Safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving

Partners unveil first on-farm robotics incubators

Opening in Salinas and Merced in 2025, Reservoir Farms will drive ag innovations in automation robotics

The Reservoir, a nonprofit building tech incubators across California, and partners Western Growers Association, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Merced College, Hartnell College and venture capital firm HawkTower have announced the creation of the first-ever on-farm robotics incubators, Reservoir Farms.

Unveiled during a press conference at the FIRA USA 2024 robotics conference in Woodland, Reservoir Farms are set to open in the Central and Salinas Valleys in early 2025. This pioneering initiative significantly shifts how agricultural technology innovates through real-world testing environments, world-class resources and critical industry partnerships.

California agriculture faces critical challenges, including labor availability and cost, import competition, increased regulation, water scarcity, and climate-related challenges, including extreme weather. These challenges have spurred significant advancements in agricultural precision, automation, mechanization, and robotics in recent years.

Despite advancements, early-stage agtech projects lack critical ecosystem support, like connecting directly with growers, testing and validating their solutions, and accessing dedicated shop space and farmland. These gaps hinder capital efficiency and the development of critical solutions that meet the agricultural sector's needs.

Initial projects at the incubators will focus on early-stage agricultural innovations in automation and robotics, including rovers and drones, that accelerate the development of breakthrough solutions to the opportunities and imperatives faced by California farms producing high-value specialty crops, such as labor shortages, profitability, and adopting climate-smart technologies.

Western Growers Association, a key advocate for advancing agricultural innovation, will provide financial and operational support as an anchor partner.

Anchor educational partners like UC ANR, Hartnell College, and Merced College will play a crucial role in innovation and workforce development, preparing the next generation of agricultural researchers, professionals, and innovators to drive the future of farming in California.

HawkTower, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage startups developing breakthrough innovations for California's environmental and industrial imperatives, is also an anchor partner.

“The launch of Reservoir Farms is a critical step forward in ensuring the future resilience of California's agriculture and across the Central Coast and Central Valley,” said Danny Bernstein, CEO of the Reservoir and managing partner of HawkTower. “By placing incubators directly on the farm, we enable innovators to test, iterate, and scale solutions in real-world conditions as a more immediate path to advance farming communities.”

A new model to incubate agtech innovation

The idea for Reservoir Farms emerged from extensive industry research and consultations with over 50 organizations in the specialty crop sector. Key insights uncovered critical gaps in startups' access to real-world testing environments, shop space, and direct relationships with growers – factors severely hindered capital efficiency and posed a formidable barrier to innovation.

“Our goal is to eliminate the friction points that have historically slowed down the development of new agtech solutions,” said Walt Duflock, senior vice president of innovation at Western Growers Association. “Reservoir Farms offers a new model, where startups can work side-by-side with growers to test their technologies, iterate in a low-stakes environment, and build scalable solutions to improve agriculture's operations.”

Initiative to support thriving agtech ecosystem and job creation

The Reservoir Farms initiative also reflects a broad-based collaboration between key educational institutions, industry players, and local communities to ensure the next generation of agricultural professionals is equipped with the skills needed to support the region's growing agtech sector.

Supporting partners include Central Coast Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action (COPA), Digital NEST, Farmhand Ventures, Merced County Farm Bureau, Milano Technical Group, Monterey Bay DART (Drone Automation & Robotics Technology), Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, Monterey County Farm Bureau, Tesserakt Ventures, and The VINE.

“As robotics and automation become more integral to California agriculture, it's essential to have facilities like Reservoir Farms embedded within the farming community,” said Gabriel Youtsey, chief innovation officer at UC ANR. “By bridging the gap between lab-based research and real-world application and accelerating tech transfer, Reservoir Farms can help build the workforce and technology needed to address the critical challenges on the farm, from labor shortages to climate change.”

