News & Information Outreach

June 3 (9AM - 1PM)Avocado Field Day Innovations and InsightsPresented by: California Avocado Society, California Association of Pest Control Advisors, Farm Bureau of Ventura County, and Limoneira Connect with fellow avocado growers for an enriching morning filled with insightful presentations in…

General outlook & thrips populationAs planting wraps up, temperatures remain similar to long-term averages. Thrips population predictions are similar to last week’s update. Generation 2 adults peaked a couple weeks ago; generation three adults are predicted to peak 6/8.  The 3rd and 4th…

As 2025 unfolds, UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Sonoma County enters an exciting new era—guided by a regional leadership model designed to strengthen collaboration, optimize resources, and deepen our impact across the North Bay.In March, Lauren Cartwright was appointed as the new UCCE Area Director for…

 Dear Colleagues & Community Partners, The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) is proud to present our 2024 Annual Report, highlighting the department’s accomplishments through our innovative programs in Sonoma County. UCCE is your county department that provides education and…

It costs $4,215 per acre to grow navel oranges in California in 2025, California Citrus Mutual (CCM) reported following a recent survey of production costs. That’s up from $3,300 in 2020 (a 35% increase), $2,712 in 2015 (a 75% increase), $2,099 in 2010 (a 125% increase) and $1,555 in 2005 (a 171% increase)…

 "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…

Teams across UC are deeply engaged in communicating with the federal government on the impact of the proposed spending cuts to CalFresh Healthy Living, UC. The CFHL, UC office; UC Davis; UC ANR leadership; UC ANR Government Relations and UC Federal Government Relations are all focused on this effort.

Beware of recent phishing email attempts. Never enter your credentials into unfamiliar websites. Only trust login pages that use ‘ucanr.edu’ or ‘ucdavis.edu’ in their web address.

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…