Posts Tagged: August 2019

In memoriam: Hodge Black

James Hodge Black, UC Cooperative Extension advisor emeritus, passed away Aug. 10, 2019, at the age of 83 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Black earned his B.S. in general agriculture in 1957 and his M.S. in entomology in 1961 from the University of Arkansas. Within a week of completing his master's degree, Black moved to Bakersfield to begin his career with UC Cooperative Extension.

As an entomology farm advisor, Black worked with Tom Leigh, a UC Davis entomologist he had met at University of Arkansas, to develop integrated pest management guidelines for cotton.

Lygus to square ratio

“Hodge was a key participant in development of the lygus to square ratio,” said Walt Bentley, who succeeded Black as the UCCE entomology advisor in Kern County when Black became the county director. “Lygus was and still is one of the key cotton pests in California.” 

Before the ratio was developed to determine the need to spray for lygus, cotton growers were repeatedly spraying an organophosphate, which led to cotton bollworm outbreaks, requiring more sprays, Bentley explained. “The problems with cotton bollworm disappeared because sprays were not used as frequently. This allowed for beneficial insects to establish and feed on cotton bollworms.”

Pete Goodell, who was a certified pest control advisor in Fresno and Merced counties in the 1970s before joining UCCE as an IPM advisor, noted, “Hodge was one of the advisors who collected data and provided proof of concept. This was one of the first pest monitoring and evaluation methods available to PCAs.”

Pink bollworm

Bentley said, “Hodge also worked closely with the USDA in helping to stop pink bollworm from establishing in California.” To prevent the pest from becoming established, Black and his UCCE colleagues worked with growers on managing cotton for early harvest, instituting a mandatory plowdown statewide to ensure a 90-day host-free period and releasing sterile pink bollworm moths.

In 1977, Black was appointed director of UC Cooperative Extension in Kern County.

“As county director, Hodge managed the staff of 12 to 14 advisors extremely well,” said Bentley, who was a UCCE advisor in Kern County for 17 years. “He was well admired by the people he served in Kern County and the county government officials. He ran a smooth ship.”

Take the complicated and make it simple

In addition to his duties as an administrator, Black mentored farm advisors.

“Hodge was a big supporter of UC IPM and of me as IPM advisor,” said Goodell, who retired in 2017. “He was a patient mentor and found a way to work me into the Kern CE office. I will always be grateful for his folksy approach to extension. He taught me that my job is to take the complicated and make it simple. He was an excellent listener and a nonjudgmental advocate, providing science-based information tailored to the individual situation.”

Blake Sanden, UCCE farm advisor emeritus, recalled Black's advice to newer farm advisors delivered in his disarming Arkansas accent. 

“He'd make a point in a meeting, then stop, say nothing for maybe 10-15 seconds while looking around the room into people's eyes, and then say something like, ‘I saw a few glazed-over eyes out there, so in case that last point weren't clear – here it is agin!'” Sanden said.

Leveraged growers

“When I knew him as our county director, he had spent more years in California than in Arkansas, but he never lost his honey-suckle drawl and used it to good advantage. He was a force and knew how to leverage his important growers to strong-arm Oakland when he wanted a position approved.”

Frank Zalom, former director of the Statewide IPM Program and emeritus UC Davis professor, also worked with Black.

Honesty, integrity and intense loyalty

“Hodge had already been Kern County Cooperative Extension director for 3 years when I joined Cooperative Extension as part of the Statewide IPM Program,” Zalom said. “In hindsight, I was amazingly naïve, but he was always respectful and supportive. What I admired most about him was his honesty, integrity, and intense loyalty to Cooperative Extension and the Kern County agricultural community. He was not only a forward-looking administrator, but a solid entomologist as well. He had a natural scientific curiosity and was open to new technologies and really quite innovative.”

After Black retired in 1996, he and his wife, Mary Alice, moved back to Mt. Ida, Ark. A skilled wood carver, Black spent his retirement years carving and woodworking in his store “Splendid Splinters,” which was featured twice in Southern Living magazine, according to his obituary in the Bakersfield Californian. 

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary Alice Black; daughters Teresa J. Dodd (Dan) of Colorado Springs and Charlotte A. Johnson (Warren) of Monument, Colo.; sons J. Robert Black (Tammy) of Bakersfield and B. David Black (Beth) of Searcy, Ark.; brother Lowell L. Black (Jill) of Sun Prairie, Wisc.; eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. 

A celebration of his life will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 19 at Mt. Ida First United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mt. Ida FUMC/Hodge Black Fund for wheel chair accessibility, PO Box 607, Mt. Ida, AR 71957.

 

 

 

Academics sought to serve on Program Council

Academic Assembly Council is seeking self-nominations to serve on the ANR Program Council. The ANR Program Council advises the Vice President on Division-wide planning and delivery of programs and develops recommendations for allocation of Division resources.

More information about ANR Program Council can be found at https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Programs/Program_Council.

We are seeking academics with well-established programs, who can commit to monthly two-day, in-person meetings (scheduled dates below), most often held in Davis. Attendance at all Program Council meetings is mandatory and missing one or more meetings will result in removal for non-performance of the position. Please note that Program Council does not have a budget to support travel (meals during meetings will be provided). 

