Posts Tagged: December 2023

Celebration Corner

CSAC honors CalFresh at Farmers Markets project in SLO

CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE San Luis Obispo County and the CalFresh at Farmers Markets cross-sector working group received the 2023 CSAC Challenge Award for creating more equitable access to healthy foods and supporting local farmers in San Luis Obispo County. The project was one of 389 entries to the California State Association of Counties awards, which honored 14 programs from 11 different counties.

In San Luis Obispo County, 8.4% of residents and 9.7% of children are food insecure, which is defined as lacking consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Nutrition incentives such as CalFresh can increase access to healthy food in low-income communities. With Market Match, for every $1 of CalFresh redeemed a person can buy $2 of food at the farmers market.

In 2017, UCCE staff formed the CalFresh at Farmers Markets work group. Members represent agriculture, government, schools and community-based organizations such as food banks.

Their goals were to increase the number of markets that accept CalFresh and offer Market Match, provide a more consistent and welcoming experience for CalFresh customers across markets, and increase the visibility of farmers market nutrition incentives.

They developed the Farmers Market Navigator program. Launched in 2022, navigators are leaders from the community who address the language, culture, knowledge, trust and discriminatory barriers to shopping at farmers markets that low-income clientele often face. The multilingual (Spanish, Mixtec, English) navigators began conducting outreach in the community and attending north county markets to answer CalFresh questions.

Of the 13 certified farmers markets in San Luis Obispo County, the number of markets that offer Market Match has increased from four in 2016 to nine in 2023. Since launching the project, they have seen a 463% increase in benefit redemption comparing the summer months (March-August) of 2016 and 2022 ($21,073 and $118,569, respectively) and a 537% increase in CalFresh customers (478 and 3,046, respectively).

Since 2017, there has been over $550,841 in CalFresh and Market Match redemptions at SLO County markets, leading to $917,000 in local economic activity (based on an economic multiplier of 1.9 for Market Match and 1.5 for CalFresh). At markets where the navigators work, there was a 172% increase in new CalFresh customers and a 171% increase in CalFresh and Market Match redemption in the first six months alone. Surveys conducted across the state by the Ecology Center show that 79% of participants say they buy more fruits and vegetables due to the Market Match program.

“These results show that cross-sector partnerships can increase access to healthy food and support for local agriculture,” said Shannon Klisch, UCCE youth, families and communities academic coordinator in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. 

Graham Knaus, CEO of the California State Association of Counties, congratulated the group on winning a prestigious 2023 Challenge Award, saying, “All counties applaud UCCE in San Luis Obispo County for their innovation and dedication.” He added, “This year's recipients were among the best of the best, and we are proud to honor their efforts with this distinction.”

Murillo-Barrick, Richards receive $1.7M for climate action project

Cristina Murillo-Barrick, BlPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) community development advisor for Alameda County, and Chandra Richards, agricultural land acquisitions academic coordinator for Riverside and San Diego counties, have received a $1.7 million grant from the California Department of Conservation's Climate Smart Land Management Program.

Murillo-Barrick and Richards are the co-principal investigators of a project designed to increase climate resilience on the state's natural and working lands.

The project is aimed at building capacity and technical assistance for climate smart implementation by collaboratively developing plans centered on two of the most pressing climate action issues: equitable land access and land management diversification.

The funding will help UC ANR identify barriers and opportunities through engagement with historically underrepresented communities through coalition building, capacity assessment and climate-action planning.? More information about the project will be shared in early 2024.

Details about the Climate Smart Land Management Program and other projects funded can be found at https://www.conservation.ca.gov/index/Pages/News/California-award-8-5-million-climate-action-natural-working-lands.aspx.

UCANR employees give shout-outs to colleagues

For the Winter Faire, ANR employees submitted notes of gratitude for colleagues. Roxana Price, UCCE adult nutrition community educator in San Bernardino County, assembled the shout-outs below.

Shout out5

Social media campaign shows how ANR is improving lives

To increase awareness of how UC ANR research and extension is improving life for Californians, Strategic Communications has been posting about UC Cooperative Extension activities across social media.

Inspired in 2022 by the state government boosting ANR's budget to allow the hiring of more than 100 academics and support staff, Doralicia Garay, social media strategist, wanted to show legislators and other Californians how they benefit from ANR.

“The ‘Improving Lives in California' campaign is designed to showcase ANR research as well as those who deliver it by featuring compelling content and UC Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists,” Garay said. 

She targeted Californians who were interested in agriculture, pests, environment, wildfire, water, youth development, and nutrition with paid campaigns as well as regular posts on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.

Between March 2022 and December 2023, UC ANR's “Improving Lives in California” campaign has reached more than 600,000 people and more than 21,000 people have engaged with the posts by sharing, liking or commenting across all platforms.

