Agriculture

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue held a town hall at World Ag Expo in Tulare on Feb. 13 to listen to suggestions for the upcoming Farm Bill. VP Glenda Humiston was among those present for the discussion.

They set out to answer the question: "How many wild bee species do we need to pollinate our crops?" The answer: "Not nearly enough bees are available for crop pollination.

In a study that highlights the role of bee diversity in crop pollination, researchers found that growers may benefit from 10 times the number of bee species than previously thought to pollinate their crops, according to a paper published Feb.

Hedgerows enhance wildlife abundance and diversity around farmland without contributing to food safety problems in field crops, according to a new study published by a team of University of California researchers.

Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne spp. Multiflorum), is an annual grass common in Sacramento Valley orchard and field crops (Figure 1).

What better day to deliver a seminar on bumble bees than on Valentine's Day?

Spring doesn't "spring" on the University of California, Davis campus. Sometimes it skitters, scampers and scoots. That's in between the cool and warm temperatures that deceive us--and the bees.

Focusing on current hot topics in farming and agriculture, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources academics will offer nonstop displays and demonstrations in its own tent at the World Ag Expo, Feb. 13-15.

Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei, Didymella rabiei) was recently found in volunteer garbanzos in the Sacramento Valley, so keep an eye out for this disease in your production fields and be sure to control all volunteer garbs on your farm (yes, these volunteers are now long gone).

Picture 1: Adult alfalfa weevil Alfalfa weevils, key pests of alfalfa hay, have been showing pyrethroid insecticide resistance within the Intermountain region, specifically in the Scott Valley area west of Mount Shasta.