Focus on specialized services and real-world testing in California's agricultural heartland

Reservoir Farms will open its first two locations in Salinas Valley and Merced in the first quarter of 2025. Participants can lease testing fields and shop space without the burden of multi-year leases, giving them the flexibility needed to scale. The incubators will offer fully equipped R&D workshops, secure storage for expensive equipment, and customized, pre-planted specialty crop fields for testing.

These facilities will be complemented by Reservoir Farms' co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and a robust demo day schedule designed to connect startups with growers, investors, and other key stakeholders.

In addition, the Western Growers Association's validation process will provide startups with a quantitative “scorecard” that offers crucial metrics on scalability, efficacy, and financial viability. This validation, combined with UC ANR's field testing, will help startups refine their products and receive a critical stamp of approval that builds trust with growers and ensures a smoother path to commercialization.

Media Contact:

Jennifer Goldston
AgTech PR for the Reservoir
816-260-0040
jennifer@agtechpr.com

UC Master Gardeners equip Orange County’s Spanish-speaking community to garden on a budget

Since joining the University of California Master Gardeners of Orange County in 2022, Ana Peeks has been on a mission to share all that gardening has to offer, especially for the Latino community in her neighborhood.

“We've got to empower our Spanish-speaking community. They're one of the most vulnerable when it comes to food insecurity,” said Peeks. In partnership with Heather Hafner, a fellow UC Master Gardener, and the First Christian Church of Orange in Orange County, Peeks organized an opportunity for community members to learn introductory gardening in Spanish.

Every Tuesday for six consecutive weeks, 14 participants gathered in a conference room at the church. The course uses Seed to Supper, a program that was developed by Oregon State University Extension to teach food insecure communities how to grow their own food on a budget.

“The great thing about the Master Gardener community is that it stretches across the entire country, and we are able to draw upon fantastic programs and curricula from our partner organizations,” said Randy Musser, UC Master Gardener program coordinator for Orange County. UC Master Gardeners are supported statewide by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Hafner, who has waited for the Seed to Supper program to be available for public use since 2019, completed the required facilitator training by OSU and was given access to the curriculum earlier this year. After learning that Peeks, a first-year UC Master Gardener, wanted to teach gardening to her church community but wasn't sure how to get started, Hafner jumped at the chance to collaborate.

Currently available in English and Spanish, the Seed to Supper curriculum is also customizable, said LeAnn Locher, OSU Master Gardener outreach coordinator.

“Even though it was created based on Oregon's climate, you can certainly adjust the curriculum to suit other growing conditions, including Southern California,” Locher added.

Together, Peeks and Hafner modified the program to suit the needs of the Orange County community, particularly which vegetables to plant during the different seasons.

Over the six weeks, the participants learned about topics such as soil health, fertilization and how to seed plants. The Great Park, a public park in Irvine, donated thousands of seed packets for a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Although she is always encouraging participants to expand their palates by growing new and different fruits and vegetables, Peeks also understands the importance of growing food that they typically consume and are familiar with. The participants provided a list of seasonal vegetables that they wanted to grow, mostly jalapeños, tomatoes, squash, melon and lettuce.

Because space in the home is a limitation for many, the course included lessons on vertical versus horizontal planting, as well as container gardening.

Program organizers removed barriers to participation

Several of the participants shared that the course has had an impact on their family. “I have more confidence that l can cook with what I learned from the course. I now know that I have to make good food choices for my family,” said Martha Montiel.

In addition to cooking the food they grow, participants said that gardening has created an opportunity to unite family and friends.

During class, Peeks instructs in Spanish and Hafner offers support in English, which Peeks then translates. While language is a barrier that both UC Master Gardeners were prepared to address, childcare was also top of mind. During class, on the opposite side of the conference room, you will see children watching a movie so their mothers, a majority of the participants, can be fully engaged in Seed to Supper.

Peeks was also mindful about transportation to and from class. Since many of the participants were already commuting to First Christian Church of Orange on Tuesdays for their food distribution program, it was convenient to host the class before the food distribution center opened to the public.

