- Author: Maddison Easley
Thursday, September 24th, 2015, marked the first annual county-wide Farm Day held at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in conjunction with the start of the esteemed Draft Horse Classic.
This keystone event was a significant feat not simply because more than 700 young students from all parts of Nevada County participated, but also due to the impressive teamwork that brought together over 25 different groups, agencies, farms, ranches, professionals and non-profit organizations. Children ranging from kindergarten to third grade, accompanied by teachers and chaperons, feasted on the plethora of activities, sites, sounds, and information focused on a wide array of agricultural and natural resource related topics.
Groups involved included the following: Sierra Foothill Audubon Society, Nevada County UCCE, 4-H Youth Development, Nevada Irrigation District (NID), Placer-Nevada Cattlewomen, Future Farmers of America (FFA), Sierra Harvest, California Native Plant Society, UC Master Gardeners, Bear Yuba Land Trust, Nevada County Fiber Guild, Nevada County Farm Bureau, NRCS, Nevada County Resource Conservation District (RCD) and of course the UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center (SFREC), along with numerous other local farmers, ranchers and professionals.
The focus of Farm Day was primarily to expose children to the realities of agricultural enterprises and natural resource management, a significant objective which was achieved with outstanding success. Through the planning and implementation of the event, an additional valuable outcome was the unification of a wide array of entities and individuals to work toward a meaningful and powerful goal – hands-on learning.
The interactions made with the hundreds of youth (as well as adults) through the first annual Farm Day opened the door for additional conversations, pursuits and possibly even career ideas. While these students may have over a decade before entering the professional world, the fires lit and rekindled in their excited minds will certainly simmer for years to come.
UC SFREC will also be participating in the Yuba-Sutter Farm Day at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds on Friday, October 2nd, 2015. Be on the lookout for a follow-up post in the near future.
- Author: Nikolai Schweitzer
- planting different bareroot/potted fruit/nut tree varieties on a successive ripening curve
- important pre-planting timelines, methods and procedures
- demonstrating environmental success and/or stress on each fruit/nut variety
- illustrating summer pruning on apricot trees
- showing different irrigation methods, volume, rates
- options for dormant pesticide applications
Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center and Sutter Yuba UCCE Master Gardener Program will host an early spring bareroot fruit/nut planting in 2016. If you are interested in attending, please contact Master Gardener Program Representative Heidi Sanders at 530-822-7515.
- Author: Jeremy James
UC SFREC along with UC Cooperative Extension form Nevada/Placer hosted a tour of SFREC and ongoing UC research and extension efforts for representatives from Nevada County government, Farm Bureau and the agricultural industry. The main aim of the tour was to highlight ongoing UC research and extension efforts to evaluate and demonstrate the critical role that rangeland systems play in local agriculture as well as the many ecological benefits that rangeland provides society in the region and across the state. The tour enjoyed one of the many unusually warm days we have had in February and was able to view the beef cattle management research on the upper ranch and some of the irrigation and pasture management at the lower ranch. Key opportunities that emerged from this tour included cooperative efforts to support Ag in the Classroom, opportunities to bring other county related programs to explore critical aspects of agriculture and how to leverage those efforts to help conserve rangeland and support ranching enterprises throughout the region.
- Author: Megan G Osbourn
The Beef and Range Field Day held on October 8, 2014 gave local high school students an opportunity to interact with farm advisors, veterinarians and researchers in order to learn about some of the practical applications of beef cattle production. California Senator, Jim Nielsen took time out of his busy schedule to speak with the students about the pressing issues currently facing California agriculture. He challenged his audience to step up and be in leaders for an industry that will most certainly need their support in the future. We would like to offer our sincere thanks to Senator Nielsen for the support he has continuously given to agriculture education and for his dedication to those currently involved in agriculture.
The below video includes a summary of the Beef & Range Field Day in addition to comments by Senator Nielsen:
- Contributor: Nikolai Schweitzer