Posts Tagged: December 2021

Names in the News

Doan named UCCE small farms advisor

Hung Doan joined UCCE as a small farms and specialty crops advisor serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties on Nov. 1.  

Before joining UC ANR, Doan was an instructor for an USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program in Guyana. He has experience working on small-scale farms in California and abroad in Kenya and Vietnam.

While studying at UC Davis, he coordinated many plant disease clinics and diagnosed plant diseases for a large clientele base ranging from small-scale farmers to UC Cooperative Extension staff.

His research interests include integrated pest management, vegetable and mushroom production, nutrient management, food safety and vegetables and specialty crops pathology.  

Doan graduated from UC Davis with a B.S in biochemistry and molecular biology and an M.S in plant pathology under the guidance of Professor Mike Davis, working on developing sustainable controls for Fusarium wilt of cotton at UC Davis. Hung earned his Ph.D. at UC Davis studying pathogenic Escherichia coli on leafy greens working with Professor Johan Leveau.  

Doan is headquartered in Moreno Valley and can be reached at hkdoan@ucanr.edu and (408) 717-0161.

Pierce named UCCE irrigation and water resources advisor 

Curt Pierce joined UC Cooperative Extension as the area irrigation and water resources advisor for Glenn, Tehama, Colusa and Shasta counties on Oct. 15.

He works with other local UCCE orchard advisors and community stakeholders on agricultural irrigation issues such as improving efficiencies, scheduling and system maintenance, as well as groundwater recharge, flow measurements and water diversions. His past research has focused on deficit irrigation and partial root-zone drying in field-grown pecan.

He earned his Ph.D. in horticulture and B.S. in agriculture and community development, both from New Mexico State University.

Pierce is based at the UCCE Glenn County office in Orland and can be reached at calpierce@ucanr.edu.

4-H Latino Initiative team wins national DEI award

The Latino Initiative team of UC ANR's 4-H youth development program received the national diversity and inclusion award for their outstanding performance in expanding the 4-H program to California's Latino youth. The award was presented at the November annual conference of the National 4-H Association of Extension for Youth Development in Memphis, Tennessee. 

The award recognizes their pilot program implemented in eight California counties that generated a 250% growth in the participation of Latino children and adolescents from 2016 to 2019.

“I'm so proud to be associated with this very important work and group of passionate and skilled colleagues. The Latino initiative has set a strong foundation for expanding this work throughout California to ensure all young people have access to high caliber programming that meets local needs,” said Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, UC ANR Statewide 4-H director.

Members of the Latino Initiative present to accept the award included 4-H advisors Claudia Díaz Carrasco, Russ Hill and Liliana Vega, Schmitt-McQuitty and Lupita Fábregas, former UC ANR 4-H Youth Development assistant director for diversity and expansion and currently director of the Missouri 4-H Center for Youth Development.

"This week, I am happy to be at the National Conference of the 4-H Extension Association for Youth Development," Claudia Diaz Carrasco, a 4-H advisor in Riverside County, wrote on social media after receiving this recognition. "Since 2015, I have been given the opportunity to learn by doing, and I am working to make this world a better place by helping train the next generation." – Norma De la Vega

Read the full story at https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=51054.

Nader ranch wins California Leopold Award

Marie and Glenn Nader's Witcher Creek Ranch in Modoc County has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 California Leopold Conservation Award.

“I was a livestock farm advisor and used much of my experiences and education on our ranch,” Glenn Nader said. “That is one of the many reasons we were selected for the 2021 California Leopold Award.” 

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes farmers, ranchers and forestland owners who inspire others with their dedication to water quality, soil health and wildlife habitat management on private, working land.

In California, the prestigious award is presented annually by Sand County Foundation, American Farmland Trust, Sustainable Conservation and the California Farm Bureau Federation.

The Naders were revealed as this year's recipient during the California Farm Bureau Federation's Annual Meeting in Garden Grove on Dec. 6. The Naders, who own ranchland near Canby and Penn Valley, will receive $10,000 and a crystal award for being selected.

“A big thanks to UCCE for giving the working relationship with ranchers and researchers that was key to the knowledge base that we implemented on the ranch,” Nader said. 

 

A sweet reunion for the PAC

On Dec. 10, the President's Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources met in the San Joaquin Valley, gathering in person for the first time since December 2019. The group followed strict COVID-19 safety protocols, but that did not interfere with the energy and excitement of the discussions and activities.

Commissioners, UC President Michael Drake and local dignitaries began the day-long event at Lindcove Research and Extension Center (LREC) in Exeter to learn about the latest citrus research, see the packline in action and sample many of the varieties of citrus made available during Lindcove's public citrus tasting on Dec. 11.

