Posts Tagged: Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center

UC ANR leaders meet with growers at Kearney, West Side RECs

Growers and other San Joaquin Valley residents were invited to meet with UC ANR leadership and learn about the latest research at Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier and West Side REC in Five Points on Jan. 9.

Vice President Glenda Humiston was joined by Associate Vice President for Research and Cooperative Extension Brent Hales, Associate Vice President for Business Operations Tu Tran, Human Resources Executive Director Bethanie Brown, and Executive Director of Resource Planning & Management Jennifer Bunge. 

Scientists presented their recent research and extension projects. Attendees were encouraged to connect with scientists and leaders and share their hopes for the future of Kearney and West Side RECs.

Darren Haver, REC System director, and Atef Swelam, director of Kearney REC and West Side REC, welcomed guests..

“We are here for you,” Swelam told the growers, members of commodity groups and other visitors, encouraging them to voice their concerns.

Hannah Johnson, industry lead at UC ANR Innovate, led a feedback session. Regulations, policy and compliance are some of the biggest issues farmers said they are facing.

Humiston announced that UC ANR is setting up a policy institute that will attempt to leverage research to inform policy.

“We're going to be putting together briefing papers; we're going to be setting up workshops and meetings for legislators and policymakers based on the research we do,” Humiston. “It's not advocacy, it's putting science into the hands of policymakers so they can make informed decisions.”

Humiston also updated the audience on gains UC ANR has made in building its budget and hiring more academics and staff. She also briefed the group on UC ANR's Strategic Vision 2024 and urged them to read it and provide their input on priorities. 

At West Side REC, Swelam introduced Ronald Rising, the new farm superintendent.

Research and extension presentations included:

• Andreas Westphal, UC Cooperative Extension nematology specialist – Sustainable nematode management in perennials
• Peter Larbi, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in agricultural application engineering – Evaluating spray drift in orchards & vineyards
• Alejandro Hernandez-Rosas, a UC Davis Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Florent Trouillas, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology Plant – Pathology research and extension for fruit and nuts
• Karmjot Randhawa, UCCE director for Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Madera counties – UC ANR regional updates on counties advisory services
• Helle Petersen, regional director for small food and farm innovation – F3 Local & Equipment Lending Library at Kearney REC
• Tom Turini, UCCE vegetable crops advisor for Fresno County – Tomatoes, melons, garlic
• Karl Lund, UCCE area viticulture advisor – Grape rootstocks
• Robert Hutmacher, UCCE specialist emeritus – Cotton, hemp and sorghum
• Mae Culumber, UCCE nut crops advisor for Fresno County – Pistachio pruning trials
• Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, interim director of  Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program – Integration of the Master Food Preserver Program, Organic Agriculture Institute and Small Farms Network into SAREP.
• Maya Shydlowski, UCCE community education specialist – Small grains
• Gabe Youtsey, UC ANR chief innovation officer – The Vine: Science and innovation from concept to practices

 

Kearney hosts tour for fertilizer research conference attendees

More than 50 attendees of the CDFA Fertilizer Research and Education Program/Western Plant Health Nutrient Management Conference in Visalia visited Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center on Oct. 25. The three-hour farm tour featured spectacular fall weather and informative talks by Kearney researchers and post-docs, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors and specialists, and U.S. Department of Agriculture collaborators. In addition to receiving three hours of continuing education credits, the tram riders soaked in the abundance of diverse crops and research at the station.

Chad Anders, a crop consultant with Dellavalle Lab in Fresno, appreciated the information presented by Brent Holtz, UCCE farm advisor and director for San Joaquin County, saying, “Whole orchard recycling, I have clients that are pondering whether or not to get into that.”

With good humor, Holtz engaged the audience with the design of the experiment and the resulting practical data: that orchard recycling (shredding and incorporating the old orchard into the soil prior to planting new orchards rather than burning or hauling away the wood) can save growers water and enable better use of nitrogen.

Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, UC Cooperative Extension small farms advisor for Fresno County, discussed her team's moringa and lemongrass projects and how they are helping local growers and then answered a flurry of questions from her captive audience. “I learned about a new plant that I didn't know existed,” said Breanna Saint Pierre with the State Water Board. “Moringa is a very interesting crop.”

