Posts Tagged: February 2021

Names in the News

Mohamed joins Kearney to research alfalfa irrigation

Abdelmoneim “Moneim” Mohamed joined UC ANR as project scientist – alfalfa irrigation management Feb. 1. 

Mohamed will be working with Khaled Bali conducting research to identify the best irrigation management practices on alfalfa to enhance water use productivity while minimizing environmental impacts. The project focuses on crop growth and agronomic performance as affected by irrigation management, salinity and other factors. 

Prior to joining UC ANR, Mohamed was an agricultural scientist for the Tropical Research and Education Center at the University of Florida. His previous work focused on modeling and optimizing the performance of moving sprinkler irrigation. He has also studied precision and automated irrigation.

After receiving his Ph.D. at Washington State University, Mohamed was an irrigation engineer for WSU Skagit County Extension Center working with extension agents and growers on improved irrigation practices, irrigation systems efficiency evaluation, and crop water use efficiency. 

Mohamed earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering from Zagazig University, Egypt, a master's degree in land and water resources management: irrigated agriculture from IAMB, Italy, and a doctorate in biological and agricultural engineering from Washington State University.

Mohamed is based at Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center and can be reached at amohamed@ucanr.edu and (509) 781-4129 and on Twitter @moneim_z.

Brim-DeForest receives outstanding paper award

The Weed Science Society of America honored Whitney Brim-DeForest, UCCE rice and wild rice advisor for Sutter, Yuba, Placer and Sacramento counties, with its award for Outstanding Paper: Weed Science.

The award-winning paper, Phenotypic Diversity of Weedy Rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea) Biotypes Found in California and Implications for Management is co-authored by Elizabeth Karn, biologist in U.S. EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs and former ANR staff research associate; Teresa De Leon, Short Grains Rice Plant Breeder for the California Rice Experiment Station and former UC Davis postdoc research scholar; Luis Espino, UCCE rice farming systems advisor for Butte and Glenn counties and UCCE director for Butte County; and Kassim Al-Khatib, UC Davis Melvin D. Androus Endowed Professor for Weed Science and Director of the UC Weed Information Center. 

Over the past four years, Brim-DeForest, who holds the UC ANR Presidential Endowed Fellowship in California Rice, has focused her research on weedy rice, an emerging and important pest in California rice systems. In a relatively short amount of time, she and her team have conducted extensive research on California weedy rice including its genetics, identification, competition with cultivars, emergence, herbicide susceptibility, and even drone mapping. 

The award was presented during the organization's virtual annual meeting Feb. 15. 

DPR honors Spray Application Pest Management Alliance Team

In a ceremony on Feb. 18, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation presented a 2020 IPM Achievement Award to UC Spray Application Pest Management Alliance Team – El Dorado County for their achievements in reducing risk from pesticide use. 

The Spray Application Pest Management Alliance Team, which includes industry and UC ANR members, is led by Lynn Wunderlich, UCCE farm advisor for the Central Sierra. The team aims to minimize the incidence of agricultural pesticide drift and reduce the risk of pesticide illness though training. The team developed an air blast sprayer calibration training program to increase pesticide applicators' adoption of best practices when using air blast sprayers. The training program is interactive and offers practical experience in key training topics. 

“The highly effective training and the extensive outreach completed by the team make the Spray Application Pest Management Alliance Team an excellent recipient of an IPM Achievement Award,” wrote the person nominating the team.