“The per-post engagement rate averaged 3.5% across all social media channels, which is almost twice the average rate per post,” Garay said. 

Key elements of the campaign:

• Employee spotlights: Through a series of engaging profiles, we highlight our extension experts' unique journeys and expertise. By featuring their skills and contributions to research projects, we humanize our staff and inspire a sense of connection with our online community.

          Examples:

          tinyurl.com/23bjz4xr Brooke Latack

          tinyurl.com/yxbmybp5 Ian Grettenberger

          tinyurl.com/rndcn6uz AtefSwelam 

• Short videos: Bite-sized videos featuring Cooperative Extension advisors are intended to simplify complex research projects and explain their relevance to all Californians. It's also a great opportunity for our audiences to get a sense of our researchers' personality. 

          Examples:

          tinyurl.com/mr46w65s Srabani Das

          tinyurl.com/bdf68sh5 Ramiro Lobo

          Series of videos: instagram.com/ucanr/reels/?hl=en 

• Social media takeovers: We take our audience on a virtual tour behind the scenes of our research facilities. Through carefully crafted multimedia content, we share what makes research and extension centers and county office locations unique, and how the infrastructure enables scientists to bring innovation to life.

         Example:

         tinyurl.com/272xh9h7 South Coast REC

• Research impact stories: We bring our research to life by illustrating its real-world impact on California communities. Through compelling narratives, we demonstrate how the dedication of UC ANR employees to research translates into positive change with advancements in agriculture, wildfire mitigation, water issues and more.          

         Examples:

         tinyurl.com/5y2vn4rs Hamutahl Cohen

         tinyurl.com/2e3bafh3 Houston Wilson, Jhalendra Rijal and David Haviland

• Interactive Q&A sessions: Live Q&A sessions on social media platforms encourage direct interaction between our experts and online audiences. Although social media reach has recently dipped for this type of content on Facebook, we successfully engaged with our Facebook audience in 2022 during a nutrition Q&A by retaining 80% of our live audience from start to finish. 

          Example:

          tinyurl.com/52e7jy6s Mary Blackburn, JavierMiramontes andAba Ramirez 

• Employee-generated content: Encouraging employees to share their own perspectives, experiences and insights on social media platforms promotes a sense of ownership and inclusivity. It also creates a vibrant online community that encourages our audiences to participate in conversations about research initiatives. 

         Example:

         tinyurl.com/587jcxvf GerrySpinelli 

• Hashtag campaign: "#ImprovingLivesinCA is a unique campaign hashtag that serves as a unifying element, allowing us to gather user-generated content and track the campaign's reach and engagement.

“By strategically highlighting our employees in the narrative of our research efforts, #ImprovingLivesinCA strengthens the UC ANR brand identity and positions our organization as a collaborative partner at the forefront of innovation,” Garay said. “This campaign represents a comprehensive approach to leveraging the power of social media to drive reach and engagement and serve our online community.”

You can follow UC ANR on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter),LinkedIn and YouTube.

L&D: Public speaking, listening, DASH diet, leadership development, AI in academia, align time & priorities

Nutrition Professionals: Exploring the DASH Diet
(1 CPEU)

Feb. 2
9-10 a.m. PT
 
Registration. Do you have clients looking for a heart-healthy way to eat that is balanced, flexible, and requires no special foods? With a focus on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, also known as the DASH eating plan, this webinar will provide useful and practical information to support individuals you work with who are following a heart-healthy eating style.

Dynamic Public Speaking: Crafting and delivering engaging virtual and in-person presentations (UC Davis, Virtual)

Jan. 11
8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. PT
 
Registration.
Want to learn how to be a dynamic public speaker in person and virtually? Look no further! Gain practical skills to conduct engaging, informative, and interactive presentations to audiences large and small, in person or online. This workshop will help attendees discover tips to improve oral and nonverbal communication styles, overcome fear of public speaking, review best practices in virtual tools and engagement, incorporate humor and storytelling, integrate experiential learning techniques and exercises, facilitate an effective Q&A session, handle distractions, inspire and motivate participants, and establish credibility. If this class is full, express interest in the UC Learning Center.

