Archive Nut, Prune and Olive Programs

Back to Sites & Content
Farmer placing agricultural cuttings on a pile with chickens watching
Organic Materials Management: Article

Chicken-Powered Composting: Nature's Efficient Recyclers at Work

April 1, 2025
By Michael Cohen
Would you like some help with composting but are short on labor? Let your chickens do the work! At Garden to Table Silicon Valley Community Farm in San Jose they create a mound, or “Chicken Mountain”, of agricultural scraps and sprouted seeds for the flock, where the chickens eagerly peck and…
View Article
wildflowers
UC Master Gardener Program Statewide Blog: Article

Gardeners with Heart: Hands in the Dirt, Hearts in the Community

April 1, 2025
By Melissa G Womack
 In neighborhoods big and small, from a high-rise senior housing in San Francisco to demonstration gardens in the high desert. Yes, the gardens are beautiful. But the real growth? That’s happening between the people. UC Master Gardeners have built bridges between people and places, forged new…
View Article
A person wearing blue gloves on their hands is unscrewing the cap to a white container

What Should You Wear When Using Pesticides?

April 1, 2025
By Lauren Fordyce
When using pesticides and other garden chemicals, you should always wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep yourself safe. Pesticides can enter the body via the eyes, skin, nose, or mouth. The skin is the most common way pesticides enter our bodies, usually by splashing, spillage, or spray drift…
View Article
Stanislaus County: Event

Advances in Vineyard Water & Nutrient Management Workshop

Apr 29, 2025

The workshop will feature presentations by various experts and researchers focusing on best irrigation and nutrient management practices of vineyards in the San Joaquin Valley. Attendees will gain insights into the irrigation and nutrient needs of vineyards. This knowledge aims to ensure healthier vine…
Stanislaus County
View Event
UC Master Food Preserver: Event

Funky Tea: Kombucha (online)

Apr 17, 2025

Join us to learn about how to make kombucha, a refreshing drink made from fermenting tea. We’ll teach you how to maintain a healthy SCOBY (a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) to make kombucha, and how to do a second fermentation flavored with various fruits.
UC Master Food Preserver
View Event
ANR Employee News: Article

Celebration Corner

March 31, 2025
By Pamela S Kan-Rice
Awards and other highlights of employees to celebrate. Eskalen honored by American Phytopathological Society Pacific Division. Choe, Murillo, Wilson win regional entomology awards. Newton honored with 2025 Common Threads Award. UC discusses role of universities in research. Playground stencils pique…
View Article
Creeping Sage flowering, Jeanette Alosi.
The Real Dirt: Article

Spring Blooming Natives

March 31, 2025
By Jeanette Alosi
Spring is here, and many native plants are coming into bloom. Orange California poppies color the roadside and hills. Redbuds burst with magenta flowers. Butterflies flutter among the blue dicks in grassy areas in upper Bidwell Park and along foothill roadsides. The good news is that many California native…
View Article
ANR Employee News: Article

Sierra Foothill REC seeks research proposals

March 31, 2025
By Michele Flavell
 The UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center is soliciting proposals from April 1 – May 16, 2025, to support new and continuing research on rangeland and oak woodland ecology and management, beef cattle health, production and management, as well as related agricultural and natural resource…
View Article