Video reviews how UC ANR served California in 2020

A video highlighting many of UC ANR's innovative approaches to achieve its mission in 2020 is now live on YouTube.

UC ANR Strategic Communications' Linda Forbes and Ricardo Vela made a video highlighting many of UCANR's 2020 accomplishments. The video is posted on YouTube at https://youtu.be/9puxX_HAC1s and the script is below. Wishing you an even more successful 2021!

2020 was a difficult and often devastating year, making our work to improve the lives of Californians all the more important. When the pandemic hit, we found innovative ways to carry out our mission. 

Training people online across the spectrum of agricultural and environmental topics

Creating numerous virtual resources, from home gardening information to a new “Water and COVID-19” web page

Conducting virtual farm visits and field days

Providing critical safety information to underserved and non-English-speaking populations

Partnering with local organizations to address food insecurity

Training Californians in activities that support wellness

• Gardening
• Cooking
• Home food preservation and safety
• Physical activity and mindfulness
• Nutrition
• Organic farming
• Raising chickens

Offering private, educational and safe family tours at Elkus Ranch

Holding a COVID-safe California Naturalist intensive training for California Conservation Corps at Hopland REC

Engaging 4-H youth online – Facebook Live chick-hatching, a Disease Detectives program, virtual coding lessons, cooking demonstrations and much more

Providing more than 34,000 hours of virtual integrated pest management training

Creating an agritourism directory to connect Californians with their local farms

Providing EFNEP nutrition education curricula and other resources to teachers and community organizations

Donating 70,000 pounds of squash grown at Westside REC to the Central California Food Bank

Compiling resources for farmers, community gardeners and other people working in the food system

Helping small-scale Asian and Latino farmers complete English-language disaster aid applications

Providing critical resources and guidance on adjusting school meal service and other operations to reduce student hunger

Hosting a fun, educational virtual Pumpkin Project for students on Instagram

Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center hosted a virtual pumpkin-growing contest for 4-H members in Fresno County.

Throughout the year, we continued our work in wildfire prevention, disaster assistance and recovery, garnering national media attention

We provided prescribed burn training and outreach, and partnered with CAL FIRE to develop a new prescribed burn association in San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz.

We published guidance for city planners, fire districts and communities for reducing risk when building in fire-prone areas

We developed an app to identify hazardous trees for wildfire prevention

We delivered community workshops and training to help youth and adults reduce wildfire risk

We launched Match.Graze, a tool to connect landowners with livestock owners for vegetation management

In 2020 we pursued hundreds of critical research projects, following COVID-19 safety protocols

We studied climate change adaptation, hedgerow elderberries, strawberry fumigant alternatives, smoke and ash in food production, farmers market food safety and much more

Kearney REC stayed open to continue research on over 50 crops

We're studying mating disruption to control codling moth and navel orangeworm in walnuts, thanks to a $1 million award from CDFA

We became part of a $10 million grant from USDA focusing on adopting Kernza® to promote reduced tillage and increased carbon sequestration.

Despite the many challenges, there were more things to be proud of.

We helped increase the use of mating disruption in San Joaquin Valley almond acreage. David Haviland and Jhalendra Rijal received awards for this work from the CA Department of Pesticide Regulation and International IPM Symposium

We're leading efforts to develop an advanced wood products industry in California (Image: forest)

We launched the UC Organic Agriculture Institute, with support from Clif Bar, and chose Houston Wilson to lead it

265 participants in the 4-H Juntos program learned about educational access and success

We started the Soil Health Connection YouTube channel, a partnership between Colusa County Resource Conservation District and Sutter-Yuba Cooperative Extension

We turned our UC Master Gardener plant sale in Contra Costa County into a giveaway of 30,000 plants to benefit marginalized communities, shelters and schools

We celebrated Dr. Mary Blackburn's resolution from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for her 50 years of service to the community – over 30 of those with UC ANR  

We trained CalFresh shoppers to take advantage of the Market Match program to double the value of their benefit at farmers markets

Our Climate Smart Agriculture Community Education Specialists helped growers apply for cost-share funds from CDFA's Climate Smart Agriculture programs

Our Nutrition Policy Institute partnered with CA Department of Public Health to help restaurants comply with Senate Bill No. 1192 – so that children get healthy beverages when dining out

We shared research on tree mortality and actions that can be taken to make the forest more resilient

We were grateful for the support of our donors and partners. Our Giving Tuesday campaign broke all previous campaign records! 

We're excited about all the opportunities to make a difference in 2021.

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