Posts Tagged: extension

Lawn-pocalypse! Surviving Drought

Ah, summer! The season of sunburns, pool parties, and… lawn droughts. If your once lush, green carpet now looks like a crunchy brown doormat, you're not alone. Let's dive into why your yard is staging a dramatic death scene and what you can do to...

Bermuda grass and weeds overtaking drought stressed turf grass.

A patch of former lawn, mostly dead, with a few green weeds and Bermudagrass

Postharvest Center: New research focus and outreach

Still providing the world with top-notch information

UC Davis has been a leading source of information for people handling, packaging and transporting crops since the beginnings of the Postharvest Research and Extension Center in 1979. Now, the center is strengthening its focus on the needs of industry, offering fresh courses, weaving strategic partnerships and expanding into digital media, all while building up its research capacity to better serve the needs of the produce industry.

“We're asking people in the industry, ‘How can we support you? How can we better listen to you?' We want people to know we're not disconnected know-it-alls,” said new center co-director Bárbara Blanco-Ulate, an associate professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. “We're getting more faculty involvement, people with expertise in related fields such as quality engineering and safety, as well as bringing in emeriti faculty and people from around California. We're forming partnerships with organizations around the world, and we've opened up to people from other institutions around the country.”

“The larger the network, the more things we can do,” added fellow co-director Irwin R. Donis-Gonzalez, an associate professor of UC Cooperative Extension in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

The foundation: Expanded research

The new co-directors will beef up the center's applied science component with the hiring of a research specialist. They aim to provide new information that can be used industry-wide as companies explore new ways to handle and store fresh produce.

“We're building the capacity to respond to industry requests for research,” Blanco-Ulate said.

New courses, national reach

Their first workshop, held recently, demonstrates the center's renewed vision and commitment to broad networking: The Agricultural Water Systems Workshop addressed current concerns around water management and risks to food safety. Partners in the course included the Western Growers Association, the University of Arizona, the University of Florida and Salinas-based Taylor Fresh Foods, Inc.

Courses given over the past several years that have been recorded will be posted to the center's new, online video library and to the center's YouTube channel.

“People can watch those courses for free,” Blanco-Ulate said. In addition, new courses will be offered in-person and hybrid.

The co-directors are working with the University of California to offer continuing and professional education credits to course participants.

Online resources – many for free!

The center's website features a database with scores of free product fact sheets, which are downloaded by users around the world. The fact sheets are so highly regarded that they are considered expert evidence in legal proceedings, Blanco-Ulate said. Visitors to the website can also find links to research papers published by UC Davis faculty, including seminal works by Adel Kader, who founded the center.

Books are offered through the center's online bookstore and include titles through UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Ten new titles are being planned, including topic-specific updates taken from previous classics.

Debunking myths: Ethylene

A new newsletter deals with a new problem: Misinformation about food and food handling that spreads through social media. One example is the use of ethylene to ripen produce such as bananas, so that they can be safely stored until ready for the consumer.

“Ethylene is safe for humans and does not leave any harmful residue on produce,” Donis-Gonzalez wrote in the center's latest newsletter. Even better news, he added: The levels of ethylene used on food are a tiny fraction of the concentrations that would be needed to create an explosion, one of the false alarms being raised in social media.

Evolving with the times

After 47 years of service, these and more updates will keep the center at the forefront of an evolving postharvest world. The top goal: Meet the needs of agriculturalists, industry and consumers.

“We are adapting to new needs, with both the resources and the workshop we're offering,” Donis-Gonzalez said.

“As a land-grant institution, we take our outreach mission seriously,” Blanco-Ulate added.

Related links

More about the UC Davis Postharvest Research and Extension Center.

This story first appeared on the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences site.

2024-25 UC Cooperative Extension positions announced

Dear Colleagues,

It is with great pleasure that I announce that the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) is continuing to support the research and extension needs of California through placement of new University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Advisor and Specialist positions. Thanks to extensive collaboration with campuses across the UC system, our UC Research and Extension Centers (RECS), UCCE County offices, and our many partners in government and the private sector, the following positions have been approved for recruitment:

UCCE Advisors:

Discipline/Specialty	Counties Served	Office Location
4-H Youth Development: College and Career Readiness	Lake and Mendocino	To be determined (TBD)
4-H Youth Development: College and Career Readiness	Alameda and Contra Costa	Alameda
4-H Youth Development: College and Career Readiness	San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura	TBD
4-H Youth Development: Leadership and Civic Engagement	Modoc, Lassen, Plumas and Sierra	Lassen
Agricultural Workforce Development	San Joaquin Valley	TBD
Agronomy	Sacramento, Solano and Yolo	Yolo
Avocado, Citrus, and Subtropical Fruits	Riverside and San Diego	San Diego
Citrus and Pistachio	Kern, Kings and Tulare	Tulare
Commensal Rodents & Urban Wildlife Integrated Pest Management	Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara	Santa Clara
Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Resiliency	Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz	TBD
Environmental Horticulture	Riverside and San Bernardino	TBD
Environmental Horticulture & Controlled Environment Agriculture	Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo and Santa Cruz	TBD
Field and Vegetable Crops Integrated Pest Management	Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare	West Side REC
Food Systems	Los Angeles and Ventura	Ventura
Fruit Postharvest Handling	Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera and Tulare	Lindcove REC
Horticulture and Small Farms	Nevada and Placer	Placer
Livestock and Natural Resources	Lake and Mendocino	Mendocino
Livestock and Natural Resources	Marin and Sonoma	Sonoma
Livestock and Natural Resources	Shasta and Trinity	Shasta
Low Desert Weed Management	Imperial and Riverside	Imperial
Nutrient Management & Forage Systems	Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus	Stanislaus
One Health Integrated Produce Safety	Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz	TBD
Orchard Systems: Almond, Apricots, Peaches, and Pistachio	San Joaquin and Stanislaus	Stanislaus
Orchard Systems: Apples, Cherries, Olives, and Walnuts	San Joaquin and Stanislaus	San Joaquin
Outdoor Recreation/Connected Communities	Lassen, Plumas and Sierra	Plumas
Vegetable Crops	Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter and Yuba	Colusa
Vegetable Crop and Weed Science	Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz	Monterey
Viticulture and Tree Fruit	Sacramento, Solano and Yolo	Sacramento
Weed Science	Marin, Napa and Sonoma	Sonoma

