- Author: Chris M. Webb
Ventura County UCCE Staff Research Associate Maren Mochizuki shares information from a recent conference.
The future of U.S. agriculture depends largely on the ability of new generations to have access to land and training to establish successful farms and ranches. Roughly 70% of U.S. farmland will change hands in the next 20 years and both absentee and investor ownership of farmland are increasing: 88% of farmland owners are not farm operators. The FarmLasts Project, sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture National Research Initiative, held this conference on June 10 and 11 in Denver, Colorado to address barriers to land ownership and transfer of ownership, tenancy, land use and stewardship, and new farmer training.
There were many things to love about this conference. The variety of presenters and attendees was most impressive and really embodied the scope of the issues addressed. I spoke with professors and extension advisors, folks whom I am used to meeting at conferences, but I also talked to lawyers, social venture capitalists, representatives of community development financial institutions (non-profit financing arms of regional banks), legislators, and self-described “policy wonks.” Surely presentations on farmland acquisition and affordability from a land trust director in Vermont, a rural sociologist at Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, California FarmLink, and a young farmer in southeastern Massachusetts demonstrate both the national impact and universality of farmland loss as well as the partial solutions that have been implemented on a state and regional level.
One of the program highlights was a plenary panel of young farmers. Their stories -- how they became farmers, how they acquired land to farm – were as diverse as their operations. Whether 3-5 acres of vegetables in the Northeast to 400 Angus cows in the Midwest, whether first generation or sixth generation farmer, whether on a 3 year land lease or successfully conducting an intergenerational transfer of ownership via estate and business planning, these farmers were each both inspirational and informative.
The most interesting session I attended was on minority land access. Marsha Goetting, an extension agent with Montana State Univ., has produced fact sheets, news articles, workshops, and a website (montana.edu/indianland) to educate landowners on recent changes in Native American land laws and minimize fractionalization of tribal lands. The North Carolina-based Land Loss Prevention Project (landloss.org), directed by Savi Horne, has a unique mission that includes legal assistance and litigation support, public policy advocacy, and promoting sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship to mitigate the increasing financial distress for limited-resource farmers and landowners, particularly the alarming trend of farms owned by African-Americans. For example, as recently as the 10 year period between 1993 and 2003, the decline in African-American land ownership and farm families was over three times the decline of that for White-owned farms and White farmers.
Other conference bonuses: local and regional suppliers provided produce and meat for our meals, baked goods, and microbrews. Inspiring quotations on the significance of farmland and farming interspersed throughout the conference materials. Please visit the FarmLasts Project (farmlasts.org) to read more about their research findings, policy goals, and recommendations.
/span>- Author: Chris M. Webb
Below you will find a summary of what we did last month. By no means does this summary capture all that we accomplished or began, but it gives a nice glimpse of what we do.
1. Research Activities
This is a sampling of the research activity conducted in June.
- Established an experiment testing an herbicide for management of yellow nutsedge, a major weed in production agriculture costing Ventura County growers thousands of dollars annually to control. For more information on nutsedge and its impact, please read previous blog posts.
- Established an experiment testing an organic method of soil disinfestations by creating anaerobic conditions in strawberry beds and monitoring effects on plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae. This research makes direct contributions by addressing the issue of seeking alternatives to fumigants such as methyl bromide.
- Finished four field trials that evaluate management options for four pests detrimental to the strawberry industry. Management strategies included physical, thermal and chemical control measures.
- Initiated a project with CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture and local strawberry growers to introduce a biocontrol agent for Lygus bug, the #1 insect pest for strawberries and significant for other row crops.
- We are continuing research on minimizing irrigation needs for strawberries, which addresses both economic and environmental issues.
2. Educational Activities
This is a sampling of the educational activities conducted in June.
A. Grower/Clientele Education
- Jim Downer presented sessions at a regional meeting on nutrition of palms and diseases of shade trees. 100 in attendance.
- Ben Faber participated in a program at UC Riverside on Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), which poses a significant threat to the citrus industry. It was clear that fruit from affected areas coming into Ventura County packing houses could be a host for the psyllid. Ben spoke to Henry Gonzales about this and as a result the import of lemons from Imperial County (quarantine area) to Ventura for repacking has been restricted to reduce the likelihood of introducing the pest here. Both Faber and Rose Hayden-Smith participated in a meeting that brought packers together with the Ag Commissioner, where they hammered out a solution/agreement.
- Ben Faber delivered two grower workshops, one on avocado irrigation and the other on techniques to reduce surface water contamination.
