On Thursday October 4^th, Sierra Foothill REC hosted its 5^th Annual Beef & Range Field Day for high school students enrolled in FFA & 4-H. Following an inspirational keynote address discussing possibilities after high school in research and agricultural careers by Maddison Easley of Placer County Resource Conservation District, the 112 students and their 10 FFA teachers enjoyed the remainder of the day participating in four different outdoor learning stations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Gaby Maier of UC Davis Veterinary Medicine gave students a closer look inside cattle with her presentation station discussing ruminant digestion and nutrition. Students were able to look at gut flora and different types of feed.

 

 

 

 

  Dr. Sam Sandoval & Dr. Romina Diaz Gomez of the UC Davis Department of Land, Air & Water Resources brought watershed sciences to life with an interactive plexiglass model that demonstrates the movement and flow of groundwater. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 SFREC's Director, Jeremy James gave the students an eye-opening tour of SFREC's CIMIS weather station equipment and how changes in climate patterns over time effect California's natural oak woodlands, grasslands and agricultural industries.

 

 

 A special thank you to this year's event sponsors Farm Credit West, Nevada County Resource Conservation District & Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau. Additional thanks to Nevada County Resource Conservation District for sending out two volunteers to help facilitate this year's event.

 

Last month, teachers and educators from around Northern California came together for a weekend to learn about best practices for science education with a Forestry Institute for Teachers+ (FIT+) workshop. FIT+ is a new professional development program from the Northern California Society of American Foresters and UC Cooperative Extension Project Learning Tree. This workshop is an extension of the Forestry Institute for Teachers, which focuses on curriculum from Project Learning Tree and Project Wild. The Forestry Institute for Teachers also hosts lectures from foresters about best practices and lesson plan development using the program's curriculum guides. FIT+ on the other hand, concentrates more on the Project WET curriculum and hosts guest speakers that talk about all varieties of ecology.

The educators had a fun-filled, well-rounded, educational weekend. They connected with one another and practiced the Project WET curriculum, by physically doing some of the activities as well as creating mock units for their classrooms that integrate Project WET activities and other resources. In addition to getting acquainted with the curriculum guide, the teachers were treated to two educational lessons, and a trip down to the Lower Yuba River. The first lecture was by Doug McCreary, who gave an overview of oaks in California and the role they play in our foothill ecology. SFREC Director, Jeremy James followed with a lecture about invasive species, how they invade and the impact they can have in our ecosystems. While down at the Yuba River, teachers practiced interpreting river health through analyzing the benthic macroinvertebrates that were collected with the help of Kelly Santos of Sierra Streams Institute.

Look out for the return of FIT+ to SFREC in the upcoming year!  

On Wednesday, October 5th, SFREC hosted over 170 high school students enrolled in FFA and 4-H programs across six counties for the 3rd Annual Beef & Range Field Day. Students had the unique opportunity to engage with UC researchers and industry leaders, exploring key topics related to beef cattle and rangeland management.

The field day kicked off with a keynote address by Congressman, John Garamendi (CA-3), who spoke with students about the roles they will be able to pursue within agriculture and food productution as they chart out their future careers. Garamendi encouraged his audience to think outside of the box when it comes to creating solutions to the many challenges agriculture will face in years to come.

Following this address the students rotated through five hands-on learning demonstrations developed by UC researchers that explored major topics in beef cattle and rangeland management. Dr. Nancy Martin, DVM, discussed health issues in beef cattle with Dr. John Angelos from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine following up by highlighting his research in the development of a vaccine for pink eye in cattle. UCCE Farm Advisor, Jeff Stackhouse discussed the use of technology in managing livestock and wildlife, while Dr. Roberto Sainz of the UC Davis Department of Animal Science explored the ruminant digestive system. Roger Ingram, UCCE Advisor in Placer/Nevada/Yuba & Sutter counties demonstrated principles related to dryland and irrigated pasture management. Students had the opportunity to evaluate soil properties, classify rangeland plants and observe beef cattle grazing behavior.

This event was made possible by the following Sponsors: PG&E, Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau, California Beef Council and Farm Credit West. We are grateful for this generous support. The time donated by FFA leaders and UC staff was instrumental in making the third year of this annual event a major success and a great opportunity for students to interact with ongoing research led by the University of California.   

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On Thursday, September 22, over 500 elementary students from around Nevada County gathered at the Nevada County Fairgrounds for the 2^nd Annual Farm Day, in conjunction with the start of the Draft Horse Classic. Farm Day is hosted by the Nevada County Resource Conservation District to help raise awareness about specific sectors of agriculture through demonstrations by over 30 presenters.

Presentations focused on a wide variety of agricultural subjects including livestock, bees, bats, irrigation, nutrition, seed saving, wool spinning, cider pressing, soil health and much more. Participating organizations included the local FFA chapters, Nevada Irrigation District, Sierra Foothills Audubon, the 4-H Youth Development Program, UC Cooperative Extension and private agriculturalists.

 

The Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center (SFREC) was involved with actively showing students how soil and sand can help filter impurities out of water through an experiment where Kool Aid (representing impure water) is poured through a variety of substrates. SFREC also taught students about watersheds, including how water flows through a watershed, and the areas in which water tends to accumulate.

Farm Day allows students the chance to see and truly connect with multiple aspects of our agricultural systems, an opportunity that many people take for granted. These hands-on activities offer students a path to discovering where their food, drink, and clothing really come from and how it is all connected to the world's ecosystems. Witnessing the interest and curiosity of the students as they traveled through the stations, was a sure sign of the event's success.  

SFREC will also present to third grade students at the Yuba-Sutter Farm Day this Friday. Be on the lookout for an update next week!