After receiving their certificates of completion, Peeks said she observed participants exchange vegetable planting experiences and give regular updates on their crop's progress. “Some participants are sharing their crops, gardening experiences and what they have learned with their friends and neighbors, too,” Peeks added.

Like Montiel, Amy Correa said that after taking the course, she assesses food before she buys it. “I look at the produce, read the labels, see if it's organic and where it was grown,” said Correa, adding that the course has motivated her to make healthier choices for her and her family.

One of the challenges that remains for Peeks and Hafner, however, is the cost of supplies. Hafner and her husband have donated large pots and soil to help participants get their gardens started, but both UC Master Gardeners envision participants having access to more tools like gloves, trowels, pots of various sizes and pruning shears.

“Extending information and sharing knowledge is the most important thing about these classes. But our impact can be so much greater when we're able to provide everything they need to get started. This includes tools,” Hafner said, noting that doing so aligns with their effort to remove barriers that hinder a participant's success in the program.

If you would like to donate to the UC Master Gardeners of Orange County, please do so here: https://donate.ucanr.edu/?program=UC_Master_Gardener_Program&county=Orange.

New 4-H director to youth: ‘You are worthy and you are valuable’

Holmes brings a lifetime of service, mentorship to California 4-H program

Growing up in rural Alabama, Kimberly Sinclair Holmes – the new statewide director of California 4-H – experienced firsthand the enduring value of youth development programs in a limited-resource environment.

From first grade through seventh, Holmes participated in a summer program hosted by nearby Tuskegee University, a historically Black land-grant university. Every day, Holmes would play sports like kickball and softball, enjoy craft projects, and strengthen the English and math skills she learned in school.

“We didn't necessarily have all the amenities you might have in a more urban setting, so the program allowed us to socialize with friends and keep relatively up-to-date on our skills,” Holmes explained. “We learned something new each week, too.”

In her new role overseeing 4-H across the most populous state in the U.S., Holmes said she aims to ensure that those types of invaluable opportunities are available to all young people. Affiliated with the nationwide youth development program, 4-H in California engages approximately 58,000 youth each year and is administered by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“My emphasis is – and will be – on ensuring that every youth in the state of California knows what 4-H is – and how to connect in whatever way is meaningful for them, whether in the traditional club setting, an expanded learning or after-school program, one-day events or online activities,” said Holmes, who started in her director position in July.

Holmes' past shapes her path

As a child, Holmes, whose paternal grandfather was a sharecropper in the Deep South, helped her family grow fruits and vegetables in their garden – that is, when she and her siblings weren't romping through the countryside on the outskirts of Tuskegee, a small town near Montgomery, the capital of Alabama.

“We were either chasing the chickens and turkeys, or the chickens and turkeys were chasing us, depending on the day,” she laughed.

The youngest of eight children, Holmes said she was very much a “daddy's girl” who loved to watch her father tinker with the family automobiles, in the shade of a leafy tree on sweltering 100-degree days.

Holmes' early interest in mechanics and her fix-it mentality shaped her initial academic and career pursuits. After graduating from Tuskegee University with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, she worked as a product systems engineer in the auto industry for about seven years.

As a young professional in Kokomo, Indiana, Holmes got involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She was paired with a “little sister” – appropriately named Destiny – and Holmes' experiences helping Destiny navigate the challenges in her life demonstrated the impact that mentorship can have on young people.

“Growing up in a limited-resource rural environment, I was always aware of and tuned into whether the young people coming behind me would have the same opportunities, and the extent to which I might be able to help them,” Holmes said. “The more I received mentoring from professionals who were helping to shape my career, the more compelled I felt to pass that along – to help other young people figure it out.”

After conversations with colleagues and self-reflection on how to make a difference in society, Holmes pivoted from engineering car parts to engineering programs in higher education. She took an administrative job at the University of Texas, Dallas, where she would serve as assistant dean in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, as well as an advisor to five different student organizations on campus.