Public Speaking Foundations (Linkedin Learning)

Course link. Develop the skills you need to prepare and deliver an outstanding speech or presentation. In this course, Laura Bergells offers practical insights that can help presenters prepare, open, deliver, and close their speeches. Along the way, discover how to project confidence, outline a speech, take questions, and develop the creative story that adds life to a speech. Request your LinkedIn Learning account by contacting ANR IT: help@ucanr.edu

Public Speaking for Non-native English Speakers (Linkedin Learning)

Course link. Speaking in public isn't easy for most people, and if English isn't your first or second language, it might be even more challenging. Designed specifically for non-native English speakers, this course provides practical strategies and techniques to increase clarity and confidence when communicating in English. Executive communication coach and professor Dr. Peter Novak embraces linguistic and cultural diversity in the workplace. Instead of focusing on your accent, Dr. Novak encourages you to shift your efforts towards listener-friendly delivery and embrace your multilingual self. Request your LinkedIn Learning account by contacting ANR IT: help@ucanr.edu

Image by Memed_Nurrohmad from Pixabay

Listening Even When It's Difficult to Listen (UC Learning Center, 22 min eLearning module)

Course link. Successful people are generally excellent listeners. They're able to give others their full attention so that they can understand their needs and ask the right questions, even in difficult or stressful situations. They can also use their listening skills effectively to communicate their own goals and to build strong relationships with others. In this course, you'll learn common misconceptions about listening, how to hone your listening skills, and what to do when you encounter roadblocks to actively listening. You'll also learn how being receptive to what others are saying can go a long way to breaking down the barriers to clear communication.

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A Guide to Pronouns and Inclusive Language (UC Learning Center, web page)

Glossary. Using pronouns is an important and considerate way to help other people avoid making assumptions about who we are based on factors such as appearance. LGBTQIA Research Center has put together a resource guide for using linguistic tools in an inclusive and equitable way. Learn more about how and why we are integrating pronouns into our self-identifying lexicon.

Avoiding Bias in the Hiring Process (UC Learning Center, virtual)

Registration.This session explores the power of impressions and its potential influence in the evaluation of job applicants. Using reflection exercises, participants will explore the relationship between impressions and bias and introduce learners to key research involving biases in hiring. Participants will leave the session having greater awareness and understanding of bias theory (coupled with case studies) and strategies in mitigating bias in the hiring process. If this class is full, express interest for the next offering.

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REGISTER NOW! 2024 Leadership & Team Development Events (Extension Foundation)

Cohort 1: Jan. 16, 23 & 30
Cohort 2: July 16, July 23 & July 30
 
Registration.
Each leadership development opportunity is offered twice in 2024. Choose any over six months or the entire year to step more into the leader you want to be. See the description of each session below and register through the form. If you have any questions or curiosities please send them to leadership@extension.org. We look forward to serving you and learning together! All UC ANR employees have free access to Extension Foundation. Register your account here.

How to Align Your Time with Your Priorities (National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity)

Feb. 8
11 a.m. - Noon PT

Registration. 
Grab your strategic plan and learn the secret to making it work day-to-day and week-to-week! How to Align Your Time with Your Priorities is a step-by-step guide to holding a weekly planning meeting (aka The Weekly Meeting).

In this webinar you'll learn:

• What works…and what DOESN'T work when it comes to weekly planning
• Why weekly planning is the bridge between your strategic plan and getting control of your workday
• The 30-minute technique that will help you make sure that the most important things get done each day
  
  This is a HANDS-ON webinar where you'll not only learn the technique but actually do it! UC ANR Employees can activate their membership here.

Image by Memed_Nurrohmad from Pixabay

Peer Reviewing as "Reflexive Mentorship" (National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity)

Feb. 20
11 a.m. - noon PT

Registration. In this webinar, you will learn about the importance of peer reviewing for dismantling the Western canon and democratizing knowledge, as well as strategies you can use to engage in more inclusive peer reviewing practices. UC ANR Employees can activate their membership here. 

Mastering Academic Time Management (National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity)

April 11
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PT

Registration.
This webinar is specifically designed to address these issues and provide participants with concrete skills to successfully transition from graduate student to professor. Specifically, participants will learn:

The three biggest mistakes that new faculty make in managing their time

-Why and how to align work time with institutional and personal priorities
-How to create time for academic writing and research
-How to organize a network of support and accountability for writing productivity and balance

UC ANR Employees can activate their membership here. 

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At UC ANR, Building Support includes advocacy (engaging government officials and community stakeholders), raising funds, and working with the media. Advocacy is a critical tool that helps builds awareness and support for your work and that of the university as a whole.

Learn how to effectively communicate and build support for your program/research with tools. Read the UC ANR Government Relations page to learn more. Review the video and fact sheets below.

Engaging Elected Officials (Video - 26:00)
What can I say or do? You can't lobby, but you can advocate? (Fact sheet)
UC guidelines to support or oppose legislation (Fact Sheet)

Extension Foundation

If you are new to UC ANR and have not yet registered your account with Extension Foundation it is time you do. Register here. UCANR, as other Cooperative Extensions across the United States, is a paying member. This means you get access to their services, including Connect Extension. Extension Foundation helps Cooperative Extension professionals find innovative ways to generate greater local impact. Check out the Extension Foundation Video resources, too.