Agricultural entrepreneur Nick Cizek, who runs an automated performance testing business, was impressed by the talk on insect pests of the hemp crop given by Kadie Britt, post-doc researcher with Houston Wilson's entomology lab at Kearney. “That was cool to see research on a crop that has been generating so much buzz,” he said. With a Ph.D. in physics, Cizek was also attuned to the talks given by Daniele Zaccaria, UCCE water management specialist, on cover cropping in pistachio orchards, especially when terms and abbreviations such as “albedo,” “PAR” and “NIR” were sprinkled into the conversation.

Khaled Bali, interim KARE director and UCCE specialist, and Rachel Shellabarger, California Institute for Water Resources academic coordinator, described their FREP-funded project to improve nitrogen and irrigation management through on-farm consultations, demonstrations and training.

UCCE specialist Jackie Atim and UCCE specialist emeritus Bob Hutmacher described the sorghum research at Kearney and implications for drought-impacted farming. Adjacent to the sorghum plot, which had recently been sampled for biomass and chopped, the tour perused an unfamiliar kiwi orchard and an extremely rare tea planting, which is being evaluated by UC Davis chemistry professor Jacquelyn Gervay-Hague.

USDA-ARS agronomist Sultan Begna discussed plans for his trial that seeks to demonstrate the economic potential of intercropping alfalfa in young almond orchards at Kearney. This project is an example of several ongoing collaborations between Kearney academics and USDA-ARS scientists. 

When our tour group stumbled upon UCCE specialist Peter Larbi astride his new tractor preparing for his air blast sprayer calibration training at Kearney on Nov. 4 and 18, he was gracious enough to inform the group about his research.

Other topics covered on the tour by Kearney research staff included groundwater recharge in alfalfa by Bali and project scientist Moneim Mohammed, Solbrio grapes and Sunpreme raisins by UCCE specialist Matthew Fidelibus, cover crops in pistachio orchards as a means to reduce navel orangeworm emergence from mummies on the orchard floor by UCCE specialist Houston Wilson, solar powered treatment of brackish water by UCCE specialist Daniele Zaccaria and staff research associate Luke Paloutzian, and the effects of soil bio-stimulants to reduce water stress in almonds was discussed by UCCE specialist Giulia Marino. 

The attendees asked thoughtful questions, including many about crop water usage. The speakers made a lovely drive through Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center a unique and diverse educational experience.

Kearney REC requests proposals

The Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (KARE) is requesting proposals for new research and demonstration projects for the period Nov. 1, 2017, through Oct. 31, 2018. Research rate for new projects will be approximately $30 per hour.

Located near Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley, Kearney has 330 acres suitable for many types of tree, vine, and row crops and environmental research.

Kearney has the most extensive specialized agricultural research facilities of any off-campus location within UC: modern greenhouse, postharvest facilities, sample handling (including cold storage and drying), sensory evaluation and associated research laboratory facilities. This year, a soil weighing lysimeter is available for plant water-use studies.

Substantial open ground, plantings of grapes, stone fruit, kiwi and alfalfa are becoming available.

Proposal forms are to be submitted electronically via the “Universal Review System” accessed through your UC ANR Portal by Oct. 2, 2017. Forms are located at http://recs.ucanr.edu/For_Researchers/Research_Proposal_Application_and_Forms.

To submit the required forms, follow these simple steps:

1. Log into your portal at https://my.ucanr.edu.
2. Click on “Login to Universal Review System”.
3. Under “Open Systems” select “Kearney REC CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS 2017-2018”.
4. Fill out the “New Proposal” form, then submit it using the “Create Proposal” button at the bottom of the page.

If you have questions about field research management, contact Dale Pattigan at (559) 646-6022 or dpattigan@ucanr.edu. For questions about the facilities, contact Laura Van der Staay at (559) 646-6030 or ljvanderstaay@ucanr.edu.

