Posts Tagged: development

South Coast REC program educates, trains future ag workforce

GROW program also builds skills of students with learning differences

Renowned for pioneering research that leads to exciting new crop varieties like the Luna avocado, the University of California South Coast Research and Extension Center (REC) in Irvine is also an important hub for agricultural education. Through programs like the GROW program, South Coast REC – administered by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources – is a dynamic resource for workforce development in the community.

Originally created by the Orange County Farm Bureau, GROW provides out-of-the-classroom experiences in agri-business, career exploration and other educational opportunities for local high students in school districts with agriculture programs. Participants engage in field days at South Coast REC to learn about the research component of agriculture, and the research center quickly became a popular aspect of the program.  

In 2016, South Coast REC stepped in to oversee GROW. Tammy Majcherek, UC Cooperative Extension community education specialist for Orange County, has been at the forefront of the program's successful partnership between the Orange County Farm Bureau and the REC.

“Each field day we host is different, and that's intentional,” said Majcherek. “The students aren't just learning about agriculture – they're experiencing it. During their visit, they see where their food comes from and realize that agriculture isn't just planting seeds or hopping on a tractor.”

In 2023, GROW reached more than 600 high school students and continues to nourish the minds and lives of Orange County community members. Students interact with UCCE advisors, industry partners and other experts to learn about a wide variety of topics related to agriculture including hydroponics and emerging ag technologies, pest management, food safety and preservation, plant breeding and more.

Andres Martinez, a junior at Fullerton Joint Union High School in Orange County, recently visited South Coast REC for a GROW field day and said it surpassed his expectations. "Everything was cool. I thought we were just going to be sitting in a classroom but my expectations definitely got blown out the water," he said, adding that he loves to eat and his favorite part of the visit was trying new food.

Martinez admitted that the visit deepened his interest in agriculture and he would like to return to South Coast REC to learn more about where his food comes from. 

Chocolate avocado pudding, anyone?

“We provide an opportunity for the students to see how growers, nutritionists and chefs intersect,” Majcherek said, noting that participants not only get to taste the crops harvested at South Coast REC, but they get to use it in creative dishes like chocolate avocado pudding.

Using cocoa powder, avocados, milk or milk alternatives and a sweetener, participants create a new and different snack. Thy Phan, a student at Westminster High School, recently visited South Coast REC for a GROW field day and said the pudding taste surprised her. “It didn't look that good when we were making it, but I actually like it,” she said.

“Of course, not all the students are going to like it but many of them are, at least, willing to try something new because they're involved in the process of creating it,” said Majcherek.

Jacob Ortigoza, another student from Westminster High School, confirmed that he was not a fan of the chocolate avocado pudding. “I didn't like the flavor, but making it was fun. I'd like to do more cooking,” he said.

GROW continues to expand its programming to serve students in various Career Technical Education programs, including cuisine, biology and mechanical engineering, as well as young adults in Adult Transition Programs.

GROW participants enter the workforce at SCREC

Adult Transition Programs (ATP) cater to 18- to 26-year-olds who have learning differences and are shifting from the student life to that of a young professional. Skill-building, for personal or professional use, is the primary focus of ATP and Majcherek was adamant about providing a space for ATP members to learn and explore at South Coast REC.

Gavin Olsen, who was a member of ATP at Esperanza Education Center in Mission Viejo, also learned of South Coast REC during a GROW field day. Despite growing up in Orange County, Olsen admitted that he had no idea the REC existed, but is glad he finally does.

“I grew up knowing about agriculture and come from a family of farmers,” said Olsen, who dreams of owning land one day. “At South Coast, I'm learning what it takes to manage land and I'm understanding plants better,” he added.

Lindsey Pedroncelli, interim director of South Coast REC, envisions the center as a launch pad for success. “We not only want to highlight novel career paths to students, but we want to train and empower them to work in these spaces,” she said.

Earlier this year, Olsen was hired as a field technician, supporting matters like plowing weeds, setting up irrigation lines and preparing field plots. Olsen has dyslexia and said the nature of his work at South Coast REC requires him to be hands-on, which he loves and prefers over desk work.

“I love getting my hands dirty and I feel like the hands-on aspect of the job is the best part,” Olsen said.

Pedroncelli wants South Coast REC to continue serving students by providing a base of knowledge that will help them succeed in the various agricultural industries.

“Beyond teaching the basics, we aim to assist students in taking the next step – whether that be pursuing a certification or degree at a college or university, taking part in an internship, or getting their first industry job,” Pedroncelli added.

To donate and support the GROW program, visit https://give.ucanr.edu/forms/SCREC-GROW.

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

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. 

4-H ag tech breakfast to support next generation of leaders, innovators

Event at FIRA USA in Yolo County includes look at agricultural robotics, automation

The FIRA USA ag tech conference, Oct. 22-24 in Woodland, showcases the latest robotics and automation innovations. A special breakfast during the event will support tomorrow's leaders, scientists and engineers who will realize the potential of those technologies.

Proceeds from the breakfast (Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Yolo County Fairgrounds) will benefit higher education scholarships for 4-H youth participants interested in applying technology to a wide array of agricultural practices.

During the breakfast, attendees will hear from 4-H alumni – including Glenda Humiston, University of California vice president for agriculture and natural resources – on the impact of their participation in the program.

As a leading nationwide youth-development organization, 4-H delivers research-based, positive youth development practices through its community-based programs. Youth gain life and work readiness skills through hands-on projects. Studies have shown that youth who engage with 4-H programs are more likely to:

• Achieve academically
• Serve in leadership roles in school and community
• Engage in some form of community service

“4-H clubs, project teams and after-school programs develop skills in areas ranging from animal science to robotics, and from natural resources to coding,” said California 4-H Director Kimberly Sinclair Holmes, who will speak at the breakfast. “Scholarships help ensure those seeds of interest and passion blossom into meaningful careers that contribute to agriculture and society.”

Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/4-HFIRAEvent.

The ticket includes all-day access to FIRA USA, touted as “the largest robot playground in the world,” where attendees can get an up-close look at laser weeders, autonomous harvesters, drone applications and a host of other ag tech innovations.

FIRA USA is a collaboration of GOFAR (Global Organization for Agricultural Robotics), Western Growers, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, and The VINE.

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