For that service, Holmes received an award for mentoring from the National GEM Consortium, whose mission is to provide financial support to persons from underrepresented groups who pursue graduate degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related fields.

Holmes was on her way to a new career in guiding young people through school and life.

Continuing a family legacy of youth service, mentorship

Looking back, Holmes said it was influential elementary school teachers and her own parents who showed her the immense value of a career helping and serving others. Holmes' parents were involved in several ministries and managed a gospel singing group that traveled all over the South.

Following her parents' example, Holmes joined a youth ministry as an undergraduate in college, where she first began talking with local youth about their challenges, frustrations, aspirations and dreams.

“I saw so many young people struggling with their identity and what they could do as a career.  It really troubled me that they were struggling as much as they were,” Holmes said. “I asked myself, ‘What are you doing to help them figure it out?' That's really where it started.”

All along her professional and academic path, Holmes continued to serve as a mentor and guide by having difficult conversations about setting and realizing life goals. After attaining her Ph.D. in public policy/administration from UT Dallas, she progressed through a series of administration roles at higher-education institutions throughout the South.

Holmes eventually landed at Alabama A&M University, where she was serving as assistant Extension director and a 4-H state program leader in the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, prior to joining UC ANR.

A vision for the future of youth development

Like her “shade-tree mechanic” father, Holmes still enjoys tinkering in her free time. She will also apply her engineer's perspective to optimizing 4-H programs in California, which offer young people hands-on experiences on everything from animal sciences to robotics, and from fine arts to programming languages.

While praising the “phenomenal team” of UC Cooperative Extension advisors and educators and 4-H support staff, Holmes will also be looking to build on their innovations.

“There are several strategies you would use to improve, measure and improve efficiencies in an engineering system; but there are also several strategies and processes you would use to measure and improve systems in an organization,” Holmes said. “I think what I bring uniquely to this role is the ability to see and integrate those strategies for even greater organizational effectiveness and growth.”

After listening to and learning from her team across the state, Holmes is eager to develop and calibrate new ways to reach more young people – as the benefits of 4-H are needed more than ever. The concerns of youth she has heard throughout her career are even more pronounced and pressing now.

“It's something I worry about constantly, especially post-pandemic – the data about how our young people are struggling with having positive images of themselves and hope for the future,” Holmes said. “There's a lot of despondency; there's a lot of anxiety; there's the issue of chronic absenteeism; and the number of youth who have now reported a diagnosed mental health disorder is alarmingly high.”

Aside from the myriad life and work skills that 4-H activities can teach young people, participation in 4-H also helps them see, for themselves, their intrinsic worth as a person – outside of external influences such as social media. A sense of belonging within a supportive community, like the one that 4-H cultivates, can guide young people to that truth.

“I want to be absolutely certain you know that you are worthy and you are valuable – you have something to offer, and there's something unique and special about you,” Holmes said. “You have unique gifts and talents that only you can exercise in the world. Because only you can exercise them in the world, it's critically important that – before you give up, give in or give out when the pressures of life weigh on you – you have people around you who will help you through those difficult moments.”

Holmes believes that when communities create spaces in which all youth feel a sense of belonging and are able to connect their interests and abilities with possible careers, young people will make significant progress towards reaching their full potential.

“This achievement will then contribute to a greater quality of life for the youth, as well as communities statewide,” she said.

Silver medalist Maddalena reflects on her path from 4-H to Olympics

4-H lessons in discipline, respect, being prepared formed foundation for success in sports, career

Just weeks after winning a silver medal in shooting at the summer Olympics in Paris, France, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sagen Maddalena returned to her hometown, where her interest in the sport was sparked as a 4-H member. Groveland, nestled at the entrance of Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County, greeted her with a hero's welcome on Sept. 21, when she served as grand marshal for the Gold Rush town's annual 49er Day parade.

“Have a dream, think of your future, but put action towards it,” the two-time Olympian advised kids when she spoke at local schools. “I had a dream of going to the Olympics. I continued to work toward it and it came to fruition.”