National Cooperative Extension Projects

This listing is for National Cooperative Extension projects that are receiving WordPress support through the Extension Foundation to host their websites. Funding for this hosting is supported in part by the New Technologies for Ag Extension cooperative agreement with USDA-NIFA, grant no. 2020-41595-30123. Any Cooperative Extension professional interested in having a WordPress site and domain for a national Cooperative Extension project or program can email  contact-us@extension.org to get started.

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Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Every Semester Needs a Plan (National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity)

Jan. 11
11 a.m - 12:30 p.m. PT

Registration. Do you often start the semester or term with high hopes for your writing projects, but end disappointed by your actual productivity? Do you desperately want (or need) to write a lot this semester? Do you want to figure out how to be more productive and enjoy your life this semester?

We offer this planning webinar at the beginning of each semester so that you can take time out of your schedule to identify your personal and professional goals, create a strategic plan to accomplish them and identify the types of community, support and accountability you need to make this your most productive and balanced semester ever! UC ANR Employees can activate their membership here. 

AI in Academia: Teaching Challenges and Opportunities (National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity)

Jan. 23
11 a.m. - noon PT

Registration. In this webinar, Julia Staffel, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder, explains why educators owe it to  students to adjust their teaching practices considering AI technology. She will present some practical suggestions for how to do so. "We still need to teach our students how to write on their own so we need to develop assignments that discourage the use of AI and teach basic writing skills," she says. "But we can also take advantage of these new technologies, develop new teaching strategies that rely on them, and teach our students how to employ them effectively and responsibly." UC ANR Employees can activate their membership here. 

Image by Philipp Marquetand from Pixabay 

How to Develop a Daily Writing Practice (National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity)

Mar 14
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PT

Registration. Are you sick of working all the time without making progress on your writing projects? Are you tired of your deadline-driven, binge-and-bust writing routine? Do you wish you could develop a healthy, consistent, daily writing routine that would allow you to meet your department's expectations for tenure and promotion? In this webinar you'll learn:

• The three biggest myths about writing that hobble new faculty productivity
• The surprising difference between struggling new faculty members and those who are designated as "rising stars"
• The 30-minute strategy that will increase your writing productivity and decrease your stress, anxiety and guilt.

UC ANR Employees can activate their membership here. 

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Learn something new today.

UC ANR and partners launch Southwest Regional Food Business Center

In the spring of 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that UC ANR was selected to lead the Southwest Regional Food Business Center, one of 12 USDA Regional Food Business Centers across the country. The Southwest RFBC is a collaboration of 40 partners from academic, government, and community-based organizations across four states, Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. 

The goal of the Southwest Regional Food Business Center is to develop resilient, diverse and competitive local and regional food systems by improving opportunities for food and farm businesses. 

The Southwest RFBC will help producers gain access to local and regional supply chains, connecting them to wholesalers and distributors. With a focus on underserved farmers, ranchers and food businesses, partners will assist small- and mid-sized producers in overcoming barriers to market access and will help them access federal, state and local resources.

As a first step, UC ANR has assembled a Southwest Regional Food Business Center management team that is working closely with USDA and partners to set up the center. Over the past several months, the center management team has been drafting a framework for partners from all four states to collaborate, as well as attending meetings with representatives from the other RFBCs across the country. 

Next, the management team will guide the process of drafting implementation plans and forming a stakeholder advisory committee with partners participating in the process. The implementation plans will guide the technical assistance efforts, capacity building grants, coordination, and impact tracking that will result from the project. The stakeholder advisory committee will include the voices of clientele for developing the direction of the center. UC ANR is recruiting a project manager who will oversee the development of the center. 

In January, the California partners of the Southwest Regional Food Business Center will meet to begin developing an organizing strategy for the state. They will identify avenues for engagement with the UC ANR community, form channels of communication, and create a map and directory oftechnical assistance providers across the state.

For more information, visit the center's newly launched website for updates and a complete list of partners.

If you would like to get involved, contact members of the Southwest RFBC management team: evaluation lead Karen Jetter, UC Agricultural Issues Center, at jetter@ucanr.edu; technical assistance co-lead Tim Galarneau, UC Santa Cruz, at tgalarne@ucsc.edu; or interim business builder grants co-lead Rachael Callahan, UC SAREP, at rmcallahan@ucanr.edu.  

 

Mileage reimbursement rates change Jan. 1

UC's mileage reimbursement rates for expenses incurred in connection with the business use of a private automobile will change in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service standard mileage rates published in IRS Notice 2024-08.

The following new rates are effective for expenses incurred on or after Jan. 1, 2024:

• The reimbursement rate for the use of a private automobile for university business travel will increase from 65.5 cents a mile to 67 cents a mile.

• The reimbursement rate for driving an automobile in connection with a move or relocation will decrease by 1 cent to 21 cents per mile. (Note that reimbursements for moving-related expenses, including mileage, are considered taxable wage income as of Jan. 1, 2018). 

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