Agriculture

NOTE: A graduate student at CSU Fresno is looking to describe the geographic distribution of alkaliweed in California. Please see the end of the article for a link to a QUICK survey describing where YOU have encountered this species.

We recently posted information about the Bohart Museum of Entomology's upcoming open house on "Eight-Legged Wonders," and several people responded that they absolutely HATE spiders, and that we should have prefaced it with a SPOILER ALERT: "SPIDER PHOTOS! BEWARE!" Spiders--especially jumping spiders...

Whenever I'm asked to talk about livestock and predators with a non-ranching group, I poll the audience about what predators give me the most problems in our sheep operation. Most say coyotes, some say mountain lions; inevitably, a few say black bears.

UCCE Sonoma County along with other UC colleagues, recently received a grant to identify the impact of grazing on the frequency and severity of wildfire in California.

"Where can kids learn beekeeping for free?" someone asked us last week. One of the ways is through the 4-H Youth Development Program. Who can join 4-H, which stands for head, heart, health and hands and which follows the motto, "making the best better?" It's open to all youths ages 5 to 19.

The first-ever cost study of primocane-bearing blackberries in California has been published by UC ANR's Agricultural Issues Center and UC Cooperative Extension. With primocane-bearing, growers can extend the blackberry production season.

(Proceedings of the Royal Society B) DAVIS--If you're like many Americans, you've set up a hummingbird feeder in your yard to nurture and watch these high-energy pollinators.

Want to know what bug is making holes in the leaves of you shrub or eating your fruit? Or what is the pesky weed you cannot get rid off? The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources publications have four sets of Pest Identification cards for you.

California's monarch population is rapidly declining. They're on life support. What actions should we take? A group of invited guests--invited by the Environmental Defense Fund--met Feb.

Hello! My name is Myra Chavoya-Perez and am the new Cooperative Extension Coordinator at Intermountain Research and Extension Center Tulelake.