Agricultural producers can increase revenue by adding value to basic agricultural products. This can be achieved in many ways including: branding, processing, product differentiation, and labeling and certification.

USDA’s Value Added Producer Grants (VAPG) program “includes projects that market inherently value-added production, such as organic crops, grass-fed livestock and locally produced and marketed food products.

Award sizes vary. To find out more, please visit this page of the USDA website. Additional information can be found from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

An example of a value-added agricultural product is this dried slice of pitahaya (aka dragon fruit). Photo by B. Dawson.

There are more than 50 species of mosquitoes in California. Several of them are able to transmit microbial organisms capable of causing human diseases such as encephalitis and malaria. They may also cause disease in livestock and pets. Mosquitoes can travel for miles and can be challenging to control.

In many places around the state local agencies have programs designed to keep populations in check. There are several ways we can help minimize the number of mosquitoes in our communities.

UC’s Mosquitoes: Intergrated Pest Management Around the Home publication provides much information about mosquitoes and how to best manage them.

Topics include:

• Identification
• Life cycle
• Public healthy and veterinary importance
• West Nile virus
• Management

Additional information and local resources can be found in these previous posts.

I will be out of the office next week, but will post a new article for you when I return on Monday, July 25!

Western Encephalitis Mosquito. Photo by Jack Kelly Clark.

Poison oak is the most hazardous plant in California. It gained this distinction due to the annual number of working hours lost from allergic contact dermatitis caused by poison oak. The allergic reaction occurs in 80-85% of the population. It can cause skin irritation, itching and blisters.

Transmission of the allergen can occur by direct contact with the plant at any time of year; by touching contaminated clothing, tools, or animals; or by breathing the smoke caused by burning poison oak. The smoke is extremely hazardous. Inhaling this smoke can cause severe respiratory irritation. Never purposely burn poison oak.

A native of Western North America, poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) can thrive in a variety of settings. It can grow as a shrub or as a climbing vine. Leaves normally consist of three leaflets, but not always. Leaves can be glossy or dull. In the spring these plants produce flowers and in the summer berries. In fall foliage turns from green to orange and red.

To find out more about this plant including: impact on livestock, treating allergic contact dermatitis, biology, and management, please see UC ANR’s Poison Oak Pest Note.

Pacific poison-oak fruit. Photo by Joseph DiTomaso.

Red autumn coloration of poison oak. Photo by Jack Kelly Clark.

Distribution of western poison oak in the United States is shown in pink. Photo by Jack Kelly Clark.

The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety has recently announced publication of training materials designed to help dairy employers educate their employees on safe workplace practices.

In addition to providing instructions and materials for training sessions, the guide incorporates information about maximizing employee participation in training, preparing for training sessions, and the objectives of the sessions. Cal/OSHA requirements and additional resources are also included.

The Dairy Safety Training Guide and related materials are available to download for free. They are available in English and Spanish.

Dairy workers face many hazards on the job. The two main causes of fatal and non-fatal incidents are from machinery and animals.