Lindcove's greenhouses, orchard and packline are used by researchers for a variety of studies, including developing new citrus rootstocks and scions, evaluating environmental effects on rootstock and scion combinations, screening seedless varieties of mandarins, detecting freeze damage of fruit, and analyzing chemical treatments for pests and postharvest diseases.

Lindcove REC director Ashraf El-kereamy gave an overview of the facilities and discussed research and breeding highlights, including LREC housing the first structure in California to grow Citrus Under Protective Screen (CUPS). UC Cooperative Extension Specialist and Director of the Citrus Clonal Protection Program Georgios Vidalakis discussed LREC research in huanglongbing disease, which is a major threat to citrus worldwide. Curator 4 and Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection Endowed Chair Tracy Kahn showed some of the many varieties that participants would be tasting and invited people to explore the orchard.

The outdoor tasting tables offered a feast of color, smell and taste with 180 varieties to choose from, and commissioners and other attendees were given boxes of produce as parting gifts.

The group next explored Woodlake Botanical Gardens with UC Master Gardener volunteers who care for the three-acre rose garden. They also met with emeritus UC Cooperative Extension Small Farms Advisor Manuel Jimenez and his wife Olga, who oversee the Botanical Gardens and engage youth volunteers in gardening. They founded a program to help keep young people out of gangs and to teach skills and habits that prepare them for college or jobs. Attendees were impressed by the youth volunteers who spoke about the positive impact the garden and the Jimenez family have had in their lives.

At the Tulare County Cooperative Extension office, participants enjoyed a farm-to-table lunch showcasing local produce, heard remarks from VP Glenda Humiston and President Drake, and participated in interactive displays by researchers and programmatic staff:

• 4-H staff members Rochelle Mederos and Tyler Beck presented a slime making booth
• Citrus advisor Greg Douhan had microscopes to show a variety of citrus pest damage
• Farm advisor Elizabeth Fichtner offered olive oil tasting with three different oils and showed a video on the pomology program
• Nutrition educators prepared a low-calorie oatmeal cookie tasting with an option to vote on the best one
• Cristina Barrick-Murillo, agricultural land acquisition academic coordinator, showed maps of the north and south valley for all to pin a location of their choosing
• Farm advisor Ruth Dahlquist-Willard and Michael Yang, small farms and specialty crops Hmong agricultural assistant, displayed an array of specialty produce grown in the San Joaquin Valley
• Nutrient management and soil quality advisor Joy Hollingsworth showcased soil samples
• Farm advisor Nicholas Clark showed drone footage of agronomy field work 
• Karl Lund, area viticulture advisor, offered wine tasting from UC viticulture research
• Farm advisor Konrad Mathesius offered a tasting of beer made with California-grown barley

After so many months of interacting on Zoom, it was a delight to get together to learn about and experience the amazing work that's being done in Tulare County to improve the lives of Californians. President Drake even joked about talking for too long during lunch because it was his first appearance at a lectern in a long time.

County Director Karmjot Randhawa and county and LREC staff – as well as Sherry Cooper and the Program Support team – worked tirelessly to make the event a huge success. We just cannot thank them enough!

Strategic Initiative Brief: Resources to help you be successful

Unify-Communicate-Advocate

The UC ANR Strategic Initiatives offer a home for strategic thought - drawing on members of the wider UC ANR community and beyond to 1) help people connect and 2) to help them identify and address issues of current and emerging importance. 

What's cooking - new resources to help you be successful

How to be successful in working across large areas (online presentation) Fact Sheet

What a good program looks like (online presentation) Fact sheet 

Feedback and suggestions welcome.

For more on the SIs and their activities, contact:

Jim Farrar: Pests (EIPD)

David Lewis: Natural Ecosystems (SNE)

OPEN: (Water) Want to apply? Fill out the brief application.

Deanne Meyer: Food Systems (SFS)

Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty: Families and Communities (HFC)

Mark Bell: Vice Provost (Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs)

GivingTuesday donations push UC ANR gifts over $1.5 million

As of 11:59 p.m. on GivingTuesday 2021 (Nov. 30), UC ANR employees and generous donors helped raise $124,310 for UC Cooperative Extension and the statewide programs, institutes and research centers that make up UC ANR.

An additional $40,000 was made available to incentivize giving to our programmatic and research initiatives at the state and local levels. This included $20,000 in matching funds provided by the California 4-H Foundation and donations from 4-H Foundation Board members designated for the 4-H program.

It also included $20,000 in funds raised throughout the year for our ANR Incentive Fund, used to encourage donor engagement and increased giving to all ANR programs.

