News & Information Outreach

 "Matchmaker, Matchmaker,Make me a match,Find me a find,catch me a catch."--Fiddler on the RoofIt was great to see pollinators being matched with plants at the mini-festival hosted by The Hive, Woodland, on May 3 on what was supposed to be the date of the 2025 California Honey Festival. Worried about…

A visit to the Butte Country Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden in late May / early June promises to be an eye-opening experience. For starters, there are many plant and design possibilities for home gardeners to admire and borrow ideas from.  Undoubtedly, you will find new varieties of plants and trees…

 "Bee Inspired!"Today is World Bee Day and the theme, "Bee Inspired by Nature to Nourish Us All," should not only inspire us, but motivate us. The buzzworthy event, launched by the United Nations in 2017, calls attention to the fact that more than 75 percent of the world's crops, including fruits,…

Community Education Specialist Highlight Series: Bailey Smith-Helman After serving at the USDA Food and Nutrition Services in Washington, DC, Bailey took a break and traveled for a year in South America. That experience reminded her how much she enjoys working with producers and spending time in the…

Blog article by Nanelle Jones-SullivanI recently got an email saying seed potatoes will ship mid-April. Potatoes are a cool-season crop, which for my microclimate ends, not begins, in mid-April.  I order mine in the fall and look for “early” varieties (and the long, thin finger-shaped…

When trying to solve a pest or plant problem, it is likely that you will come across a wide variety of solutions online, passed down through the generations, or shared on social media. While there is plenty of reliable and science-based information out there, such as on the UC IPM website, there are also a…

 Scientific stakeholders who collect wildlife in their fieldwork in California and rely on scientific collecting permits from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are invited to a virtual forum on Friday, May 23 at 3 p.m. (Pacific Time)."This forum is an opportunity to hear updates, ask…

Blog article by Michelle SchlegelThis was my first time growing Broccoli. It’s very easy and productive, and we regularly enjoyed it in our meals. Often, I had to hose off a few aphids here and there, and that worked for a while. But along came two 80-degree days. It bolted from those two warm days, and then…

 UC Davis doctoral candidate Alexia “Lexie” Martin of the laboratory of Rachel Vannette, associate professor and vice chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will be displaying bee life stages at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on Sunday, May 18.The event, free and…

As of 12 p.m. May 16 at the conclusion of UC ANR Giving Day 2025, generous donors and sponsors gave $80,438 to UC Cooperative Extension and the statewide programs, institutes and research centers that make up UC ANR.

 Roxanne, what inspired you to become a Master Gardener?I knew about the San Joaquin County Master Gardener Program because my mother has lived in Stockton for many years, and I enjoyed reading the articles from the program in the local newspaper (back when we still received home delivery…

Visiting Yosemite National Park is an awe-inspiring experience, even for the most seasoned of travelers. The valleys, waterfalls, giant sequoias, and iconic Glacier Point are all bucket list destinations ideal for a family camping vacation. To continue enjoying beautiful parks like Yosemite, it is important…

Please save the date for the annual UC Dry Bean Field Day! UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension will provide updates on dry bean research and management. When: Thursday, August 14th in the morning hoursWhere: UC Davis campus Who should attend: California growers, consultants, plant breeders, and…

 I really appreciate it when Salvias work out well in my yard. In my various trials over the last 20 years, some have been more successful than others, and in the process, I've come to understand that there are many, with new ones available regularly.The “x” in the name indicates that variety results…

UC expert James “Jay” E. Sayre will host a webinar unpacking what some of the latest developments in trade policy may mean for California growers, processors and consumers.

 Visitors attending the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house themed  "Insects: Life Stages" on Sunday, May 18, will see everything from metamorphosis to maggot art. The event, free and family friendly, takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane…

Tiny but destructive, the emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive beetle that has killed millions of ash trees across North America. In some cases, infested regions have lost nearly 100% of their ash trees to this pest. Though EAB has not yet been found in California, it was detected on the West Coast for the…

General outlook & thrips populationPlanting will be wrapping up over the next couple of weeks, though the heat wave coming up next week may cause delays. In general, it’s been good spring weather and earlier plantings are progressing well. The warm weather in the forecast has pushed up population…