Ongoing research

By Jeff Oster, UC Master Gardener of Butte County, October 19, 2018 Two weeks ago in this column, we introduced a few of the most common ornamental plants in the Asteraceae family.

So you're walking along Doran Regional Park Beach in Sonoma County on Tuesday, Oct. 16 and thinking about the pollinators in your back yard. (Don't we all?) And then: what a delight to see.

In this issue: New Waste Discharge Requirements for Confined Bovine Feeding Operations. New Research to Evaluate Early Weaning as a Drought Strategy. New Research Evaluates Livestock Guardian Dog Breeds. More on LGDs... Placer-Nevada-Sutter-Yuba Livestock and Natural Resource Needs Assessment.

Results from all fall-planted 2017-2018 UC Statewide Small Grain Variety Testing Program trials are now available on the UC Small Grains website: http://smallgrains.ucanr.edu/Variety/.

New Waste Discharge Requirements for Confined Bovine Feeding Operations New Research to Evaluate Early Weaning as Drought Strategy New Research Evaluates Livestock Guardian Dog Breeds Placer-Nevada-Sutter-Yuba Livestock and Natural Resource Needs Assessment Workshop and Events Calendar Grazing Techn...

This is where a group of trained, certified Master Gardeners are on hand to research your questions and get back to you within days.

Tuesday afternoon I headed to Des Moines to participate in the Borlaug Dialogue and World Food Prize events.

Hitched a ride with a friend last week to a plant sale at the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery. I trust the plants they sell will be true to form and live up to the size, use, water, care, and feeding regime stated on the plant labels.

Berkeley With a body the size of a fist and wings that span more than a foot, the big brown bat must gorge on 6,000 to 8,000 bugs a night to maintain its stature. This mighty appetite can be a boon to farmers battling crop-eating pests. But few types of bats live on American farms.

Open Enrollment is coming soon beginning at 8 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 25 and ending at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 20 with good news about premium costs, important changes to domestic partner eligibility and Health Net Blue & Gold, and a brand new benefit: pet insurance.