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Posts Tagged: Alda Pires
Organic livestock survey aims to learn about parasite management
Survey results will help to identify critical areas that need additional research or extension services related to parasites management in organic production. The questionnaire takes 10-15 minutes to complete. The provided information will not include any identification beyond regional location and will be kept strictly confidential.
More information about the Farm Animal Risk Mitigation Prepare, Prevent, Evaluate project and webinars can be found at the FARM PPE website.
The deadline for participating in the organic livestock survey has been extended to May 31. The survey link is https://ucdavis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_77pA9H94xKMA27s.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact Alda Pires, UC Cooperative Extension specialist, at pireslab@ucdavis.edu or Noelia Silva del Rio, UCCE specialist, at nsilvadelrio@ucdavis.edu or Teresa Miranda at teresa.fernandes.miranda@gmail.com.
ANR Women share their UC Women's Initiative experience
Each year, UC ANR Learning and Development sends several women to systemwide UC Women's Initiative for Professional Development.
UCWI is a unique, experiential professional-development program committed to enabling the full participation, success and advancement of woman-identified professionals at the University. The program is open to all who support this mission and who are interested in the development of woman-identified professionals.
Several of the 2021-2022 participants shared their unique experience.
– Marilynn Ljungberg, Community Education Specialist
The UC Women's Initiative gave me the tools and confidence to take control of my career, specifically through developing my professional Board of Advisors and thinking through my values and the impact I make while creating my professional narrative.
– Kathryn Stein, Executive Assistant
I really enjoyed this program, it provided a framework to be a better leader and mentor.
- Alda Pires, Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension/Associate Specialist
UCWI was just the kickstart I needed to be more invested in my career development. This program helped me eliminate my fear of networking and allowed me to put together a board of advisors to council me on my career.
- Sibani Michael Bose, Chief Business Officer, Nutrition Policy Institute
Because of this exceptional program, I will be able to share better feedback, and ask more succinct questions to get the information I need.
– Terri White, Executive Assistant
The UCWI program connected me with women throughout the UC system. Together we created a safe environment to share, built a support system, and created friendships that will last for years. As a result of my participation in the program, I have increased my self confidence in my role in the organization and in leading my team. I feel empowered explore what opportunities for career advancement exist around me and to take steps to surround myself with people and opportunities that will allow me to transition into those positions.
- Rita Palmer, California 4-H Statewide Staffing Plan Coordinator
The overall program UC Women's Initiative for Professional Development is designed to:
- Cultivate a professional network that spans the UC system
- Provide access to top UC leaders — women and men — to learn about their diverse leadership approaches and journeys
- Strengthen skills and confidence through hands-on practice with a range of tools in the areas of:
- Professional development and impact
- Strategic relationship building
- Developing and delivering a compelling narrative regarding one's professional accomplishments and vision
- Negotiating at work
- Peer coaching
Interested? Stay tuned for ANR nomination announcements in early February 2023!
UC ANR meets new stakeholders at EcoFarm conference
Farmers, financiers, people from government agencies and nonprofit organizations who work with UC Cooperative Extension advisors, as well as beginning farmers seeking to contact their local UCCE advisors visited the UC ANR exhibit at the EcoFarm Conference Jan. 24-27 at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove.
Marketing assistant Tyler Ash apprised visitors perusing the racks of UC ANR publications of the resources available in their home counties and online.
Nearby, Alda Pires, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, and Ph.D. candidate Laura Patterson had their own booth to meet people raising small livestock and discuss their research projects. Patterson is studying pigs raised outdoors and Pires studies farming systems using raw manure as fertilizer.
“Sow Good” was the theme of the 38th annual EcoFarm Conference, which focused on regenerative agriculture.
Outside the exhibit tent, breakout sessions enlightened participants on dozens of topics from soil health to organic production practices to marketing. Rachael Long, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Yolo County, was one of three panelists discussing the benefits of hedgerows. Because hedgerows provide habitat for beneficial insects, fewer insecticide sprays are needed for adjacent tomato fields, according to her study. Long said the hedgerows saved growers $260 per field per year.
For backyard gardeners and urban growers, Rob Bennaton, UC Cooperative Extension urban agriculture advisor in the Bay Area, gave a talk on improving soil quality for growing food in urban areas. Before planting food crops in an urban plot, Bennaton advised the audience members to test the soil for contaminants such as lead, arsenic, chromium and mercury and to map where they sample the soil.
After listening to participants in one session discuss the efficacy of cats for rodent control – orange tabby cats were deemed most effective – one attendee remarked that meeting new people at events such as EcoFarm helps reveal opportunities for UC ANR outreach.
Help needed to survey small-scale livestock and poultry owners
“We are seeking help in this needs assessment regarding animal health concerns on small-scale farms and for peri-urban and urban animal agriculture in California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington State,” said Pires, who is leading the study with Dale Moore of Washington State University and Ragan Adams of Colorado State University.
Peri-urban and urban animal agriculture refers to raising food animals within residential areas with the goal of producing animal products to eat themselves or to distribute locally. The farms included in this study have gross annual sales of less than $500,000 with a maximum of 500 goats or sheep, 100 cows or 100 pigs, or are poultry producers who process or sell fewer than 1,000 chickens per year.
The increasing popularity of local food production and sustainability has boosted interest in small-scale farming and urban animal agriculture.
“This survey aims to identify the needs of livestock and poultry owners related to animal health, animal husbandry and food safety; and the role that veterinarians play on small farms,” Pires said. “This study will serve as a benchmark for designing effective educational programs to train farmers, backyard producers and veterinarians working within this sector.”
The survey takes about 15-20 minutes and can be accessed at http://ucanr.edu/smalllivestocksurvey.
All answers will remain completely confidential and no personal information will be recorded.
For more information, contact Pires at (530) 754-9855 or apires@ucdavis.edu. A flyer can be downloaded at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/files/240951.docx.
Organic growers sought for survey on food safety
Pires and Michele Jay-Russell, program manager with the Western Center for Food Safety, are co-principal investigators on a project to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens on organic farms. They would like UC Cooperative Extension advisors who work with organic produce growers to assist the project by inviting the growers to participate in a new survey on manure use and food safety. The direct link to the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/manurefoodsafety.
The School of Veterinary Medicine and its partners recently brought together more than 30 producers, industry members and experts from across the country to discuss food safety in the fast-growing segment of organic agriculture, as part of a project funded by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI). Participants included representatives from the UC Davis Western Center for Food Safety, the Organic Trade Association, the FDA Division of Produce Safety and the Division of Risk and Decision Analysis, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the Association of Compost Producers, the Organic Center, among others.
Information gathered at the workshop on the industry's use of manure and compost will help project leaders develop a full-scale research proposal to assess the efficacy of practices in the U.S. to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens on organic farms. It will also help inform and guide policy such as the FDA's Produce Safety Rule that is recommending more research on waiting periods between raw manure application and harvest.
Facilitated by Pires and Jay-Russell, the workshop featured in-depth discussions, surveys and listening sessions on issues important to organic farmers. Topics included the use of raw manure and compost, rotational grazing practices and extension needs including technology innovations and other tools to help them comply with new food safety regulations.
“We need to work together to leverage our efforts to prevent foodborne illnesses in the U.S.,” said Jay-Russell. “While one size won't fit all, organic farmers want and need scientific-based tools to help them adapt to change and ensure food safety.”
This national project is a collaboration with the Western Center for Food Safety, which conducts related research, and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine's Western Institute for Food Safety and Security.