 

Specialists:

Discipline/Specialty	Host / Location
Agricultural Acarologist	UC Riverside Dept. of Entomology / Kearney REC
Agricultural Economics: Small Farms and Rural Economic Development	UC Santa Cruz Department of Economics; Center for Agroecology
Agricultural, Food and Natural Resources Computational Data Science	UC San Diego Supercomputer Center
Agricultural Waste Management and Bioenergy Production	UC Merced Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Agricultural Policy	UC ANR / California Dept. of Food and Agriculture
Agricultural Technology Workforce Development	UC ANR / TBD
Beef Cattle Production Systems	UC Davis Dept. of Animal Science
Climate Resilient Orchard Systems	UC Davis Dept. of Plant Sciences
Climate Resilient Rural Community Development	UC Berkeley ESPM
Coastal Hydrology Agriculture and Water Resilience	UC Santa Cruz Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Center for Agroecology
Coastal Produce Safety Systems	UC ANR / USDA ARS Salinas
Field Trials and Testbeds Design and Operation	UC ANR VINE / Kearney and Westside RECs
Food Safety/Drones/Remote Sensing	UC Santa Cruz / Monterey Bay Education, Science and Technology Center (MBEST)
Groundwater Quantity and Quality	UC Merced Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering / West Side REC
Mental and Emotional Health in Youth Families and Communities	UC Davis Dept. of Human Ecology
Oak Woodland Management and Conservation	UC ANR / Hopland REC
Organic Production: ANR OAI Academic Director	UC Merced Dept. of Life and Environmental Sciences
Outdoor Recreation	UC ANR / CA Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development
Recycled Water Reuse and Brackish Water Desalination	UC Davis Dept. of Land, Air and Water Resources; Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Sustainable Dairy Cattle Nutrition	UC Davis Dept. of Animal Science

The UCCE Advisor positions will be released for recruitment in small batches over the next several months to facilitate engagement of various selection committees.  The UCCE Specialists will be released to campuses for recruitment upon completion of the Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) currently being renewed between UC ANR and the campuses/host sites.

We wish to thank the UC ANR program teams, county and REC directors, leadership from the UC campuses, the Program Council, and all of our collaborative partners who assisted with this position call, submissions and reviews. We truly could not be successful without your engagement and expertise.

Glenda Humiston
Vice President

2,000 Climate-Ready Trees Provided to Residents of Low Shade Neighborhoods

To date, over 2,000 climate-ready shade trees and tips on their planting and long-term care have been provided by UC Master Gardeners and over 20 partners to residents of low shade neighborhoods in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties through the “Trees for Tomorrow Start Today” project. Tree species given away are identified from research projects including the joint University of California/United States Forest Service (USFS) study at UC Riverside as well as from other research, local observations, and input from the green industry and academic colleagues.

The "Trees for Tomorrow Start Today" project was implemented in 2019 by Area UC Cooperative Extension Horticulture Advisor Janet Hartin with support from Mandy Parkes, Inland Empire Resource Conservation District Manager. A "train the trainer" model provided education to Master Gardener volunteers from San Bernardino County on project elements and follow-up. Master Gardeners now manage many of the events. In 2023, the program expanded into Riverside County. Several other Master Gardener programs throughout the state have also expressed interest in implementing the "Trees for Tomorrow Start Today" project.

Why is this project so important? 95% of Californians now reside in cities and suburban environments. Resulting urban heat islands created by built environments coupled with impacts of climate change can be mitigated through nature-based solutions. Planting climate-ready shade trees now will help ensure cooler urban areas in the next several decades as trees mature and maximize their urban ecosystem benefits. Fortunately, the shade from a single well-placed tree can decrease surface temperatures of black asphalt and artificial turf by more than 70 degrees F in hot inland and desert cities. Studies show that surrounding air temperatures can also be reduced through the transpiration process.

A major goal of the"Trees for Tomorrow Start Today" project is to enhance tree canopy cover in low shade neighborhoods also plagued with much higher than average levels of air pollution and pulmonary and cardiovascular disease incidence. Events over the past month have occurred in Fontana, San Bernardino, and the Salton Sea.

Other partners include San Bernardino County, City of San Bernardino, California Climate Action Fellows, Tree People, Coachella Valley Resource Conservation District, Alianza Coachella Valley, Inland Empire Urban Conservation Corps, several water districts, and other groups.  

Thank you to all our partners and, especially, our tree recipients, for greening and cooling your yard and neighborhood! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Presidential Love of Bees: From 'Bee Houses' to 'Bee Trees'

Today, on Presidents' Day, let's buzz back in history to our first President and his love of honey bees. Picture this: George Washington (Feb. 22, 1732-Dec. 14, 1799) is eating hoecakes with honey, and adding honey to his tea, something that historians...

A feral honey bee colony (now gone) in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A feral honey bee colony (now gone) in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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