This show of support demonstrates the impact ANR is having in communities and the value that donors place on our work, said Emily Delk, director of annual giving and donor stewardship.

“The recent success of GivingTuesday kicked off the giving season, pushing total giving past $1.5 million for the year,” she said. “It was wonderful to see a number of our staff support the event and 255 brand new donors.”

Forever 4-H Endowments were created in Kern County and Merced County – each with $50,000.

Below are the counties and programs that received the most donations, winners of the prize challenges and shout-outs for best use of social media for their GivingTuesday campaigns. 

Top earning counties:

1. San Mateo/San Francisco counties
2. Stanislaus County
3. Monterey County
4. Glenn County
5. Sonoma County

Top earning statewide groups:

1. California 4-H
2. UC Master Gardeners
3. UC ANR
4. UC Cooperative Extension
5. Research and Extension Centers

Prize Challenges

Donor challenge: $500 prize to the 20 funds that have the greatest number of unique donors on GivingTuesday.

1. Los Angeles County Master Gardeners
2. Ventura County Master Gardeners
3. Riverside County Master Gardeners
4. Orange County Master Gardeners
5. Central Sierra Sherwood Demo Garden
6. Sonoma County Master Gardeners
7. San Mateo/San Francisco Master Gardeners
8. Stanislaus County Master Gardeners
9. San Luis Obispo County Master Gardeners
10. Sacramento County 4-H
11. San Mateo County MG Greenhouse
12. San Mateo County 4-H
13. Santa Clara County Master Gardeners
14. San Diego County Master Gardeners
15. Sonoma County Master Gardener Endowment
16. Alameda County Master Gardener Endowment
17. Alameda County 4-H
18. IPM - Statewide
19. Elkus Ranch
20. 4-H Statewide

Donation challenge: $500 prize to the first 10 funds that secure an individual $500+ donation on GivingTuesday.

1. Alameda County 4-H
2. Monterey County 4-H
3. Sacramento County 4-H
4. Siskiyou County 4-H Grows
5. Placer County 4-H Robotics
6. Monterey County 4-H
7. Glenn County 4-H
8. San Luis Obispo County Master Gardeners
9. Monterey County 4-H
10. Stanislaus County 4-H

In-it-to-win-it challenge: $500 prize to the 10 funds that raise the most on GivingTuesday.

1. Stanislaus County 4-H
2. Monterey County 4-H
3. Glenn County 4-H
4. San Mateo/San Francisco County Master Gardeners
5. Sonoma County Master Gardeners
6. San Luis Obispo County Master Gardeners
7. Sacramento County 4-H
8. Riverside County Master Gardeners
9. Elkus Ranch
10. Central Sierra Master Gardeners

Shout Out Awards (in no particular order) 

Social media stars:

Glenn County 4-H

San Mateo/San Francisco County 4-H

Master Gardeners of Stanislaus County

Master Gardeners of Sonoma County

Master Gardeners of San Mateo/San Francisco counties

 

Best original social media content:

Sacramento County 4-H

Master Food Preservers of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties

Master Gardeners of Ventura County

 

Best use of video:

Master Gardeners of Colusa County

Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo County

Master Gardeners of Ventura County

Learning & Development: Impact Collaborative, copyright, eXtension resources, DEI, change management

 

 

 

 

 

ANR Learning & Development
Home | Webinar Recordings

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay __________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you have a learning topic you would like to present to our ANR colleagues that covers the ANR Strategic Plan 2020-25 or one of these four strategic learning goals?  Submit your webinar idea here. __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Check below for upcoming opportunities, ICYMI (in case you missed it) recordings, and resources.

Extension Methods & Delivery
Building Support
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Office, Team and Personal Management

____________________________________________________________________________

EXTENSION METHODS & DELIVERY
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Impact Collaborative Summit

Jan. 18, 19 & 20, 2022
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Pacific Time
Click here to read more and register. Registration deadline: Jan. 5, 2022

The January 2022 Summit will focus on Community Resilience. Teams from Extension Foundation member institutions and special guests will:

1. Learn the value of integrating community resilience into planning for collective action.
2. Examine existing power structures, formal and informal social infrastructures through an equity lens.
3. Increase their ability to position Cooperative Extension as an organization that can inform and facilitate the development of community-level policy systems and environmental change resulting in expanded community capacity and greater resilience

Using Extension Foundation Tools (eXtension Foundation)

• Connect Extension Basic Settings (video); Introduction to the platform; Presented by Aaron Weibe, Communications & Engagement Manager, Extension Foundation
• Extension Foundation Public Demo (video); Demo of an Extension Foundation publication and how to navigate it. With Ashley Griffin, Program Manager, Extension Foundation.
• National Registry Demo (video); A demo on how to use the National Registry of Cooperative Extension Programs and Assets. Utilize this tool to register projects, programs, or curriculum to the registry for nationwide collaboration among Cooperative Extension colleagues; Presented by Aaron Weibe.
• Mural Virtual Whiteboarding Tutorial (video 3:11). Learn how to get started with Mural, apply for a Mural account, discounted prices, and getting support for Mural; Molly Immendorf, Design Strategist, Extension Foundation.