- Rose Hayden-Smith presented her research on gardening and community development at a City of Minneapolis/IATP event attended by more than 100 people. She also presented a two-hour workshop on Victory Gardens, past and present, to a sold-out audience in Minneapolis. She offered a talk on gardening trends and public policy in Oxnard to an audience of 75. Earlier in the month, she facilitated an Urban Agriculture Symposium for 175 people in Chicago, which generated public policy recommendations for the USDA.
- Monique Myers presented the Ventura County RESTOR Project at the National Marine Educators conference in Monterey.
- Monique Myers organized a focus group for Ventura City/County Planners and city storm water experts addressing low impact development and emergency safety issues.
- 4-H staff trained staff at Pt. Mugu and Port Hueneme Naval Bases in the basics of 4-H program management. Also trained new 4-H club leaders.
B. Youth Education
- Monique Myers directed/facilitated the last of 8 RESTOR teacher/student field trips to Ormond Beach (~70 students per trip). RESTOR is a grant-funded wetlands/ecological restoration program linking teachers and youth with science education and community service opportunities.
- Monique Myers led a RESTOR Project field trip with 28 student essay contest winners and their teachers on the NOAA research vessel Shearwater.
- 4-H held a Science, Engineering and Technology Day at the military base.
- 4-H held events at both military bases kicking off the new 4-H programs there.
3. Publications
- UCCE staff. Launched a UCCE/Farm Advisor blog http://ucanr.org/blogs/venturacountyucce/
- UCCE staff. Produced a new UCCE/Farm Advisor educational brochure.
- Daugovish, Oleg and Maren Mochizuki submitted a paper to HortTechnology detailing the potential for carbon dioxide to be taken up by raspberry plants to boost productivity instead of being released to the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. We hope this method will gain attention as one of the ways to tackle a global issue on a local scale.
- Downer, James and Maren Mochizuki.
- Two manuscripts accepted to HortTechnology.
- Pruning landscape palms
- Diseases of palms.
- Two manuscripts accepted to HortTechnology.
- Downer, James. Landscape Notes – Landscaping Trees. Available at http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/Landscape_Notes17660.pdf
- Downer, James: Article on mulches in Western Arborist Magazine.
- Downer, James, Article on a new pest, the Date Bug, in Southwest Trees and Turf Magazine.
- Faber, Ben and Newman, Julie, et al. 2009. Re-evaluation of the roles of honeybees and wind on pollination in avocado. J. of Hort Science and Biotech (84)3:255-260.
- Faber, Ben and Newman, Julie, et al. 2009. Farm Water Quality Planning Project – From Education to Implementation. Statewide Conf., Sacramento April 27-30.
- Faber, Ben. 2009. Cherry Vinegar Fly in Ventura County. VC Farm Bureau Newsletter 41(7): 2-3.
- Hayden-Smith, Rose, et al. Proceedings of the Chicago Urban Agriculture Symposium. Includes policy recommendations for the USDA and other cities relating to urban agriculture. http://www.chicagobotanic.org/wed/index.php
- Myers, Monique, et al. Differences in benthic cover inside and outside marine protected areas on the Great Barrier Reef: influence of protection or disturbance history? was published on-line (in advance of printing) this week in Aquatic Conservation. (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/84503925/issue)
- Newman, Julie. Wrote an article for Greenhouse Management & Production, a national grower magazine
- Monique Myers and Sabrina Drill won an Award of Merit from the 2009 Ecology Awards for their Quagga Mussel manual.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Dr. Sabrina Drill, of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), is a Natural Resources Advisor covering both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. One of the issues she is currently studying is the New Zealand mudsnail (NZMS), Potamopyrgus antipodarum.
NZMS is an aquatic invasive species that was first found in the United States in Idaho in 1987. It has since spread to every Western state except New Mexico. They were found in California’s Owens River in the late 1990’s. In 2006 it was found in the Santa Clara Watershed, which straddles the two counties Dr. Drill covers in her UCCE work.
New Zealand mudsnails are tiny, with adults only reaching 3-5 mm and juveniles even smaller, about the size of a grain of sand. They are usually light to dark brown, and may appear black when wet. They have conical shells that have five or sometimes six whorls.
New Zealand mudsnails reproduce clonally and bear live young. A single female and her offspring are capable of yielding 40 million individuals in a year! As is typical with invasive species, they compete with native invertebrates for food and habitat, and as they provide little in the way of food value, may have detrimental effects on fish and wildlife. They have a wide ranging temperature and salinity tolerance, and can survive for several days out of water under moist conditions.
Taken together, their small size, dark coloration, and ability to stick to things makes them excellent at invading new systems. They can hitch a ride on fishing gear, sampling equipment, shoes (hiding in the treads and under the laces), and clothes, as well as on the fur of dogs and horses. We know of no way to get rid of them once they invade a river system, other than drastic dewatering or poisoning. Researchers are investigating options for biological control.
