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Posts Tagged: March 2018
IGIS plans next steps based on program review
Given limited personnel and a short time since startup, IGIS has made significant contributions throughout ANR. There is a great need for the program within and beyond ANR, and IGIS personnel have shown impressive results in reaching out to the wider ANR community and external partners.
Here is a summary of the direction and next steps I provided to the IGIS Program Director:
- IGIS should focus on expanding capacity and reach with drones and prioritize investing in new technology.
- IGIS will work with the REC Directors to develop a call process to identify science leads who are interested in taking over full ownership of one or more of the flux towers.
- IGIS should discontinue its involvement with cataloguing dark data, but work with ANR Communication Services and Information Technology office (CSIT) to inform ANR academics that digitized documents are available in the ANR repository.
- Associate Vice President Powers and I will meet with Program Director Kelly to further discuss the proposal to re-characterize IGIS from a statewide program to a statewide academic service.
- IGIS will develop a business plan to continue to scale up services that are in demand by UC ANR academics and offer services in a way that decreases reliance on central funds.
- IGIS should update its website to clearly articulate to whom resources and services are available. When IGIS is not able to provide a service, to the degree possible, it should act as a clearing house and refer clients to other providers.
- IGIS should incorporate evaluation methods that focus on the effectiveness of workshops and services and the extent of IGIS' reach.
I look forward to working with IGIS as it pursues these and other opportunities that may arise.
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
Names in the News
Wang joins UCCE as vegetable and irrigation advisor
Zheng Wang joined UCCE on March 5, 2018, as an area vegetable production and irrigation advisor in Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties.
Prior to joining UCCE, Wang was a postdoctoral researcher at The Ohio State University-Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, where he had conducted cutting-edge and applied research and extension work on vegetable crop production since 2015. His federally funded and state-funded projects integrated minimal tillage, vegetable grafting and use of microbial biostimulants to optimize local and regional vegetable operations. From 2011 to 2014, Wang was a graduate research assistant at University of Kentucky. His research focused on the effects of production systems and tillage applications on vegetable drought tolerance and endophytic bacterial dynamics.
Wang earned a Ph.D. in crop science from University of Kentucky and an M.S. in agriculture from Western Kentucky University. Wang, who is fluent in Chinese, earned a B.S. in agronomy from Shenyang Agricultural University in China.
Wang is based in Modesto and can be reached at (209) 525-6822 and zzwwang@ucanr.edu.
Sosnoskie returns as UCCE agronomy and weed advisor
Lynn Sosnoskie joined UCCE on Feb. 26, 2018, as an area agronomy and weed management advisor in Merced and Madera counties.
Before returning to UC, Sosnoskie spent a year at Washington State University as an assistant research faculty member tasked with extending the reach of the WSU weed science team in the Columbia Basin. From 2012 to 2016, Sosnoskie was an associate project scientist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, working with UCCE specialist Brad Hanson to partner solutions-based research needs of growers with an increased understanding of the biological and environmental factors that impact weeds and weed control in California's specialty crops. From 2006 to 2011, she held a postdoctoral research professional position at University of Georgia, where she contributed to weed control research and outreach efforts in upland cotton and fresh market vegetables.
As a weed scientist, Sosnoskie is interested in the spread of herbicide-resistant weeds, the preservation of effective chemical control strategies through the judicious use of herbicides and the adoption of non-chemical control practices, automated weeders, the effects of drought on the composition of weed communities, perennial weed management, and improving our understanding of weed biology and ecology to maximize vegetation control. With respect to agronomy, Sosnoskie evaluates crop responses to temperature, as well as water availability and water quality, and the epidemiology and management of diseases like Fusarium Race 4 in cotton. She collaborates on a variety of crop issues such as soil salinity and fertility management.
Sosnoskie earned a Ph.D. in horticulture and crop science from The Ohio State University, a M.S. in crop and soil science from University of Delaware, and a B.S. in biology from Lebanon Valley College.
Based in Merced, Sosnoskie can be reached at (229) 326-2676 and lmsosnoskie@ucanr.edu. You can follow her on Twitter @LynnSosnoskie and @agronomyweedsci.
Zalom and Goodell receive international lifetime IPM awards
Peter Goodell, UCCE integrated pest management advisor emeritus, and Frank Zalom, professor and UCCE specialist in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at UC Davis, received lifetime achievement awards at the Ninth International IPM Symposium March 19 in Baltimore.
Zalom is a past president of the 7,000-member Entomological Society of America, co-founder of the International IPM symposia, and served as director of UC ANR's Statewide IPM Program for 16 years.
“Dr. Zalom continues to advance the science and implementation of IPM,” said Steve Nadler, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “His integrity, service and respect for all are legendary.”
Read more about Zalom's contributions at //ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=24248.
Read more about Goodell's career at //ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=24248.
