Safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving
Elkus Ranch adds enabling garden
The Elkus Ranch, an environmental education and conference facility in Half Moon Bay, was created to provide outdoor education opportunities for urban, disabled and inner-city youth. It sits on land donated to UC Cooperative Extension by the late Richard J. Elkus.
A milestone in realizing the Elkus Ranch mission was reached with the opening this spring of a new "enabling garden." A recent ribbon cutting was covered by the San Mateo County Times.
The garden, built by ranch foreman Augie Aguilar and groundskeeper Bruno Acosta, has raised beds of varying heights, some with cutouts for wheelchairs, so youths can have up-close access to the garden without bending or kneeling, the article said. The beds contain flowers, herbs, root crops and vegetables.
"We wanted to make sure that everyone who comes to Elkus Ranch, regardless of ability or disability, can connect with the dirt," the story quoted Leslie Jensen, Elkus program coordinator and a certified horticultural therapist. "An area has been provided for training, workshops and demonstrations of principles and techniques for horticultural therapy for special education teachers."
According to Ranch Talk, the Elkus Ranch newsletter, the project was funded by support from the Atkinson Foundation, the Strong Foundation for Environmental Values, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the National Gardening Association.
Bill Crandall of the Atkinson Foundation attended the garden's recent ribbon cutting.
"It's nice to experience the outcome of our donation and to see it go to such a thoughtful project," he was quoted in the newsletter.
Enabling garden ribbon cutting.
UCCE farm advisor explains rangeland irony
Forage monitoring at the UC Sierra Research and Extension Center in Browns Valley shows the land produced, on average, 2,984 pounds of vegetation per acre, 93.4 percent of normal, according to an article published today in Capital Press. That may sound fantastic - 93.4 percent looks like an A to me. But UCCE farm advisor Larry Forero said that the growth came too late for most ranchers.
In fact, in nearby Tehama County, officials are seeking a federal disaster declaration because of drought damage to its rangelands. Reporter Tim Hearden wrote that neighboring counties may follow suit.
The problem may not be too little rain, but the timing of the rain. Much of the vegetation grew after April and May storms, Forero said. By that time, some ranchers - concerned about the lack of forage on the foothill land - had already moved their cattle to higher-elevation summer pastures or to irrigated pastures.
The fact that vegetation was left behind may prove helpful in the fall when cattle return to the range. But Northern California ranchers took another blow when it rained in early June.
This late rain can sometimes do more harm than good, Forero told the reporter. When the grass is dry, rain can leach it and reduce its nutritional value.
"This is an incredibly complicated business," Forero told me when we spoke this morning.
Forage was below average each month of '09 season.
UCCE's Mark Bolda says LBAM damage unprecedented
The California Farm Bureau newspaper AgAlert posted more information today about Light Brown Apple Moth in a story that included extensive quotes from UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Mark Bolda.
Bolda told AgAlert assistant editor Kate Campbell that LBAM larvae and webbing were found in a Santa Cruz County blackberry farm. About 20 percent of the crop has been lost.
"This the first time we've seen so many light brown apple moths in the field," Bolda was quoted in the article. "The damage is without precedent. As the moth is becoming more numerous in the area, we're starting to see this sort of thing."
Bolda said growers will have to be more proactive in controlling the pest. In the past, he said, growers have held off on treatments, but earlier treatment may now be necessary since the presence of a single larvae can trigger a quarantine.
The AgAlert story also quoted Claudia Reid, a former UC Agriculture and Natural Resources employee who is now policy and program director for Santa Cruz-based California Certified Organic Farmers. She said the organization is seriously concerned about LBAM.
"Insects that have the potential to threaten entire crops also threaten farmers' livelihoods," Reid was quoted. "Organic farmers, like all farmers, are committed to preventing the spread of this pest, and they have organic pest control methods at their disposal that need to be used in response."
LBAM
Farm advisor's blog generates news coverage
Santa Cruz UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Mark Bolda reported in his blog, "Strawberries and Caneberries," that a local blackberry farm sustained severe damage from the Light Brown Apple Moth. According to Bolda's report, 20 percent of the crop was lost.
"This information is being provided in the interest of emphasizing to the grower community that this pest is not only a regulatory problem now, but is capable of becoming an economic problem as well," Bolda wrote.
On Monday, a story about the LBAM infestation in blackberries appeared in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. It said USDA inspectors discovered the problem in May, and it came to light after an "agricultural official posted it on his blog earlier this month."
Reporter Donna Jones noted that she was unable to reach Bolda for comment on Monday. The Santa Cruz Sentinel story quoted USDA spokesman Larry Hawkins as saying the LBAM infestation on the blackberry farm is a "unique situation."
"We've seen large numbers of light brown apple moth but before now there has not been noticeable damage. Now there is. In the case of this particular field over in Santa Cruz (County), the grower is not being able to market a substantial amount of the fruit. That's economic damage," Hawkins was quoted.
Blog more immediate than newsletter
I was able to reach Bolda this morning. He said his blog is becoming a useful conduit of information to his clientele.
"I can include color pictures and I can post information immediately," Bolda said. "Our newsletter won't come out for two months and the pictures will be black and white."
The blog also permits Bolda to track his readership through Google Analytics, which tells him where his readers are located, how long they looked at posts and which posts are the most popular. "It helps me address the needs of the audience," he said.
The blog also offers the opportunity for dialog. Bolda's LBAM post generated several comments, including a lengthy one that expressed skepticism about CDFA's LBAM eradication efforts.
"I don't want to get into long drawn-out fights," Bolda said. "I do monitor the comments. But there are different opinions and I think they could be a good source of information."
Blackberry damaged, presumably by LBAM.
Sixth-graders save a tree
A group of sixth-grade students didn't stop at hugging a beloved tree at Mt. Madonna County Park, they came equipped to administer life-saving treatment, according to a story in yesterday's Santa Cruz Sentinel. The Mt. Madonna School students are aiming to protect a tanoak believed to be among the largest in California from Sudden Oak Death.
The children were led by their teacher, James Rohan, who attended a UC Berkeley training session with foresters and nursery owners to learn how to treat at-risk trees. According to the Sentinel story, the students drilled 20 small holes around the tree's trunk, injected them with Agri-Fos and plugged the holes with clay.
Agri-Fos is the only proven remedy for SOD, researchers say. It works by boosting a tree's natural defenses. It is not a cure, but it can help protect trees from getting infected and suppress disease progression in very early infections.
Reporter Roger Sideman spoke to UC Davis forest pathologist David Rizzo about the Agri-Fos treatment. Rizzo said that, at a cost of $200 per tree, Agri-Fos is not practical for saving an entire forest, but the treatment's cost seems more reasonable to homeowners who risk property damage and the expense of removal if a large tree dies.
Rizzo tells homeowners that their trees are at particular risk if they are positioned near rhododendrons or bay laurel trees, both carriers of the pathogen that causes sudden oak death, the story said.
A tree being injected with Agri-Fos.