Other questions may be directed to Jeff Dahlberg, KARE director, at (559) 646-6060 or jadahlberg@ucanr.edu. For assistance with submitting your proposal, contact Janie Duran at njduran@ucanr.edu or (559) 646-6010.

To learn more about Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, visit http://www.kare.ucanr.edu/

 

Weighing lysimeter available for research at KARE

The Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (KARE) in Parlier is requesting proposals for new research and demonstration projects for the period Nov. 1, 2016, through Oct. 31, 2017.

Located near Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley, Kearney has 330 acres suitable for many types of tree, vine, and row crops and environmental research.

Kearney has the most extensive specialized agricultural research facilities of any off-campus location within UC: modern greenhouse, post-harvest facilities, sample handling (including cold storage and drying), sensory evaluation, soil-weighing lysimeter, and associated research laboratory facilities.

Substantial open ground, plantings of grapes, stone fruit, kiwi and alfalfa are becoming available.

Proposal forms are to be submitted electronically via the “Universal Review System” accessed through your UC ANR Portal by Sept. 30, 2016. Forms are located at http://recs.ucanr.edu/For_Researchers/Research_Proposal_Application_and_Forms/

To submit the required forms, log into https://my.ucanr.org, then click on “Login to Universal Review System.” Under “Open Systems” select “Kearney REC CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS 2016-2017.” Fill out the “New Proposal” form, then submit it by clicking the “Create Proposal” button at the bottom of the page.

Weighing lysimeter available

A soil-weighing lysimeter is available for research at KARE.

A weighing lysimeter measures water loss from plants and the surrounding soil. The lysimeter at Kearney consists of an underground chamber that houses a balance-beam weighing system, upon which rests a rectangular box measuring 6.5 feet wide by 13 feet long and 6.5 feet deep. The box is automatically weighed every hour to determine water loss.

The KARE Research Advisory Committee will review competitive proposals and recommend the assignment of the lysimeter. The approved proposal will be allocated subsidized support hours and the adjoining 3.5 acres of open ground.

Project proposals for using the lysimeter are due Sept. 30, 2016, or until it has been assigned. Project proposal forms are available on the RECS website. Applications must be submitted online.

For more information contact KARE superintendent of agriculture Chuck Boldwyn, cfboldwyn@ucanr.edu, (559) 646-6020; KARE office manager Janie Duran, njduran@ucanr.edu, (559) 646-6010; or KARE director Jeff Dahlberg, jadahlbert@ucanr.edu; (559) 646-6060.

To learn more about Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, visit http://www.kare.ucanr.edu.

KARE calls for proposals

The Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center (KARE) is requesting proposals for new research and demonstration projects for the period Nov. 1, 2015, through Oct. 31, 2016.

Located near Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley, KARE has 330 acres suitable for many types of tree, vine, and row crops and environmental research. There is also the opportunity for research on certified organic land at Kearney. It also has the most extensive specialized agricultural research facilities of any off campus location within UC, including modern greenhouse, post-harvest facilities, sample handling (including cold storage and drying), sensory evaluation, soil weighing lysimeters, and associated research laboratory facilities.

Substantial plantings of grapes, stone fruit, almonds, kiwi, apples and alfalfa are becoming available.

Please submit proposal forms electronically via the “Universal Review System” in the UC ANR portal by Oct. 2, 2015. Click on “Login to Universal Review System”. Under “Open Systems” select “Kearney REC CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS 2015-2016.” Fill out the “New Proposal” form, then submit it using the “Create Proposal” button at the bottom of the page. Forms are located at http://recs.ucanr.edu/For_Researchers/Research_Proposal_Application_and_Forms.

If you have questions about field research management, contact Chuck Boldwyn at (559) 646-6020 or cfboldwyn@ucanr.edu. For questions about the facilities, contact Laura Van der Staay at (559) 646-6030 or ljvanderstaay@ucanr.edu.

Other questions may be directed to center director Jeff Dahlberg at (559) 646-6060 or jadahlberg@ucanr.edu. For assistance with submitting your proposal, contact Janie Duran, njduran@ucanr.edu, (559) 646-6010.

To learn more about Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, visit http://www.kare.ucanr.edu/

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