Posts Tagged: Sean Hogan

UC ANR researchers and staff engage farmers, other stakeholders at World Ag Expo 2018

World Ag Expo visitors discuss conservation tillage at Jeff Mitchell's exhibit at the UC ANR tent.

UC ANR had a major presence at World Ag Expo Feb. 13-15 in Tulare. In addition to exhibits inside the Pavilion, this year, UC ANR hosted a series of well-attended researcher demonstrations of citrus varieties, soil quality and other subjects in a tent outside. UC ANR scientists also gave presentations on “hot topics” ranging from the use of drones and other electronic technology in production agriculture to animal health to human nutrition.

UCCE advisors Surendra Dara, left, and Brenna Aergerter were among the scientists available to answer grower questions.

“Between our tent and our Pavilion space, there's been a lot of very good engagement and discussions with the primary stakeholder audience,” said Mike Janes, Strategic Communications director.

Jeff Dahlberg, Kearney Ag Research and Extension Center director, discussed his research on sorghum. The drought-tolerant crop can be used in food, feed and bioenergy products.

On the opening day of the expo, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue held a town hall to hear from members of California's agriculture industry concerns about the upcoming Farm Bill. VP Glenda Humiston was among those present for the discussion, which attracted considerable media attention.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue was interviewed by California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson at World Ag Expo.

Western Farm Press wrote: “While trade, labor and regulatory issues may top the list of agricultural policy issues Perdue faces in Washington D.C., Glenda Humiston, Vice President of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Division of the state's Land Grant university, stressed the importance of adequate research funding and federal definitions of rural versus urban, which she said is having detrimental impacts across California on important program funding.”

“If a county has one town that has 50,000 population in it, the entire county is labeled metropolitan for purposes of allocating funding,” Humiston said in the Hanford Sentinel. 

Rob Johnson, left, looks on as Sean Hogan, IGIS academic coordinator, describes the use of drones in agricultural research.

“Humiston said that while UCANR has a ‘proud tradition of research in California,' the university is plagued by reduced budgets at the same time the state is plagued by a new invasive pest every several weeks. She said for the university to stay ahead of these issues and to help growers in these and many other areas, additional funding is vital,” Farm Press reporter Todd Fitchette wrote.

In private communication, Fitchette said that widespread applause broke out from the audience in response to Humiston's comments.

Educating policymakers about UC ANR

From left, Pia Van Benthem, outreach program coordinator for UC Davis Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing (CSTARS) and the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, Congressman Ami Bera, Hogan and Susan Ustin, CSTARS director.

Hogan visits Capitol Hill

In early April, Sean Hogan, academic coordinator II for Informatics and Geographic Information Systems, presented at the AmericaView Winter Business Meeting, in Reston, Va., as representative of the CaliforniaView section of the consortium of remote sensing scientists. Hogan spoke about some of the ways that UC ANR is using drones to advance environmental and agricultural research. While he was near Washington D.C., Hogan went to Capitol Hill to meet with Congressman Ami Bera, Congressman Paul Cook and staffers for Senator Diane Feinstein.

Read more in the IGIS blog //ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=23768.

Congressman Jim Costa blends a salad for students at La Vina Elementary School in Madera County as UCCE nutrition educator Angelica Perez observes.

Congressman Costa visits UC CalFresh class in Madera

When United States Congressman Jim Costa learned about the federally funded nutrition education programs being offered in his district, he made plans to visit.

He wanted a first-hand experience with UC CalFresh, in which UC Cooperative Extension educators visit classrooms to share new foods, teach healthy eating strategies and demonstrate physical activity to children and low-income families.

Read more in the Food blog http://ucanr.edu/?blogpost=23767&blogasset=91109

Apply for IGIS drone bootcamp by April 15

The Informatics and Geographic Information Systems (IGIS) Statewide Program will hold a three-day "Dronecamp" to be held July 25-27, 2017, in Davis. This bootcamp style workshop will provide "A to Z" training in using drones for research and resource management, including photogrammetry and remote sensing, safety and regulations, mission planning, flight operations (including 1/2 day of hands-on practice), data processing, analysis and visualization.

The workshop content will help participants prepare for the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot exam. Participants will also hear about the latest technology and trends from researchers and industry representatives.

Dronecamp builds upon a series of workshops that have been developed by IGIS and Sean Hogan starting in 2016.

“Through these workshops and our experiences with drone research, we've learned that the ability to use mid-range drones as scientifically robust data collection platforms requires a proficiency in a diverse set of skills and knowledge that exceeds what can be covered in a traditional workshop,” said Hogan. “Dronecamp aims to cover all the bases, helping participants make a great leap forward in their own drone programs.”

Dronecamp is open to all, but will have a focus on applications in agriculture and natural resources. No experience is necessary. The number of seats is limited, so all interested participants must apply before they can register. Applications are due on April 15, 2017. For further information, please visit http://igis.ucanr.edu/dronecamp/.

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