Telling Your Extension Story (recording) (eXtension Foundation)

If you tell a strong story, people want to help you and support you. Telling Your Extension Story, writing like your life depends on it, is a presentation from USDA communications director, Faith Peppers at the 2021 Impact Collaborative.

Collaborative Design in Extension: Using a modified game jam to explore game-based learning (eXtension Foundation) (Link to publication)

Educational games can be an innovative way for Extension educators to teach content to any given audience. While many in Extension have an interest and passion for using and designing games, the process may seem intimidating to Extension professionals, especially those without experience in game design. This eFieldbook offers an alternative to full game design, in which game developers, content experts, and Extension educators collaborate to design a game prototype. This modified game jam process is budget-friendly and can be completed in a few weeks.

ePubs: Database available for all Cooperative Extension professionals (Connect Extension)

Click here to learn more.
This is a database available for all Cooperative Extension professionals that contains subject matter content or programming process model publications developed by the Extension Foundation and project/program fellows.

Examples of available ePublications:
Wellness in Tough Times Toolkit
The Google Earth Pro Pilot A Model for Creating Innovative Extension Curriculum
Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery: Creating a Virtual Conference for Low-Resourced Communities

Video Resources Library (Connect Extension)

Click here to learn more.
This is a database available for all Cooperative Extension professionals from Extension Foundation Member Institutions that contains video resources on a variety of subjects including the Impact Collaborative Innovation Skill-Building blocks, Leadership resources, and technical tutorials. Examples of videos:

Keynote Speaker: Telling Your Extension Story with Faith Peppers
Keynote Speaker: Oh the Places You'll Go with Krystal Allen
Keynote Speaker: Overlooked People and Places, the Hope of a Nation with Nick Smoot

Delivering Online Courses (Connect Extension Resource)

Click here to learn more.
The Extension Foundation offers employees of its member institutions the free use of its online course system for the sale and delivery of courses to their clientele. This happens through a package of two integrated sites, Campus (a Moodle 3.11+ platform) and Catalog, a store front facilitating fee-based access to courses on Campus. Why use it?

• Anyone in the world can enroll
• Extension Foundation provides hosting and support
• Makes courses available 24/7/365
• Provides a single site for all Extension Foundation courses
• Allows for multi-institutional collaboration in development
• Provides incorporation of competency frameworks
• Uses a commercial storefront for sale of fee-based courses

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

Top of page

_________________________________________________________________________

BUILDING SUPPORT
_________________________________________________________________________

If it's free, can I use it?
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022
Noon – 12:30 p.m.

Do you appreciate using external sources for images and videos to add to your presentations, online classes, workshops? Great! Many of us do. However, it is also important to use them according to their licensing and credit requirements. Otherwise, you may be infringing on copyright. Join Cynthia Kintigh and Robin Sanchez to learn best practices.

Click this Zoom link to join https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/751701428?pwd=Q1ZrbUtoQVJwMXJVRkQydUlwNytJQT09 Password: 4Learning | +1 669 900 6833 | Webinar ID: 751 701 428

SAVE THE DATE: Donor Stewardship
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022
Noon-1 p.m.

Our presenters will be Emily Delk, Kelly Scott and Mary Ciricillo.
Description and Zoom access coming soon!

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Top of page
__________________________________________________________________________

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

__________________________________________________________________________

Save the Date! Growing as a Community (Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, UC Davis)
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022
Noon - 1:30 p.m.

Join us on Thursday, Jan. 20, from 12 - 1:30 p.m. PST for our 90-minute webinar, Growing as a Community: Racism as a Public Health Crisis. We will be featuring a special short screening of Cooked: Survival by Zip Code followed by a discussion and audience Q&A with special guests who are part of a national movement to address the colliding crises of structural racism, health inequity, and climate change. For more information about the film, please go to www.cookedthefilm.com.
Registration information will be ready in early January.