A list of all interested individuals will be sent to the Associate Vice President, who will review self-nominations with current ANR Program Council members on Oct. 1 - 2 to make the selection. We are seeking interest in two positions, both beginning January 2020.

Please complete this survey by Sept. 27 to express your interest. If you have already completed the survey, your self-nomination will be reviewed in October as well.

Scheduled meeting dates (Beginning 3 p.m. on Tuesday and ending at 3 p.m. on Wednesday):

• January 7 & 8, 2020 (Davis)
• February 4 & 5, 2020 (Davis)
• March 17 & 18, 2020 (tentative)
• April 7 & 8, 2020 (Davis)
• May 5 & 6, 2020 (Davis, possibly offsite)
• June 9 &10, 2020 (Davis)
• July 7 & 8, 2020 (Davis)
• No meeting August 2020
• September 1 & 2, 2020 (Davis)
• October 6 & 7, 2020 (Davis)
• November 3 & 4, 2020 (Davis)
• December meeting tentative, dates TBD

Sincerely,

Katherine Soule
Academic Assembly Council President

Wendy Powers
Associate Vice President

Snack healthy on Healthy Snack Day and win great prizes

The UC ANR Staff Assembly Wellness Committee is sponsoring Healthy Snack Day activities on Sept. 12. Healthy Snack Day is a statewide day of action celebrating the benefits of eating foods in between meals that that are nutritious and fun. The event provides an opportunity for ANR locations to get together over delicious, healthy snacks and share recipe ideas.

Locations can enter two contests to win prizes, such as a “spa water” dispenser for the office, a box of healthy snacks to share and handy kitchen gadgets.

The Wellness Committee has asked UC ANR Staff Assembly Ambassadors to coordinate the Healthy Snack Day activities at each location. If you don't know your ambassador, visit the UC ANR Staff Assembly website. Check with your ambassador to find out how you can get involved.

Some possibilities include sharing healthy snacks potluck-style, identifying local businesses to donate healthy snacks or composing recipes for favorite healthy snacks.

There are two ways to win:

• Photo contest: Submit a group photo of the team enjoying a healthy snack on HSD.
• Recipe contest: Submit a creative healthy snack recipe.

The Wellness Committee will select the first, second and third place winners. First place wins a healthy snack gift box, second place receives a spa water dispenser and recipe book, third place adds an apple slicer and avocado slicer to their locations' kitchens.

Contest entries should be emailed directly to Wellness Committee chair Kaela Plank at krplank@ucanr.edu, or posted on twitter with the hashtag #SnackHealthyUCANR.  All contest entries must include the site name.  Submission deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13.

ANR 2019-20 winter holiday closure schedule announced

Human Resources has confirmed the 2019-20 winter holiday closure schedule. 

ANR units – including Research and Extension Centers, BOC Kearney, UCCE county offices and the Second Street Building in Davis – will be closed from Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019, through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020, except for essential services. ANR offices will reopen on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020. The closure schedule will be the same for ANR employees at UCOP.

Winter closure schedule:

Mon, 12/23 – Regular work day 

Tue, 12/24 – UC Holiday 

Wed, 12/25 – UC Holiday 

Thu, 12/26 – Winter Closure 

Fri, 12/27 – Winter Closure 

Mon, 12/30 – Winter Closure

Tue, 12/31 – UC Holiday 

Wed, 1/1/20 – UC Holiday 

Thu, 1/2/20 – Regular work day

Fri, 1/3/20 – Regular work day

Dec. 26, 27 and 30, 2019, will be curtailment (closure) days. Employees will be given the option of using accrued vacation, compensatory time off (CTO), or leave without pay for the curtailment days. In the event an employee has not accumulated a sufficient amount of vacation time before December to cover the three days, arrangements can be made to allow those individuals to borrow against future vacation time. 

Some UCCE county offices and research and extension centers may adjust the closure schedule to accommodate local needs; this is at the discretion of the director and approval by ANR leadership. If you have a question about your local office schedule, please contact your director.

 

UCnetwork welcomes staff

UCnetwork — a monthly email newsletter  — is being sent directly to staff across the system to share benefits news, professional development opportunities and inspiring stories about colleagues who are making a difference. Launching this month, UCnetwork will serve as a common touchpoint for staff at all locations, helping to promote a sense of community, engagement and pride throughout UC.

Every issue of UCnetwork will include:

• Our values at work – Stories that highlight systemwide programs and initiatives that reflect UC's values
• Ask HR – Your HR questions answered, with tips for making the most of valuable UC benefits
• Grow with UC – Information about systemwide UC professional development opportunities and resources for career advancement
• Making a difference – Stories of staff who bring UC's mission to life
• Stay healthy with UC – Health and wellness news, including health research from UC experts
• Staff Snapshot – Short, fun profiles contributed by UC staff

Look for your first issue of UCnetwork in your email inbox on Wednesday, Aug. 14! Current and past issues of UCnetwork will be posted on UCnet. Subscribe at https://ucal.us/ucnetwork.

The editor welcomes your feedback as they work to make UCnetwork better with every issue. Please contact UCnetwork@ucop.edu with questions, comments or suggestions for future topics.

Read more