Surls receives 2018 Bradford Rominger Ag Sustainability Leadership Award
Rachel Surls, UCCE sustainable food systems advisor for Los Angeles County, is this year's recipient of the Eric Bradford and Charlie Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award. Surls received the award from the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at the Celebrating Women in Agriculture event in Davis on April 3.
Surls has been committed to community gardens, school gardens, and urban agriculture since long before our cities took notice. For 30 years, she has worked at the UC Cooperative Extension Office in Los Angeles County, helping to bring city-grown food into the mainstream.
The Bradford Rominger award, given yearly, honors individuals who exhibit the leadership, work ethic and integrity epitomized by the late Eric Bradford, a livestock geneticist who gave 50 years of service to UC Davis, and the late Charlie Rominger, a fifth-generation Yolo County farmer and land preservationist.
“In her three-decade career with UCCE, Rachel has developed a strong program addressing some of our most critical issues in sustainable agriculture,” says Keith Nathaniel, the Los Angeles County Cooperative Extension director. “She does so with innovative strategies, working with all aspects of the LA community. After 30 years doing this work, she continues to be active in the community she serves.”
In Surls' career, gardening has been a tool to build science literacy for schoolchildren, to increase self-sufficiency for communities impacted by economic downturn, and to create small businesses for urban entrepreneurs. As the interest in and support for urban agriculture has grown, she has been in the heart of Los Angeles, ready to respond to the needs of the city's farmers and gardeners. – Aubrey Thompson
Linquist honored with Rice Research and Education Award
The Rice Technical Working Group presented Bruce Linquist, UCCE specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, and a team of rice researchers with the Distinguished Rice Research and Education Award Feb. 21 during their annual conference in Long Beach.
Linquist has been collaborating with rice researchers at the University of Arkansas, the USDA in Jonesborough, Ark., and Louisiana State University on advancing irrigation management practices to achieve sustainable intensification outcomes.
While rice has historically been grown in flooded fields, the researchers have been introducing aerobic periods during the growing season (also known as alternate wetting and drying). The practice has been shown to reduce CH4 emissions and water use. Read more about the rice project at http://news.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/2018/03/27/bruce-linquist-distinguished-rice-research-and-education-award. – Ann Filmer
Parker re-elected to national water resources board
Doug Parker, director of the California Institute for Water Resources, has been re-elected by the delegates of the Universities Council on Water Resources to serve as a member of the Board of Directors. Parker, who is the past president of UCOWR, an association of universities and organizations leading in education, research and public service in water resources, will begin his next three-year term with the UCOWR Board meeting on June 28 at the joint 2018 UCOWR National Institutes for Water Resources Conference in Pittsburgh, Penn.
UCOWR strives to facilitate water-related education at all levels, promote meaningful research and technology transfer on contemporary and emerging water resources issues, compile and disseminate information on water problems and solutions, and promote informed decisions about water issues at all levels of society.
Legislators admire California-grown products at Ag Day at the Capitol
Ag Day at the Capitol was held in Sacramento on March 20. This year's theme was “Climate-smart, California Grown,” honoring the environmental stewardship and innovation of the state's farmers.
Dozens of legislators attended Ag Day at the Capitol, stopping at UC ANR's booth to examine the various varieties of citrus from Lindcove Research and Extension Center and marveling at the different shapes and sizes of avocados grown at South Coast Research and Extension Center.
Senate Pro Tempore Toni Atkins of San Diego, who became the first woman to lead the California Senate on March 21, held Sheldon 4-H club member Bella Albiani's hen as she talked with her and VP Glenda Humiston.
Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, UC Cooperative Extension advisor for Delta crops in San Joaquin, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano and Contra Costa counties, answered visitors' questions about research and agronomy.
Sean Hogan, academic coordinator for Informatics and Geographic Information Systems (IGIS) Program, showed visitors some of the information drones can gather and how researchers and farmers can use the data.
On March 19, the day before the event, Anne Megaro, director of government and community relations; Tyler Ash, marketing and social media coordinator; Pam Kan-Rice, assistant director of news and information outreach; and Meredith Turner of UC State Government Relations, visited the offices of legislators to invite them to visit the UC ANR booth at Ag Day.
“Ag Day is one of the most highly attended events at the state capitol, and I am so pleased that UC ANR was there to show legislators and the public all the great research and public service that we have to offer California, ” said Megaro. “There is nothing like a hands-on experience and being able to see, touch and smell actual fruit grown by the University. The best part? When they realize the food they already enjoy at home came from our agricultural research. It's a great example of UC at work.”
To educate legislators and staffers about some of the benefits Californians receive from research made possible with state funding, they handed out bags of Tango mandarins – the seedless, easy-to-peel citrus variety developed by UC Riverside genetics professor Mikeal Roose and sold as Cuties and Halos – along with the 2017 UC ANR annual report.