The best way to manage New Zealand mudsnails and other invasive species is to try and prevent them from spreading.
Please help contain the spread of NZMS by doing the following:
- Stay out of infected streams and do NOT go from one stream to another in wet gear.
- If you need to go into an infected stream, consider having dedicated clothes and gear that you don’t wear anywhere else.
- Scrub all gear with a stiff brush before you leave an infected site; mudsnails are experts at hiding, so you can’t trust a visual inspection.
- Let all gear dry completely between visits, or freeze for a minimum of six hours between uses.
As Dr. Drill continues to monitor the distribution and impacts of NZMS in the Santa Clara River she will be adding her findings to the NZMS website. You can find the site at http://groups.ucanr.org/NZMS/. She will also be doing outreach for fisherfolk in the fall. Check back for dates and locations!
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- Author: Chris M. Webb
See below for great news recently sent to the Ventura County UCCE office! For anyone who is interested we have copies of California Agriculture going back to 1950 in our library. Feel free to come by and take a look. To avoid disappointment, please call first to make sure the library is not being used for a meeting.
Sixty-three years of California Agriculture journal now online
This week, California Agriculture capped off a two-year effort with a keystroke, posting the full text of 63 years -- close to 6,000 articles -- to the World Wide Web. This rich store of peer-reviewed science dating back to 1946 is now freely accessible and searchable at the journal's redesigned Web site: http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.org/.
The previous California Agriculture Web site included articles back to 2000. Until now, however, most of the journal's long history of research has been in the shadows, accessible only as bound volumes in the stacks of a few UC libraries and others scattered around the world.
"This highly valuable research is now widely available online for the benefit of authors, readers and scientists worldwide," said Janet White, executive editor of California Agriculture journal. "Our old, well-worn hard copies have been transformed into high-quality, reusable XML-based content and full-text PDFs, with the highest levels of data integrity and readability."
Published by the University of California, California Agriculture began as a four-page broadsheet in December 1946. Today both print and Web versions are known for presenting new, peer-reviewed research in a meaningful context with technical terms defined -- making it accessible to a diverse audience of people who can use it, taking the final step in the research and delivery process.
California Agriculture is one of the oldest, continuously published, land-grant university research publications in the country, with one of the largest circulations among journals of its kind. Print subscribers include 17,000 growers, faculty members, environmental and health professionals, government researchers, public officials and others.
The California Agriculture archive includes landmark research that knits together our understanding of food and fiber production, forestry, fisheries, human health and nutrition, and how those endeavors have interacted with the natural environment and its ecosystems at every scale.
Aptara of Falls Church, Va., was hired to process over 550 back-dated journal issues, using the University's custom editorial specifications, converting them into XML files with cross-referencing for immediate posting online. The Web site redevelopment team included Janet White, Andrea Laue, Michael Talman, Davis Krauter, Karl Krist, Dave Krause and Janet Byron.
California Agriculture is still fine-tuning the Web site, and welcomes comments and feedback. Please take the online survey on the home page, or write to us at calagwebmaster@ucanr.org .
California Agriculture is the University of Californias peer-reviewed journal of research in agricultural, human and natural resources. For a free subscription, go to: http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.org write to calag@ucop.edu or call (510) 642-2431 x33.
EDITORS: To request a hard copy of the journal, e-mail janet.byron@ucop.edu.
For more ANR news, visit
http://news.ucanr.org
- Author: Chris M. Webb
The University of California (UC) Statewide Master Gardener Program has recently developed a Web site for California’s home gardeners at http://groups.ucanr.org/cagardenweb/index.cfm – Advice to Grow By! This new site will be the UC gardening portal, extending UC research-based information about gardening, landscapes, and lawns. The site focuses on sustainable gardening practices and uses a question and answer format.
The Master Gardener website committee used the current California Master Gardener Handbook for structure and content. The site is incredibly informative and easy to follow.
Main categories on the navigation bar are:
Gardening basics * Your climate zone * Find your local Master Gardener * Pests, diseases, weeds * Vegetables * Nut & fruit trees & vines * Landscape trees, shrubs & vines * Lawns * Flowers * Indoor plants * Poisonous plants * Glossary * Classes & events
Another great feature on the home page of the site is “Your Weekly Gardening Tip – a UC Blog”. As the title suggests, a weekly gardening tip is provided to allow readers to easily access information pertaining to issues most likely of concern to readers at the time the tip was posted. As with the rest of the site, further related information is easily accessible.
Next time you have a question, or some extra time to simply enjoy learning, check it out. You’ll be glad you did!