UC Cooperative Extension | Agricultural Experiment Station

New 4-H director to youth: ‘You are worthy and you are valuable’

Seen here sharing a moment with the 2023-24 4-H State Ambassador team at the State Leadership Conference, Holmes aims to ensure every young person across California has access to 4-H programs. Photo courtesy of California 4-H

Holmes brings a lifetime of service, mentorship to California 4-H program Growing up in rural Alabama, Kimberly Sinclair Holmes – the new statewide director of California 4-H – experienced firsthand the enduring value of youth development...

UC Delivers

For several decades, California pistachios suffered few pest problems. However, this changed in the late 1990s when a new species of mealybug was found in a Tulare County orchard. By 2002, Gill’s mealybug had infested about 20 acres of pistachios in Tulare County; by 2007 it had been found in more than 5,000 acres of pistachios statewide. Gill’s mealybugs damage pistachios by feeding on carbohydrates that would otherwise be used for nut development. This results in fewer of the highly prized split, in-shell nuts in exchange for smaller kernels in closed shells. Growers with infested fields applied multiple pesticide applications on a yearly basis to try to prevent significant crop losses. In 2004, the California Pistachio Commission approached the University of California for assistance in finding a solution.

Read about: Control programs established for exotic pistachio pest | View Other Stories

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