The annual event is hosted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture in partnership with California Women for Agriculture and the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom.
More photos and a video below. To see Twitter coverage of this year's Ag Day at the Capitol, look for the hashtag #AgDay2018.
Hopland REC calls for proposals
Hopland REC encompasses more than 5,300 acres of oak woodland, grasslands, and chaparral rangeland in southeastern Mendocino County. The facility provides research opportunities in animal science, range management, wildlife ecology, plant ecology, entomology and epidemiology, pest management, viticulture and natural resources management. Some unique features of interest include the capacity to study paired watershed affects, grazed and non-grazed vernal pools, diversity of species, including the discovery of a new species of wildflower and more.
New projects using the center's facilities and lands are encouraged and there may be opportunities to utilize existing research designs for new research questions. Please refer to our website for a complete description of Hopland REC resources: http://ucanr.org/sites/hopland. Examples of Hopland REC's resources include an array of habitat types, almost 700 species of vascular plants including 11 species of oaks, a resident sheep flock and an array of mammal species including black-tailed deer, wild feral pigs and coyotes. Facilities include 12 acres of irrigated pasture and vineyard, all-season road access, lab space, high speed internet, a nationally acclaimed lysimeter, basic wet and dry lab facilities (currently being renovated), capacity to perform necropsies on site and a dormitory that can accommodate over 20 students. For even more detailed descriptions of the natural resources and related features of interest, please look at our interactive storybook at HREC Story map
The center provides outstanding staff with a diversity of skills to provide local labor, equipment, research facilities, and technical and management support to UC academics and to personnel from cooperating non-UC organizations. Hopland REC expects to award hours of center-provided labor at minimal cost to support approved projects during this coming program year.
The Hopland Research and Extension Center assesses an annual research project fee and a per hour labor rate for staff assistance on all active projects. Both rates are subsidized for UC affiliates. Non-UC affiliates are charged the full costed rate.
To submit a proposal, please submit forms electronically, via the “Universal Review System” in the UC ANR Portal. For immediate consideration by the Research Advisory Committee, please submit proposals by April 27, 2018.
To submit your proposal, go to the HREC website http://hrec.ucanr.edu. On the left-hand side under the RESEARCH tab, you will see the tab “Submit a proposal.” You will be asked for your ANR Portal Login. Once you are logged in, you will see a list of proposals for which you are either the PI or Co-PI. Only submit the proposals for which you are the PI, unless the PI has asked you to submit the proposal as a Co-PI.
If you have any questions or need help, please contact Megan Osbourn, HREC business officer at (530) 639-8800, Kimberly Rodrigues, HREC center director at (707) 744-1424 x 115, or John Bailey, HREC superintendent at (707) 744-1424 x 112.
ANR invited to California specialty crops tour Aug. 6–9
ANR members are invited to participate in the California Specialty Crops Council's 2018 educational tour of specialty crop production and pest management in California. The tour will start on Monday, Aug. 6 in Visalia and will conclude in Sacramento in late afternoon Thursday, Aug. 9.
This educational event is designed for regulators, research scientists, Cooperative Extension personnel and representatives from several state and federal agencies.
“The specialty crop tour was a great opportunity to meet and learn from growers, processors, advisors and government agents about pest management and crop production issues throughout California,” said Ria DeBiase, pest management guidelines coordinator for the UC ANR Statewide IPM Program, who took the tour in 2015.
Participants have opportunities to learn and network while visiting crop production sites in the San Joaquin Valley, Salinas Valley and Sacramento Valley including conventional and organic production practices. Attendees meet farmers, pest control advisers and research and extension personnel dealing with specialty crop production and pest management. All of the topics are addressed in terms of using reduced-risk pest management and improving the competitive posture of California agricultural products in the global marketplace.
“Talking with farmers and advisors in their fields and orchards helped me to get a better understanding of the diversity of issues they are facing every day,” Petr Kosina, UC IPM content development supervisor, who participated in 2016.
“This is a great opportunity for staff to get a closer look at many aspects associated with California agriculture,” Gary W. Van Sickle, executive director of the California Specialty Crops Council, wrote in an email to AVP Wendy Powers.
The crops expected to be seen on the 2018 tour include pears, carrots, onions, garlic, prunes (dried plums), cherries, melons and leafy greens. The tour agenda is posted at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/281540.doc.
Tour bus transportation, most meals and all tour materials are provided. Hotel costs will be approximately $350 for participants from the Sacramento area. ANR employees may use funds from their own budgets, but ANR will not provide additional funds for the event.
To attend the tour, register by completing the tour registration form at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/281538.docx and emailing it to gary@specialtycrops.org by June 1. Logistical information about the tour is at
http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/281539.docx.
For more information, contact Van Sickle at gary@specialtycrops.org.
