Your Local Ag News

Santa Barbara supervisors express support for UCCE

pskanrice@ucdavis.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:41:06 -0700

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on July 27 said it intends to keep UC Cooperative Extension in Santa Barbara County, according to the Lompoc Record. All five supervisors expressed support, but requested contract language detailing the number of university academics dedicated to the county, and clarity in where the additional funding for a total of $180,000 would come from. They will meet on Aug. 10 to make a final decision on the funding, which would ensure UC Cooperative......

UCR scientist writes op-ed on methyl iodide

pskanrice@ucdavis.edu(Pamela Kan-Rice) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:44:59 -0700

UC Riverside emeritus professor of plant pathology recently published an op-ed about methyl iodide in the Ventura County Star. In his article, Sims says, "Much like other potent materials that are part of our everyday lives, methyl iodide can be used safely. This compound is the most-researched and most-tightly controlled fumigant yet registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."Addressing health concerns, Sims writes: "The chemical is not a human carcinogen. It is a rodent......

Op-ed outlines board's reasoning for farm sale

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:39:11 -0700

An op-ed written by members of the Hansen Trust Advisory Board appeared in the Sunday Ventura County Star with details about the board's reasoning for recommending that the University of California sell the Faulkner Farm in Santa Paula.John Krist, Chris Sayer and Edgar Terry wrote that the historic Faulkner Farm, which now operates as the Hansen Agricultural Center, did not provide the boon for agriculture that was expected when the facility was acquired by the trust 13 years ago.On the......

what I leave behind

sarah — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:32:00 -0700

At our big start-of-the-project celebration last August, Julie asked each of us interns to put something on the mantel of the community room as a symbol of our presence on the farm this year. At our closing gathering a few weeks ago we each took those symbols and were asked to replace them with something that signified what the Project has meant to us or what we would be leaving here.

A couple of days before the service I decided that my contribution would be a beautiful jar of different colored carrots from the farm given to us by one of Casey's (many, and generous) farmers' market friends. It fit - something from the Farm, made from scratch by a member of our community; something reflective of the amazing diversity of vegetables you discover when you grow for people in your local area and focus on taste rather than appearance or durability on a cross-country journey.

But it was missing something. I had no real personal attachment to that jar of carrots, and leaving it here would be easy. Leaving here is anything but easy.

Though I tried to avoid it the whole afternoon leading up to the service, I knew what I had to leave – a piece of my experience, both what brought me to the Farm and what the Farm has meant to me. A piece of myself.

So instead of the jar of carrots I left this…

It’s a bag I was given several years ago, made by a woman named Rose who lived in a refugee camp in dry, drought-prone northern Kenya. The bag is made from the sacks used to deliver US food aid, usually in the form of corn and soybeans grown in surplus in the US because of subsidies. This aid often ironically exacerbates famine by flooding markets with under-priced food and putting local farmers out of business. It acts, at very best, as a band-aid on the deep structural problems of our global food system. It was interactions with these unjust, destructive globalized systems that brought me to the Farm in the first place, and it’s appropriate that what I leave represents my continued passion for these issues.

But that bag is something else as well. It is creativity and an assertion of beauty in the midst of a very difficult situation. It is personal, with Rose’s name written lightly in ballpoint pen at the top. It came to me through relationships, as a gift. This, to me, is what the Abundant Table is about – something small and faithful and life-giving done creatively in the heart of the system. The daily sight of spray rigs and hazard signs in the fields around us and the sound of fighter jets landing less than a mile away at Point Mugu are a reminder of what this community strives to create an alternative to, but opposing these systems has never been the point. The Abundant Table has been about creating good food and gathering a diverse community at the table to eat it, a community that in turn has fed us. On just five acres in a corner of Ventura County, it’s only a whisper in the face of the problems, but has been transformative to those of us at the center.

I started my intern year knowing I had a strong sense of how I wanted to live but little idea of what I wanted to do with my life. I hoped that spending a year living out many of the things that are most important to me would help give a little direction to the career-path end of things, but this is perhaps the only way the ATFP hasn’t met or exceeded my expectations. In March of 2009 I planned on moving from Chicago to D.C. in the summer (and was wrong – I moved to Oxnard). In March of 2010 I planned on moving from Oxnard to D.C. (and again I was wrong – I’ll be moving to New York City). In March of 2009 I planned on getting a job doing research or administrative work, and ended up farming. In March of 2010 I hoped to find work doing research or advocacy related to food systems or international development, but at this rate who knows where I’ll end up . Though there is very little certainty in my plans for the coming months, I do carry with me a deep sense of gratitude for the Abundant Table community and for the ways this year has shaped me.

