ANR Employees

Summer Cortez, Ben Baldi, Lauren Hale, Carrie Brown and Evan Talmage joined UC ANR or took new positions within UC ANR recently.

Steve Fennimore and Kassim Al-Khatib were honored by the California Weed Science Society, Mary Blackburn is among the amazing women featured in a new mural at UC Berkeley, and more than 10,000 adults and children attended the North Bay Science Discovery Day.

UC ANR Foundation Board members convened March 16–17 in Davis and Fair Oaks for their second annual in-person board meeting, blending field-based learning with strategic conversations about philanthropy and partnership in support of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Following the state’s legislative action, the University of California has renamed César Chávez Day to Farmworkers Day.

This month’s learning highlights focus on building practical skills that strengthen your impact – from designing engaging online courses for adult learners to navigating key systems and planning for fiscal and program success.

Yana Valachovic, UC Cooperative Extension forest advisor, shared her research-based ideas of how to protect homes from wildfire during a panel discussion at a screening of the documentary “Weathered: After the LA Firestorms” in Sacramento.

UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center (SFREC) is soliciting proposals from April 1 to May 15, 2026, to support new and continuing research.

This February, the CALE team co-organized a workshop with L.A. Food Policy Council at Alma Backyard Farms, an urban farm in Compton. The event focused on making agritourism accessible to urban growers, ensuring resources reach smaller-scale and lower-resourced operations.

Nominations are being accepted until April 20 for the 2026 ANR Distinguished Service Awards, which are sponsored by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Academic Assembly Council.

Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) 2026 Research and Education (R&E) Grant Program This grant program involves scientists, agricultural producers, and others using interdisciplinary approaches to advance sustainable agriculture at local and regional levels. With the…

UC Office of the President invites comments on a proposed Presidential Policy Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations and Students (PACAOS) 100.00 and PACAOS-Appendix H.

USDA NIFA has announced the FY 2026 Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) funding opportunity. This program supports projects that address key challenges in U.S. organic agriculture through the combined efforts of research, education, and extension/outreach.The OREI program has three…

CAL FIRE is now accepting applications for the Forest Health Program Grants for Fiscal Year 25–26. This program supports landscape-scale forest management projects designed to improve forest resilience, reduce wildfire risk, and enhance long-term climate and watershed benefits across California’s…

 Dear Colleagues,I am pleased to announce that Jaki Hsieh Wojan accepted the position of Chief Information Officer for UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, effective March 1, 2026.Jaki joined UC ANR as Chief Information Security Officer in 2022 and was appointed Deputy CIO in 2024 and then Interim…

Kimberly Lamar has accepted the position of Director of Contracts and Grants for UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, effective April 1, 2026.

Colleagues, If you are interested in participating and engaging with legislators on SB 895, please complete UC ANR Government Relation’s SB 895 Advocacy Interest Survey linked here to be contacted by the Government Relations team for advocacy resources, questions and instructions. See UCOP's news…

Vice President Glenda Humiston, Interim Associate Vice President for Research and Cooperative Extension Darren Haver and a delegation of UC ANR members and supporters traveled to Washington, D.C. for the annual CARET and Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities’ Board on Agriculture Assembly…

Spotted-Wing Drosophila Team won a PBESA award, David E. Block will receive the American Society for Enology and Viticulture Merit Award for 2026., and Justin Valliere has been named to the board of directors for the nonprofit Calflora Wild Plant Database.