At an early age, the marksman began focusing on details for a competitive edge. A 4-H volunteer recalled a teenage Maddalena declining a soft drink because she worried that it would affect her shooting performance.

Asked about the memory, Maddalena said that sounded right because sugary drinks may increase one's heart rate, diminishing a shooter's concentration, steadiness and accuracy. She enjoys thinking through the conditions, including wind and light, and winning.

From a small town to the medals podium

Maddalena reflected on her path from participating in California 4-H in Tuolumne County – in a town with a population of 540 – to college, a successful career in the Army and the Olympic medals podium. The 4-H Youth Development Program is delivered by UC Cooperative Extension.

While she doesn't recall how old she was, eight or nine, when she joined the Groveland Highlanders 4-H club, the Tuolumne County native vividly remembers the array of activities.

“I was yay tall,” she said, gesturing with her hand, “and I was cooking cakes in baking classes. I remember my instructor, 4-H leader, Mrs. [Carol] Willmon. We had our meetings up here in Groveland, and I learned a lot about, financials, keeping track of your livestock, how much you're feeding 'em, what money is going in, what money's going out.”

She raised animals to show at the Mother Lode Fair in Tuolumne County – goats, sheep, hogs and horses.

“Me and the sheep weren't very good friends,” she said. “I loved goats; goats and hogs were good. And then I also did fair with horses, showmanship and English and Western [riding styles] with horses. I was all over the map with 4-H, but it really taught me how to take care of my animals.”

But it was a 4-H shooting program that changed her life.

Firearm safety central to first experiences with shooting

“I got started with shooting through 4-H,” said Maddalena, explaining that her parents encouraged her to enroll in a shooting program at age 13. “They wanted to me to learn gun safety and being able to handle a firearm safely if I ever came in contact with one. So that's how I started through 4-H. But with the .22 [firearms] program, I just latched on, I loved it. And there was some competition with it. I learned about safe handling of a firearm, and then I got to compete with it and skyrocketed from there.”

From there, Maddalena joined a junior team, then made her way to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Rifle Championships. “That really that opened the doors then to possibly going to the Olympics, representing my country on the world stage,” she said.

To hone her shooting skills and serve her country, Maddalena joined the Army. She qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 2020, competing in Japan during the pandemic, and again in 2024. In Paris, she finished in second place in the women's 50-meter rifle three positions.

“4-H prepared me for the Army really by showing me discipline,” she said. “And it taught me to take care of my equipment or the livestock that I had. So it taught me those life lessons. Discipline, respect and being prepared is what 4-H really brought into my life. Just as a kid, to get that foundation was so important before I moved up and then decided to join the Army.

And then it all came full circle because in the Army it's all about discipline, respect and being prepared.”

Olympian trains soldiers in Army Marksmanship Unit

At 49er Day, youngsters and community members had an opportunity to get some shooting pointers from the silver medalist, who was wearing her Army uniform. For those aspiring to excel in shooting sports, Maddalena, who trains soldiers in marksmanship, had this advice: “Know what's behind your target, have respect for your equipment, go easy on the trigger and always have control of your firearm.”

Maddalena, who has been in the Army for five years, continues to serve as a marksman and an instructor in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.

The secret of success, according to Maddalena, is continuously working toward a goal.

“Have that dream and have that desire,” she said. “But you have to have action towards it. You've got to work toward it. Put in the work to make those dreams come true.”

Maddalena, who is based at Fort Moore in Georgia, continues to hone her skills and aims to compete for gold in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I'm thankful for the opportunity that 4-H gave me in such a small town to be able to be involved with the 4-H program; it really just it helped me grow,” Maddalena said. “And I'm very appreciative of that.”

UC ANR project to help underserved farmers in SoCal with land ownership

San Diego County has more than 5,000 small farms but less than 2% are operated or owned by Black, indigenous, or people of color – including those of Asian, Hispanic or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander descent, according to the 2022 Ag Census.