Thank you.

Hansen Trust board advises UC to sell the farm

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:42:50 -0700

The Hansen Trust advisory board has recommended that UC sell the historic Faulkner Farm in Santa Paula because it has become too expensive to maintain, according to a article in today's Ventura County Star.The farm now houses the UC Hansen Agricultural Center, named for Ms. Thelma Hansen. She left almost all of her family's estate -- nearly $12 million -- to the University of California when she passed away in 1993 to benefit and sustain local agriculture through research and education. In......

Healthy eating begins in preschool

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:49:07 -0700

Two early childhood healthy eating education programs offered by UC Cooperative Extension in Placer and Nevada counties are featured in a San Francisco Examiner blog post about the 25 healthiest foods.Written by Anne Hart, who bills herself as the "Sacramento Nutrition Examiner," the story detailed "Growing Healthy Food, Minds & Bodies," a UCCE hands-on preschool nutrition program.The program helps young children make the connection between growing and eating healthy food by, for example,......

Private eye for peach pie

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:18:10 -0700

The Fresno Bee profiled a local business over the weekend that pursues confidential research projects to help clients - such as fruit breeders, growers and sellers - identify fruit varieties that look great, taste delicious, grow easily and store well. Fruit Dynamics monitors 10 stone-fruit breeding programs, evaluating 400 to 600 unreleased cultivars each year for the fresh and processing fruit markets. Tree fruit growers are looking to the company to boost their industry, in which profits......

Water archive finds a new home in SoCal

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:29:15 -0700

The UC Water Resources Center Archives will be moved from UC Berkeley to a new home at UC Riverside and California State University, San Bernardino, the Contra Costa Times reported yesterday. The archive - which contains technical reports, speeches, photographs and other historical materials - is considered the West's premier collection of historical materials about water development. As a way to reduce expenses, the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources sought proposals to relocate......

Grape leafroll virus a headache for California farmers

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:07:02 -0700

Two relatively new variants of grape leafroll virus, known as V3 and V5, are alarming some winegrape growers in California's famed wine country, according to an article yesterday in the San Francisco Chronicle. The virus is spread by grafting infected cuttings and by the feeding of vine mealybug. It won't kill the vineyard, but it will prevent normal sugar development and reduce yields. The Chron article, written by Alice Feiring, said the late Ed Weber, Napa County's previous UC Cooperative......

Olive oil research well publicized by media

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 07:24:17 -0700

A research report released Wednesday by the UC Davis Olive Center received a tremendous amount of publicity, including articles in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Associated Press. Google News turned up two dozen stories. In a nut shell, the report said 69 percent of imported "extra virgin" oils and ten percent of domestic "extra virgin" oils researchers analyzed did not meet the international standards that define the pure, cold-pressed extra virgin olive......

Visalia paper investigates tomato-potato plant

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:06:15 -0700

A Tulare resident reported to the Visalia Times-Delta the appearance of a plant in his garden that is producing potatoes in the ground and tomatoes on the stems. Reporter Hillary Meeks inquired with UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Michelle LeStrange about a phenomenon the gardener said he has never seen before in 60 years of gardening. Le Strange said it could be a natural anomaly. "Several types of mutations occur in nature and occasionally we can visually see the result," LeStrange......

Remarkable Master Gardener profiled in LA Times blog

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:35:04 -0700

A 2001 graduate of the Los Angeles County Master Gardener program, Roxanne Sotelo catches rainwater to irrigate her yard, recycles much of her gray water and has five compost bins, according to a blog post by LA Times writer Jeff Spurrier. Spurrier is in the process of becoming a UC Master Gardener himself and regularly shares what he's learning with L.A. at Home readers. Sotelo has three raised vegetable beds in the front yard of her suburban Whittier home, Spurrier reported. They are......

UC Riverside to create digitized bee repository

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:32:21 -0700

The scientists at UC Riverside will digitize and consolidate nearly one million bee specimen records from ten collections across the United States with the support of a three-year National Science Foundation grant, according to a story published last week in the Riverside Press-Enterprise. UCR museum scientist Doug Yanega - the co-principal investigator of the grant that also involves UC Davis, UC Berkeley and seven other institutions - oversees one of nation's best collections of bee......