The Spray Application Pest Management Alliance Team includes

• Wunderlich, UCCE farm advisor, Central Sierra
• Franz Niederholzer, co-principal investigator and farm advisor, UCCE Yuba, Sutter, Butte counties
• Maria Alfaro, community educator specialist, UC Statewide IPM Program
• Catherine Bilheimer, California Department of Pesticide Regulation grant manager
• Lisa Blecker, Pesticide Safety Education Program coordinator, UC Statewide IPM Program
• Stephanie Bolton, communications & sustainable winegrowing director, Lodi Winegrape Commission
• Matt Bozzo, chair, Yuba-Sutter Spray Safe; farm manager, Golden Gate Hop Ranch, Yuba City
• Luis Espino, UCCE rice farming systems advisor, Colusa, Glenn, Yolo counties
• Ken Giles, professor, UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department
• Gwen-Alyn Hoheisel, Washington State University regional extension specialist
• Petr Kosina, Content Development Supervisor, UC Statewide IPM Program
• Peter Larbi, UCCE spray application specialist, Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center
• Ray Lucas, former videographer UC ANR Communication Services
• Tunyalee Martin, associate director for communication, UC Statewide IPM Program
• Louie Mendoza, Butte County agricultural commissioner
• Cheryl Reynolds, instructional designer, UC Statewide IPM Program.
• John Roncoroni, UCCE weed science farm advisor emeritus, North Coast
• Marcie Skelton, Glenn County agricultural commissioner
• Rhonda Smith, UCCE viticulture advisor emeritus, Sonoma County.
• Matt Strmiska, former Adaptiv CEO.
• Emily Symmes, former Area IPM advisor, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter-Yuba, Tehama counties

Cheryl Wilen, emeritus IPM advisor, was a technical advisor to All Kids Academy Head Start, Inc. in San Diego County, which received an IPM Achievement Award for its exemplary pest management program at 14 child care centers. This nonprofit organization's IPM program focuses on strong communication, careful monitoring, and active prevention to manage pests. AKA Head Start, Inc. partners with experts to find the most effective, lower-risk options to protect children in its care from pests and pesticide risk.

“One thing that they did that influenced me to nominate them is that they not only did a lot of IPM policy and implementation work in the school, they also provide information and resources to the parents/guardians to extend IPM information for their homes as well,” wrote the person who nominated the project. 

Moncloa to guide Maine 4-H through intercultural competence program

Fe Moncloa, UCCE 4-H youth development advisor in Santa Clara County, has been named the 2021 Visiting Libra Diversity Professor at the University of Maine from January through June.

Through a virtual appointment, Moncloa will guide University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development staff through the development and implementation of an intercultural competence professional development program. This project is part of a larger effort to increase the ability of University of Maine Cooperative Extension to foster inclusivity, diversity and access, particularly the statewide UMaine 4-H program. This project will serve as a template to expand diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to other UMaine departments. 

“In addition, my UMaine partners will lead four weekly Learning Circles to unpack intercultural communication,” Moncloa said. “I will teach an intercultural conflict styles workshop for all 4-H professionals in partnership with UMaine and will present a seminar to graduate students.” 

Moncloa is on sabbatical through Sept. 30, 2021.

 

 

 

Request full restoration of UC ANR’s budget

As VP Humiston announced in the Feb. 24 ANR Update,  Governor Newsom and the state Legislature have agreed to full restoration of UC's budget for the next fiscal year. For UC ANR, that means the 12.7% cut we sustained in FY 2020/21 will be restored, bringing our budget back to pre-COVID levels for FY 2021/22.

This restoration of funding was included in the UC Regent's official FY 21/22 state budget request. We are thrilled to see it moving forward and are working across the UC system to ensure the Regent's budget request is included in the state's final budget package.

Because the state budget hasn't been finalized (and won't be until mid-June), we need help to remind legislators of the benefits of investing in UC ANR.

“There are two upcoming budget subcommittee hearings where state lawmakers will specifically discuss UC's FY2021-22 budget,” VP Humiston said. “This is our chance to set the tone during budget negotiations, and providing public comment is one of the highest impact actions you can take. These hearings are on March 1 and March 9.”

Will you thank the Legislature for their support and ask that they continue to restore critical funding to UC ANR?

Due to the pandemic, the Legislature now allows anyone to dial-in and participate in the hearings – which means even more UC advocates can make their voices heard. If you prefer advocating for UC via social media, Tweets and Facebook and Instagram posts are quick and effective ways to express your support for UC. Emails, letters, and calls to members' personal offices are also highly effective.

