused on incorporating local youth. We were able to help partner students from high schools in the region with a few of the producer-presenters prior to the forum. This additional opportunity enabled a more profound learning experience for students interested in the future of farming and ranching.
There was a DELICIOUS locally sourced lunch with juicy tri-trip, salads, bread, and lavender sweets. Briar Patch co-op in Grass Valley also donated coffee and pastries for the event. Local ag and natural resource conservation groups brought educational materials to share. Attendees enjoyed the beautiful weather and slowly greening rangeland on a brief tour of the center.
Overall, it was a successful event that kindled connections with the community and opened the door for future cooperative efforts.