Rob Bennaton, County Director of Alameda and Contra Costa and Bay Area Urban Agriculture Advisor, is someone you can find volunteering at a soup kitchen on a Sunday morning. Bennaton is action-oriented, compassionate, community-driven, and plugs his knowledge into local partnerships beyond the outline of a 9-5 workday.
Though initially intent on majoring in English at Fordham University, Rob enjoyed working in nature's great outdoors so much that he decided to pursue a degree in Biological Sciences, and ultimately, a career in landscape horticulture, environmental education, habitat restoration and community horticulture. His service work history, too, reflects a passion for understanding how plant science and world poverty are linked; whether working on Habitat for Humanity type service projects, serving as a hospice-for the-terminally-ill volunteer in Jamaica, or volunteering in orphanages in Mexico, Bennaton has always reflected: “How can my interests and knowledge in ecological horticulture, and plant science help people?”
     With a background that spans from positions as natural areas Forester with the NYC Parks Dept. to Coordinator of the NYC Housing Authority Garden & Greening Program, Bennaton arrived at the UCCE position with tremendous experience in community-based environmental education programming. Rob's first exposure with the Cooperative Extension was in New York City; after receiving his Master's in Urban Planning, he decided to pursue applied research and educational programming in urban agriculture on the West Coast when offered the position with UCCE.
     “I wanted to move into more warm season small scale urban agriculture that was impactful, and, when offered this position, dove right in” commented Bennaton, whose main research incorporates soil quality, heavy metals, and applying high phosphate composts in gardens to manage heavy metals issues. Rob works with culturally diverse groups such as immigrants living in older homes to educate and develop protocol around heavy metal risk management in soils. He recently held a workshop with La Mesa Verde, a group of mainly women (most of them mothers), to disseminate information about improving soil quality. “There was a great response and understanding that made me feel as though the outcomes were not only positive, but helping people grow food in a safe way using best management practices,” reflected Bennaton.
     As a two-county director, Bennaton must balance the needs of each distinct locality; Antioch, for example, is drastically more rural than downtown Oakland. In urban areas, Bennaton has focused his work on preserving open space to grow food via land-use-mapping. This mapping project is a team effort in partnership with the Ashland/Cherryland Food Policy Council and the Oakland Food Policy Council's Urban Ag Committee, and helps determine feasibility of state-passed urban ag legislation for being passed locally, namely, Assembly Bill 551, otherwise known as “Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones Act.”
     According to Bennaton, urban agriculture is the intersection between all five of the UC ANR Strategic Initiatives-endemic and invasive pest species, healthy families and communities, sustainable food systems, sustainable natural ecosystems, water quality/quantity/security.
     “As we urbanize, we will continue to impact environmental quality, families, and communities. Urban agriculture is part of the solution-a place where folks can get greater access to nutritious foods, and become more physically active, reduce their carbon footprints, create spaces that are more environmentally sound,” noted Bennaton, who continued, “growing and eating food brings people together and can be the bridge between inequity/imbalance, and healthier communities.” In all of his work, Rob seeks to bridge humans with their environments. Despite his rigorous schedule, Bennaton takes the time to connect with nature.
     “We live busy lives and have a tendency to be so busy in our work related stuff that we tend to disconnect from each other and our very own selves. Touching the soil can reawaken that notion that we are all human beings and that though we have different cultures or ethnicities, we have far more in common than we do differences,” concluded Bennaton.

     A tell-tale sign of spring in California is a flush of new leaf growth on citrus trees. Because the feathery light green leaves are particularly attractive to Asian citrus psyllids (ACP), the leaves' emergence marks a critical time to determine whether the pest has infested trees.

     "We encourage home citrus growers and farmers to go out with a magnifying glass or hand lens and look closely at the new growth," said Beth Grafton-Cardwell, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) citrus entomologist. "Look for the various stages of the psyllid – small yellow eggs, sesame-seed sized yellow ACP young with curly white tubules, or aphid-like adults that perch with their hind quarters angled up."