Sacramento farms sell direct at high rate

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:31:29 -0700

Fourteen percent of Sacramento-area farms market directly to consumers, compared to just nine percent of farmers nationally, according to research by Shermain Hardesty, UC Davis Cooperative Extension economist. The study was publicized in a UC Davis news release, and picked in the Sacramento Business Journal. Hardesty found that farms in the Sacramento region averaged $19,518 in annual income in direct sales - at such outlets as farmers markets and roadside stands. California farms' direct......

the beginning is the end is the beginning

casey lynn — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:33:00 -0700

9 days of work and 11 days of living. That is all the time that I have left here in the farmhouse that has become my home over the past 11 months. I've spent the last few weeks moving quickly, filling my minutes, because the moment that I stop I come to feel the weight of what I am walking away from, and it is quite difficult to bear. It was not an easy decision to leave this beautiful place, this joyful and supportive community, this trying and rewarding work. But sometimes there are moments of clarity when we realize that it is time to share what it is that we have learned, rather than to stay comfortably put. I recall a conversation I had a few months ago with Tezzo, one of the South Central farmers. He asked me what all of the interns were doing after the year ended. As I was about to respond, he said, "You're all going off to start your own farms, right?" He believes, as I do, that our farms and the communities that are supported by them are not isolated occurrences, but rather signs of a movement, a movement that we hope to see grow. So that is what I am doing. I'm following the movement. I'm hoping to discover it and play my part in furthering it in new places.

Yesterday I finished my application for a farm job in Arizona. The farmer I'm hoping to work for asked me to write my agricultural "mission" statement, basically a collection of my farming experiences, educational knowledge base, and vocational aspirations. I can think of no better way to sum-up what it is I am taking away from this year than with the final paragraph of that piece.

"Through learning, through working, through failures and successes, I hope to be able to learn enough to start-up small-scale, truly sustainable farms in and near urban areas. How many, I cannot yet say. But I know that I want the fruit of these farms to provide food security and food access to people regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds. These farms will incorporate permaculture design techniques with animal husbandry, biodynamic, and integrated pest management practices so as to conserve water and not rely heavily on outside inputs to maintain the health of the soil and plants. These farms will save seeds when they can and strive to grow heirloom varieties in the hope of preserving crop diversity. I wish for these farms to be economically viable, to provide living wages to those who work them full time. It seems that I want it all. And I do. I want to continue to work with and learn from those who are actually living my dream, so that I may one day be able to teach others. This organic farming thing that we are doing is all-consuming, time and work and labor intensive, unpredictable, insecure, and (from the outside) quite foolish. But we on the inside know that there is something old that we are remembering. We know that there is honor in working the land, in growing food, in preserving Earth, in providing for our families. I want to be a part of sharing and practicing that knowledge. That is my work."

This year I discovered my vocation: to be a thought-full farmer. Though my time as an intern with the Abundant Table Farm Project is ending, what I have learned, what we all have learned, this year is only beginning. The farm goes on! Food continues to grow! The soil continues to live! We all continue to feast. It has been a joy working with, eating with, and rejoicing with you. This is my best year, my fullest year, the year where I came to honestly know and love myself. This is the year I found peace with God. This is the year that I discovered family in 4 strangers. This is the year, but it's only the beginning. There will be many more to come, for all of us interns and for all of you. This year has changed us all.

Should you like to keep up on my adventures, feel free to peruse my personal blog. I was rather infrequent with my postings over the last 11 months, but I can only imagine that I will have a great deal more time for writing and processing living in the basement of my parents' house in Arizona. And if this is where we part, know that I will continue to remember you and this place and this year. I will re-member in thought and in practice. Blessings. Peace. Joy. Gratitude.

*Casey

LA 4-H coordinator appointed to state board

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:15:46 -0700

Dawn Fuller, 4-H program coordinator for UC Cooperative Extension in LA County, has been appointed by the governor's office to the School's Agriculture and Nutrition Program (SANP) in the San Gabriel Valley, according to an article in the Whittier Daily News. SANP is offered by the 48th District Agricultural Association, one of 78 fair districts in the state. Each district's mandate is to put on a fair, but in the 48th District, it became increasingly difficult......

Santa Barbara County mulls over UCCE budget

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:19:59 -0700

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is tentatively scheduled to review a UC Cooperative Extension funding request at its July 27 meeting, according to an article published yesterday in the Lompoc Record. The county had approved $111,700 for the programs and staff expertise provided by UCCE, but at its budget hearings in June, $68,000 in additional funding was requested. On June 22, the Board of Supervisors couldn’t get the four votes needed for approval. For the article, reporter......

