On Tuesday, September 10^th, community leaders representing multiple agriculture and conservation groups met at the Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center to help structure a forum to be held in February 2014. Advisory members include staff from multiple organizations and agencies, including NRCS, Farm Bureau, UCCE, and Cattlemen's. Additionally, individual producers, business owners, RCD administrators, teachers, and entrepreneurs involved with local agriculture have contributed input to ensure this forum will provide meaningful information in a useful format.

In a nutshell, SFREC aims to bring together past, present, and future agriculturists and conservationists in the region who have an interest in discussing the opportunities and challenges associated with farming and ranching in this area and where the industry is headed in the coming years. The intended outcomes include:

• A compelling contribution to the existing extension efforts to create connections and interest in agriculture
• A tool to promote and enable the transfer of knowledge and skills from seasoned professionals to those entering and planning a career pathway in farming and ranching
• An enhanced awareness of the role of local agriculture in a broader sense

The involvement of youth is a central component of the forum. Through collaboration with farmers, ranchers, and agency representatives, high-school aged students from adjacent counties will learn and share information about specific topics under the theme of “The Future of Farming and Ranching in the Sierra Foothills”.

“As a retired ag teacher, I have seen the struggle that students experience between simply having the desire to go into farming or ranching, and grasping the realistic details involved with that livelihood. Working with local producers who have the first-hand experience and know-how will be a great learning opportunity for our future agriculturists,” said Karen Henderson, advisory committee member and Live Wire Products representative. 

Be on the lookout for more information and marketing flyers for this inaugural event at the Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center.

   Just keep swimming… just keep swimming… is the imagined mantra for the anadromous salmonids that are currently making their way up waterways statewide. However, many of these hardy fish struggle to find adequate spawning ground when they reach their final destination due to a lack of coarse sediment build-up. This process typically occurs when dams block the resupply of sediment, exposing bedrock reaches that are unfavorable for spawning. An example of this problem exists on portions of the lower Yuba River below Englebright Dam, which borders the Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center.

   Dr. Gregory Pasternick, UC Davis professor and researcher of watershed hydrology, geomorphology and ecohydraulics, is currently working on a “river rehabilitation” project at the Yuba River through SFREC. This has been an extensive effort involving the collaboration of researchers, the Army Corps. of Engineers, and the Fish and Wildlife Service to study and implement more suitable spawning conditions for the natural Chinook salmon and steelhead trout making their way up the river. Since 2007, nearly 15,500 short tons (361 cubic yards / 1 short ton) of gravel and cobble (sized 1-3 inches) have been injected into the reaches of the lower Yuba River below Englebright Dam. In the long-run, this project aims to inject a total of 60,000 - 80,000 short tons for maximum success. Prior to the efforts of the Pasternick Lab, zero salmon were spawning in the Yuba stretch above Deer Creek to the dam.

   The significant outcomes of this project will be seen years down the road when the river will serve thousands of Chinook salmon. “The population will at least have the spawning habitat to be able to grow over time, especially spring-run, which is the run that is most impacted right now in the Yuba,” shared Pasternick.

   Indicative advancements have already been made with the documentation of healthy spawning occurring over the past several years. In the coming months, the Yuba - along with rivers statewide - will be shining as resolute salmon and trout make their way “home”. While the inborn instincts push the anadromous fish up the rivers, efforts on behalf of researchers and managers help enable the successful regeneration of these vulnerable species.

Small black dots can be seen from afar amidst the Lower Ranch fields at the Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center. Upon closer inspection, those spots morph into fuzzy, knob-kneed, curious little calves that are sure to insight many cries of “Awwwwe!” from visitors.

However, to a seasoned rancher those cute calves are a testament to the worthwhile blood, sweat, and tears that were shed leading up to a successful delivery. A healthy calf is the ultimate goal of any cow-calf manager, but once those critters finally do take their first breaths, the work has just begun…again.

In the Sierra Foothills, healthy calves signify a greater achievement - the triumph over a bacterial disease called epizootic bovine abortion (EBA). Extensive research has been conducted on this economically devastating problem, with annual losses in the range of 45,000 to 90,000 calves in the state of California alone.

EBA is commonly termed “foothill abortion” due to the regional outbreaks affecting only foothill, semi-arid and mountainous ranges of California, parts of Nevada, and southern Oregon. Through studies and research efforts by scientists associated with UC Davis, known information and management strategies have made slow, yet very significant progress since the recognition of EBA in the 1960's.  For example, the culprit of EBA has been identified as the soft-shelled tick Ornithodoros coriaceus – explaining the climatic limitations of the disease so far.

There is no commercial vaccine on the market today, but a current project at SFREC, led by UCD Veterinary Medicine Specialists Jeffrey Stott and Myra Blanchard, is addressing this problem. EBA is such a burdensome issue that both public and private sectors of the beef cattle industry -specifically the Ag Experiment Station, Rustici Endowment, USDA Formula, and the California Cattlemen's Association - are funding current research to establish a highly efficacious vaccine.  Ongoing research at this center has helped determine the safety and efficacy of a candidate vaccine.

Faculty and site conditions at SFREC have provided the ideal atmosphere for useful data collection.  Staff Research Associate Nikolai Schweitzer is charged with the task of checking the irrigated fields daily for signs of aborted fetuses.

“It's important to be highly aware and check the fields at least twice a day. The scavengers in this area move in quickly!” said Schweitzer.

All aborted fetuses are transported to UC Davis for additional lab tests to accurately determine if EBA was the cause of death. Infected cows do not show signs of the disease during pregnancy because the bacteria is transmitted to the immature fetus where it proliferates and results in a late-term abortion.

Fortunately, the outlook for the candidate vaccine is very promising. The release of an effective EBA vaccine in the future will save ranchers countless hours of disappointment and headaches, while beefing up their worn wallets! This will be another significant feat for the cattle industry, SFREC, UCANR, and animal scientists in the West. 

On November 5^th, 2013, SFREC will bring together UC researchers, land managers, producers and conservation professionals from across the state to explore some of the latest research findings and management strategies on two of the most serious rangeland weeds, medusahead and barb goatgrass. Estimates indicted these invasive species may decrease forage quality and production by up to 70 percent. Additionally, these plants increase the incidence of eye problems, such as pink eye in beef cattle.  Intermountain species like medusahead create significant fuel accumulation - increasing the frequency of dangerous wildfires that destroy both livestock feed and critical wildlife habitat.

The University of California, in cooperation with producers, land managers, and agency partners, have made great strides in researching the ecology and management of these species. This forum takes a timely approach toward synthesizing outcomes of these diverse efforts.  A number of treatments, such as grazing, herbicide application, burning, and seeding, have shown promising results. However, there are risks and challenges that remain when trying to apply these efforts in unique rangeland environments at large scales. Discovering economically compatible techniques that can be molded to meet the financial constraints of producers and other land managers is a crucial investigation. A major aim of this forum is to enhance further discussion and progression towards how we might tailor future research and management efforts to address this challenge.  This free forum is open to everyone. Please pre-register on the SFREC website to receive a detailed agenda and information about the day.