Posts Tagged: administration
UCCE director Ellie Rilla goes on sabbatical leave
The Marin Independent Journal ran an article in yesterday's paper announcing that the director of UC Cooperative Extension in Marin County, Ellen Rilla, is taking a sabbatical leave beginning June 30 to update her 1997 book "California Agritourism Handbook for Farmers and Ranchers."
According to the story, written by Rob Rogers, she expects to work elsewhere in the University of California Cooperative Extension system after her writing sabbatical ends.
Rilla has served as county director for 21 years, coming to the University from Circuit Rider Productions of Windsor, where she worked on a $1.2 million wetlands restoration project. As UCCE director, she has been dedicated to preserving Marin County agriculture, the article said.
"Agriculture is a lifestyle," Rilla was quoted. "You're living with nature, and you never quite know year to year what will happen. There are good years and bad years, some driven by the market and some by nature itself. I have tremendous admiration for folks who make their living in agriculture, because it's not easy."
Watershed management farm advisor David Lewis will succeed Rilla as county director.
Rilla's 1997 publication to be updated.
ANR Spanish-language program featured in UCR pub
The UC Riverside faculty and staff newsletter Inside UCR includes a feature in the current issue about a long-standing ANR program housed at the Southern California campus, News and Information Outreach in Spanish (NOS).
The article traces the program's journey from its inception in 1981, when radio news stories were sent to California radio stations on gigantic reel-to-reel tapes, through a 27-year-long uninturrupted stream of information from the University to the Spanish-speaking public. The stories are still mailed directly to radio stations, but are also available for online listening on demand on computers worldwide.
Myriam Grajales-Hall, NOS manager, told writer Todd Ransom that the radio new stories provide very practical tips that the Hispanic listeners can apply to their daily lives.
Added public information representative, Alberto Hauffen:
“Because we are research-based, we have the credibility and have established a good working relationship with the news media. They use what we give them.”
The program's effectiveness and longevity has given it a devout following. Listeners often contact the NOS office directly for more in-depth advice on health issues.
“They look at us as a trusted friend,” Grajales-Hall was quoted. “It’s a big responsibility, but we can guide them to the right people.”
Alberto Hauffen, Lisa Rawleigh, Myriam Grajales-Hall
Almond Board CEO praises ANR vice president
The current issue of the Almond Board of California's newsletter "The Handle," which is e-mailed to about 100 almond processors monthly, opens with a warm letter from its chief executive officer, Richard Waycott, about UC ANR's new leadership.
The letter says Waycott and ABC's production research head Bob Curtis recently met with ANR vice president Dan Dooley and associate vice president Rick Standiford. Waycott wrote that Dooley wants to position agriculture front and center at the Regents’ table, crafting a long-term plan for
The letter noted that Dooley plans to complement this objective with “systematic advocacy and PR,” enlisting the UC scientific community “to be active in public policy and issues of the day.”
Waycott's missive continues:
"After the meeting, as Bob and I descended the elevator to the parking lot, I felt like shouting, 'Ag is back! Ag is back!' Dan’s summation . . . as to why agriculture deserves a larger share of the pie…was oh so refreshing."
Waycott concluded with a call to action, of sorts, saying readers need to "rally round Dan and his team."
The same issue of The Handle also covered the June symposium held by UC and a variety of commodity groups on public spending for agricultural research. The story noted that public funding for agricultural research and extension has generated a dividend of $20 to $30 for every dollar invested.
For instance, productivity gains over the last 50 years have helped farmers more than double agricultural production with only a modest increase in overall inputs. In the case of almonds, the average yield has increased 86 percent over the last two decades, The Handle said.
/st1:state>/st1:place>
The Handle
First-in-the-state UCCE program recognized
The UC Cooperative Extension office in Humboldt County, opened on July 1, 1913, was the first in the state, according to a story in yesterday's Eureka Times-Standard. By October of that year, California's first 4-H club was established in Humboldt County.
It seems the county's first farm advisor, Andy Christianson, set the standard of hard work and dedication for his sucessors statewide. The story noted that a local historian came accross Christianson's travel schedule for May 1914.
"Christiansen was scheduled for 16 straight days of travel visiting farms and ranches from Capetown to Garberville to Arcata to Weitchpec and beyond. It appears Christiansen had a day off around the middle of the month, followed by 11 more days of nonstop travel," the story said.
Humboldt County UCCE director Alan Bower marked the 95th anniversary of the program at a recent meeting of the county Board of Supervisors.
He explained that the primary mission of UCCE is to bring knowledge and information to rural areas through the pipeline of the university. Today, four advisors in Humboldt County's UCCE program provide information to the public in forestry, marine science, plant science, livestock and natural resources.
Genetic resource program shutting down
The Sacramento Bee today ran a story about an ANR decision to close the Genetic Resources Conservation Program, based at UC Davis. Reporter Maddalena Jackson spoke to program director Patrick McGuire and attended a "farewell coffee" last Wednesday to gather information for her story.
Since the GRCP's inception in 1985, the program collected more than a half million plant samples representing some 13,000 species. The collections are repositories for scientists looking to adapt crops to new threats, such as evolving insects and diseases, climate change and drought.
However, the story said that, according to UC officials, GRCP's successes were too limited to justify its expense. McGuire and his predecessor Calvin Qualset have accepted the shutdown, the article says.
Telling quotes from the story:
"We've been starved out of existence." - Qualset.
"No elected official has this on their radar." - McGuire
There "aren't any prospects for increased funding. We're hoping for better days." - Pam Kan-Rice, assistant director of ANR Governmental and External Relations
"Genetic reserves play an important role, if California agriculture is going to adapt. I don't think that's hit home yet." - McGuire