Agriculture

Richard Smith is a University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor in Monterey County. Leeks are in the onion family and are increasingly important crop in Monterey County. In 2017, there were 475 acres produced worth $8.6 million.

Organic farmer Phil Foster has developed a creative way to nurture the soil on his 200-acre farm near Hollister. He plants cover crops in a single line at the top of the planting bed, saving water and seed while keeping the furrows clear for irrigation.

It is with great pride that the Board of Directors of the California Alfalfa & Forage Association (CAFA) has selected Duane Chamberlain, a prominent Yolo County Farmer, for the Jim Kuhn Leadership Award in 2018.

Recently I was asked to help identify prostrate knotweed (Polygonum aviculare) that was collected from an alfalfa field.

As I write this post, the first few drops of rain are falling on our part of the Sierra foothills since early October. Here in Auburn, those early autumn rains were enough to green up our annual rangeland; other parts of the foothills and Sacramento Valley weren't so fortunate.

Local food producers: The recent wildfires are creating dangerous air pollution in our region. The biggest threat to your health is from inhaling the smoke. Protect your lungs by staying indoors whenever possible, and wearing a respirator mask when outdoors.

"George Compere." Non-entomologists may not recall his name, but entomologists--especially those who study biological control--definitely do. And whether you do or don't, you'll want to see the display featuring George Compere (1858-1928), at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis.

While soil health is currently a big buzzword in CA agriculture, UC Davis researchers want to dig into how managing CA soils to build soil health indicators impacts a grower's crop management decisions, productivity, and economic bottom line.

Recently I was asked to help identify prostrate knotweed (Polygonum aviculare) that was collected from an alfalfa field.

Monarchs: you can't save them all. It was a dismal year in Vacaville (and other parts of California) for monarch-rearing. Of the 10 caterpillars we collected from milkweed in our pollinator garden in early September and tried to rear, only eight made it.