The reasons vary, but historically, multiple marginalized communities of color have not received the same opportunities or support for land ownership or management as their white counterparts.    

Chandra Richards, University of California Cooperative Extension land equity academic coordinator for the Southern California region, is identifying barriers to equity when it comes to addressing land access, tenure, management and opportunities to increase the diversity of land managers and land ownership in the region.

Richards is the principal investigator for the Climate Action and Land Equity (CALE) project administered through UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and funded by the Department of Conservation. CALE aims to engage historically underrepresented communities in coalition building, capacity assessment and climate action planning. CALE elevates knowledge about the challenges and opportunities to land access and management for a diversity of land managers.

Among the challenges is land tenure, an established agreement between a landowner and tenant, outlining the purpose and use of the land over a period of time. However, when landowners decide to sell their land, these agreements are at risk of being null and void, forcing the tenants to renegotiate or discontinue their operation.

Land tenure leases for under five years are considered short-term, which are common in Southern California. For small, new and under-resourced farmers, landowner turnover doesn't just threaten their business plan but their livelihood.

For small farmer Byron Nkhoma, who leases land in Ramona to grow leafy greens and vegetables, the possibility of losing land is a constant worry. Since 2015, Nkhoma and his wife, Joyce, have been renting four of 20 acres to establish Hukama Produce. Over nine years, they have had two landowners. Before the land was sold to his current landowner, Nkhoma said he considered buying land, but the process proved more challenging than he thought.

“What it takes for someone like Byron to find a place to farm and establish a food system is an extremely involved process,” said Richards. “It's not just learning how to obtain land, it's also about managing that land so it can be used for years and generations to come.”

Originally from Zimbabwe, Nkhoma is adamant about taking care of the land he leases and has applied knowledge from his home to ensure resilience. Hukama Produce prides itself in improving environmental health through sustainable farming practices such as compost and mulch application, drip irrigation and low till. An important pillar of the CALE project includes building capacity and providing technical assistance toward land conservation and climate resiliency.

In addition to land tenure, money and time are stressors for small farmers. When they are not working on the farm, Nkhoma and his wife are researching and applying for grants to improve their soils and protect their crops from pests. However, many grants for which Hukama Produce is eligible often have pressing deadlines that demand their immediate attention – cutting into valuable time that could be spent tending to the land or selling at farmer's markets.

Two of Hukama's goals include building and sustaining trust in the market and growing their operation. By partnering with Richards, Hukama Produce has direct access to technical assistance focused on grant writing and conservation to increase ecosystem health and build tenure.

Agricultural land tenure is the arrangement, rights, and responsibilities centered around use, management, and ownership of agricultural land and resources. Building land tenure means that farmers have a stable place to grow their crops and build environmental sustainability without risk of having to move their operations.

While the CALE project boosts support for historically underserved community members hoping to own or manage land, it prioritizes land use for food production as a reinvestment into the greater community.

Eager to bring realities like Nhkoma's to light, Richards partnered with Keith Nathaniel, UCCE director for Los Angeles County, who co-coordinated the Western Extension Leadership Development conference held in San Diego the week of Sept. 23-27. WELD unites Cooperative Extension faculty, agents, advisors, educators and specialists from the western region of the United States for a two-year leadership development program.

While in San Diego, WELD participants joined Richards for a tour of Hukama Produce and learned directly from Nkhoma about opportunities and threats as a small farmer. The tour ended with participants in a circle, sharing how their professional roles can offer support to Hukama Produce and other small farms.

“We grow food so that we can feed the community,” said Nkhoma. “When we feed others, we build relationships. That's what ‘hukama' means – to grow relationships.”

If you operate or know of a small farm in Southern California and would like to be involved with or receive regular updates about the CALE project, please contact Chandra Richards at cmrichards@ucanr.edu.

If you are interested in applying for the Land Equity Project Manager position, please visit https://ucanr.edu/About/Jobs/?jobnum=2894 for details. 

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