Need more information? You can stay informed of important budget hearings and calls to action by signing up to for the UC Advocacy Network. By joining, you'll learn how you can advocate for UC and stay updated on the latest issues impacting higher education. This site also helps you find and contact your representatives.

Tweets or posts

Tell the Legislature why funding for UC is critical. Effective tweets and posts should include:

• Your relationship with UC ANR (legislators might not know that 4-H, Master Gardeners, or even Cooperative Extension are part of UC ANR, so make sure to mention UC ANR along with your programmatic connection!)
• Why you care about UC ANR/ the impact it has on you, your family, your business or your community.
• An ask for “full budget restoration”

Example tweet/post:

4-H has been a bright light for my children and community while sheltering in place. We immediately went to work 1 year ago making masks to protect loved ones and healthcare workers. As a program within UC ANR, we rely on critical state funding. Please fully restore UC ANR's budget! @yourrepresentative 
(add a personal photo if you wish).

Please share this message with your community partners and friends who are eager to lend their voice to support UC ANR funding. Your advocacy truly helps!

 

Strategic Initiative Brief: Strategic themes, IWP

Unify-Communicate-Advocate

The 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. 

1. Strategic Themes

Visit the Strategic Themes page to explore the growing number of 2-pager concept notes. These concept notes highlight existing and emerging opportunities and provide common sets of ideas for meeting those needs.  

Check out the new draft on Building community resilience. Feedback welcome.

For more on the SIs and their activities, contact

Jim Farrar: Pests (EIPD)

OPEN: Natural Ecosystems (SNE)

David Lewis: (Water)

Deanne Meyer: Food Systems (SFS)

Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty: Families and Communities (HFC)

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

 

Open Conversations with UC ANR leadership begin March 31

UC ANR Senior Leadership will begin hosting conversations with small groups of ANR employees on a quarterly basis. The first will be Wednesday, March 31, at 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. with VP Glenda Humiston and Tu Tran, associate vice president for business operations. 

Enrollment will be limited to 20 participants per session to allow for open dialogue, so please register at https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=32978.

The dates below are being held for future sessions. Dates and times may be adjusted as needed. 

June 23, 1 – 2 p.m., with Wendy Powers, associate vice president, and Tran

Sept. 21, 1 – 2 p.m., with Humiston and Powers

Dec. 15, 1 – 2 p.m., Humiston and Tran 

Open Conversation sessions will be announced about one month prior to each session.

Black History Month events educate and engage

UC ANR held its very first Black History Month Program in February and the series of events were well-attended and enthusiastically received.

The events were organized by Esther Mosase, climate smart educator based in San Diego County; LeChé McGill, Human Resources business partner; and Keith Nathaniel, UCCE director and 4-H advisor in Los Angeles County.

“There were a total of five speakers and an average of 163 participants in each weekly session,” said McGill. “Attendee feedback has been great so far and the planning committee plans to send out a survey to collect more input in the coming week.”

If you attended the live event, the committee would appreciate if you could take five minutes to fill out the evaluation survey. Your feedback helps ANR coordinate more events like this in the future.

If you missed a session, you can watch the recordings. All but one session (session 3) was recorded and posted on the UC ANR YouTube page. The sessions and links are below.

Session 1: Sonia Lewis, founder of ASCRIBE Educational Consulting, spoke about “The Black lived experience is a matter of history.” https://youtu.be/eFJLRnnxp5U

Session 2: Mary Blackburn, UCCE family, consumer sciences, health and nutrition advisor in Alameda County, delivered prose about her journey from working on a farm as a girl in the South to earning her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. A virtual tour of the National Museum of African American Culture & History was followed by a video and discussion about what happened to all the Black farmers. https://youtu.be/IyuM51UKdAo

Session 3: Sacramento farmer Chanowk Yisrael talked about "The Importance of Food Sovereignty" and led a virtual tour of Yisrael Family Farms.

Session 4: Panel discussion with Black farmers Dennis Hutson, Donald Sherman and Will Smith discussed their challenges, how UCCE has helped them and ways UC ANR could further assist in connecting them with resources. https://youtu.be/VyJxo1dREM0

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