     Pictures of the Asian citrus psyllids and its life stages are on the UC ANR website at http://ucanr.edu/acp. If you find signs of the insect, call the California Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Exotic Pest Hotline at (800) 491-1899.

     Asian citrus psyllids are feared because they can spread huanglongbing (HLB) disease, an incurable condition that first causes yellow mottling on the leaves and later sour, misshapen fruit before killing the tree. ACP, native of Pakistan, Afghanistan and other tropical and subtropics regions of Asian, was first detected in California in 2008. Everywhere Asian citrus psyllids have appeared – including Florida and Texas – the pests have found and spread the disease. A few HLB-infected trees have been located in urban Los Angeles County. They were quickly removed by CDFA officials.

     "In California, we are working hard to keep the population of ACP as low as possible until researchers can find a cure for the disease," Grafton-Cardwell said. "We need the help of citrus farmers and home gardeners."

     Grafton-Cardwell has spearheaded the development of the UC ANR ACP website for citrus growers and citrus homeowners that provides help in finding the pest and what to do next. The site has an interactive map tool to locate residences and farms that are in areas where the psyllid has already become established, and areas where they are posing a risk to the citrus industry and must be aggressively treated by county officials.

     The website outlines biological control efforts that are underway, and directions for insecticidal control, if it is needed. An online calculator on the website allows farmers and homeowners to determine their potential costs for using insecticides.

     There are additional measures that can be taken to support the fight against ACP and HLB in California:

• When planting new citrus trees, only purchase the trees from reputable nurseries.
• Do not accept tree cuttings or budwood from friends or relatives.
• After pruning or cutting down a citrus tree, dry out the green waste or double bag it to make sure that live psyllids won't ride into another region on the foliage.
• Control ants in and near citrus trees with bait stations. Scientists have released natural enemies of ACP in Southern California to help keep the pest in check. However, ants will protect ACP from the natural enemies. Ants favor the presence of ACP because the psyllid produces honeydew, a food source for ants.
• Learn more about the Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing disease by reading the detailed pest note on UC ANR's Statewide Integrated Pest Management website.
• Assist in the control of ACP by supporting CDFA insecticide treatments of your citrus or treating the citrus yourself when psyllids are present.
• Support the removal of HLB-infected trees.

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Got chickens? Backyard poultry workshop offered in Oakland March 12.
By Pam Kan-Rice, UC ANR

For tips on raising healthy chickens in your backyard, attend the Backyard Poultry Workshop in Oakland on Saturday, March 12. Poultry experts will share valuable information for experienced poultry owners and for those just getting started.

The workshop is sponsored by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Cooperative Extension in Alameda County and the California Poultry Federation.

Discussion topics will include:
Poultry behavior in backyard chickens
Backyard biosecurity
Backyard poultry cleaning and disinfecting
Backyard flock pests and management techniques
Using the California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab (CAHFS)
Speakers include Maurice Pitesky, UC Cooperative Extension poultry specialist in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, Richard Blatchford, UC Cooperative Extension poultry specialist in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis; Amy Murillo, UC Riverside Ph.D. candidate; and Nancy Reimers, poultry veterinarian. Rob Bennaton, UC Cooperative Extension advisor, will be on hand to answer questions about urban agriculture.

The workshop will be held 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 12, at the Trans Pacific Center at 1000 Broadway in Oakland. The building is on the corner of Broadway and 11th Street, near the 12th Street BART Station.

Registration is $20 and includes lunch. To register, call or email Monica Della Maggiore at (209) 576-6355 or monica@cpif.org.
Based in Modesto, the California Poultry Federation represents the state's diverse poultry industry and is the official state agency for the National Poultry Improvement Plan.

For more information about raising poultry, visit http://ucanr.edu/sites/poultry. For information about urban agriculture, visit www.ucanr.edu/urbanag.