Perspectives: Culturally responsive place-based education series
Feb. 3, March 3, April 7, May 5 (first event took place Dec. 2, 2021)
3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time

Click here to learn more and to register.
The Michigan State University Extension Tollgate Farm and Education Center is hosting a virtual professional development panel discussion series for formal and non-formal educators about learning to better incorporate the perspectives of those with whom we work in schools and educational programs. Moderators and panelists from each community provide a chance for educators to deepen their teaching practice in a safe online space for open conversation and community. SCHECHs are available for teachers.

Perspectives: Culturally Responsive Place-Based Education began Nov. 4, 2021, with a session on indigenous perspectives & experiences of maple sugaring especially as they connect to schools and place-based education centers.

Dec. 2 - Incorporating Black Perspectives in Place-Based Teaching and Learning
Feb. 3 - Special Needs Perspectives and PBE In and Beyond the Classroom
March 3 - Engaging with LGTBQ+IA Communities in PBE in Formal and Non-Formal Settings
April 7 - A Latinx Lens: Incorporating Latinx Perspectives through Place-Based Educational Programming
May 5 -Incorporating Asian Principles, Practices, People in Community, & Place-Based Learning

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Top of page

________________________________________________________________________________________________

OFFICE, TEAM & PERSONAL MANAGEMENT

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Change Management for Managers and Supervisors (Virtual-UC Davis)
Jan. 12, 2022
12:30-4:30 p.m.

 

Click here for more information/registration.
Managers are critical to change success, however, they sometimes underestimate their role or are unsure how to fulfill it. Change Management for Managers and Supervisors provides people managers with the tools and skills necessary to understand and process change themselves while proactively leading their teams through change. In this program, participants will:

• Gain an appreciation for the impact of change management on organizational results.
• Understand foundational aspects of change management and the critical role managers play in the change process.
• Learn a practical framework for planning for the many organizational changes that impact them and their teams.
• Understand how to plan for and manage resistance to change.

Need a facilitator for your next meeting?

Do you need a facilitator for an upcoming meeting? Internal employee meeting? Meeting with clientele? Please check out this webpage to find someone. What a facilitator does:

• Helps a group free itself from internal obstacles so they may more effectively accomplish goals
• Guides the group helping them identify ways to respond to challenges, while maintaining safety and trust among the members
• Brings processes to help the team achieve its mission

Also, if you are trained in facilitation, experienced and interested in serving as a facilitator for other ANR units or even our ANR partners, please fill out this survey to be added to the ANR Facilitator webpage.

Leadership - It's all about everyone
By Scott Reed, Vice Provost Emeritus, Outreach and Engagement, Oregon State University

Click here to read more.
Essayist William Gibson recently reminded us, “The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet.” The same sentiment is reflected by the Institute for the Future in discussions of leadership in a world characterized by explosive connectivity and disruption and describes literacies for leading in a “VUCA” world: Volatile/Uncertain/Complex/Ambiguous. The Institute further observes that in the next ten years, leadership will be more distributed and that rock star leaders will be rarer.

How To Build a Fearless Organization (Harvard Business School – Working Knowledge)
By Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management

“Psychological safety at work takes effort. It's not the norm. But it's worth the effort,” says Professor Amy Edmondson. She explains how and why a culture of open candor — and the willingness and courage to speak up — is a strategic asset and can be developed in companies of all sizes, in her new book The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth.

“These are not things that happen routinely in most organizations, but they are mission critical to doing well in a complex, fast changing world,” she says. In our Q&A, we asked her guidance for managers and leaders. Click here to read more.

Managing Your Well-Being as a Leader (LinkedIn Learning)
Course link

Research shows that today's leaders are suffering from poor well-being and mental health issues more so than ever before. Too often, they put the needs of the business or their team before their own needs. But, much like airline pre-flight instructions to “put your oxygen mask on first, before helping others,” leaders need to take a similar approach by managing their own well-being first. By doing so, they can become role models for their employees and build stronger team relationships that lead to better health and productivity outcomes. In this course, New York Times bestselling author, researcher and workplace expert Dan Schawbel gives leaders the inspiration, advice, and real-world examples to guide them on their journey to better well-being.

Request your LinkedIn Learning account by contacting ANR's IT Team at help@ucanr.edu.

Developing Your Data Analysis Skills (LinkedIn Learning)

(Course learning path link)
Explore the practice of data analysis. Learn about the process of applying statistical and graphical techniques to data in order to discover useful information. Identify underlying principles, reasons, or facts by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

Request your LinkedIn Learning account by contacting ANR's IT Team @ help@ucanr.edu.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Top of page
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Everyone can learn something new.
ANR Learning & Development
Find webinar announcements and recordings here.
learninganddevelopment@ucanr.edu

Read more