Feds don't define extra virgin olive oil

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:45:26 -0700

Selecting an olive oil that proclaims itself "100% extra virgin" on the label doesn't ensure a high-quality product because the federal government hasn't set standards that define the terminology, according to a story in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. Many industry officials agree that "extra virgin" olive oil is cold-processed to prevent degradation of aromatic compounds and has higher levels of healthy fats and antioxidants. Federal law bars companies from selling a blend of oils as "olive......

birds of the air

sarah — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:08:00 -0700

A couple of weeks after moving the Farm I noticed something odd…in the middle of all this farmland, I only rarely saw or heard birds. A few more weeks passed and we were exiled from the Farmhouse for a night while a fumigant called chloropickerin (re-purposed WWI tear gas) was being pumped into the strawberry field next to us. Things started to make sense.

When you sterilize the soil, you kill all the bugs.
When you kill all the bugs, there’s nothing for the birds to eat.

A few weeks later I noticed something else. What sounded like bottle rockets being set off every 15 or 20 minutes were actually flares being shot in the fields around us to scare away birds that might want to eat the crops. The scarcity of birds on the Oxnard plain is more than just the passive result of the conventional field environment.

Looking out at the hundreds of acres of monocultured specialty crops (which require high pesticide application) that surround our farm, I doubted that what we were doing on 5 acres could make much of a difference.

But at least where the birds are concerned, I am being proven (happily) wrong. A group of students from Casa Pacifica (a school a couple of miles down the road from the farm that serves abused, neglected and emotionally disturbed kids) recently conducted their science fair project on our farm. They wanted to compare organic and conventional fields, and decided to count the number of birds they observed on different plots as a way of comparing biodiversity.

The Casa Pacifica students (Jackie, Matthew and Thomas) hypothesized that there would be more birds on our organic field, and here’s what they found:

We observed three different agricultural fields within 40 feet of each other in Camarillo, we found that there was an average of close to 16 birds in the organic field and less than one bird in the same amount of time at each of the conventional fields. Not only did we not see birds, when we looked at the produce in the furrows between the plants, they were not bitten off of, which we think tells us that birds had not been there at all. We talked with the farmers of the organic field and they stated that they think the birds are good to have around and they do not worry about the crop loss due to the birds eating the produce because they think that because there are so many bugs, the birds that come to their field eat the bugs, not the produce. It is our thought that the farmers should attempt to provide nesting grounds in the area of their fields for birds that eat the bugs that eat their produce. This nesting ground would provide permanent organic pesticides…birds! Our hypothesis was that there would be more birds in the organic field when compared to the conventional field, and we were correct.

So here's to the difference we can make by doing things well, even on such a small scale.

Gov extends chicken cage rule to imports

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:21:11 -0700

Egg prices will rise about 2 cents each at the farm gate when new laws go into effect in 2015 that require egg-laying hens be given more space to move around. California voters overwhelmingly passed Prop. 2 in 2008, requiring the state's producers to modify their egg production practices. This week, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a law that requires the producers of all eggs sold in California - even if they are out of state - to follow the same guidelines. In stories about the latest......

Farmers tell their stories with social media

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:56:40 -0700

Frustration at being the targets of technologically savvy environmental and animal rights groups has inspired farmers to get involved with social media communications outlets like Facebook and Twitter, according to an Associated Press article by Julianna Barbassa. "There is so much negative publicity out there, and no one was getting our message out," Denair dairy farmer Ray Prock Jr. told Barbassa. Prock writes blog posts and tweets regularly on everything from emergency drills for handling......

a CSA meditation

sarah — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 05:02:00 -0700

Every Tuesday we start our farm meetings with a "zero moment" - a pause to reflect on why we do the work that we do here. Often these moments are inspired by words of feedback and encouragement shared by visitors, friends of the Project, and our CSA members.

In honor of Tuesday farm meetings, here's this week's zero moment, written by one of our subscribers:

Meditations on My CSA Box by Meenal Kelkar

Kris is out of town today, so I had the exclusive pleasure of picking up our CSA box, as well as washing the contents. I find myself reflecting on how much I have changed in the past 6 months since we first subscribed for this box. When we first joined, there were often pick-up complications with the friends who were splitting the box with us, and we would both feel overwhelmed and even drained at the thought of the washing and drying that proceeded the storage effort. But as we know … given time … things can change! Here are my musings from today …

I was the first to arrive at the YMCA today, so I had my pick of boxes. I felt happy to see that there are more subscribers at this spot than last season – word is spreading about this bounty! And then I felt eagerness at seeing the purple beans on top of one box, the drops of water on the heads of lettuce in another … the four boxes in a row looked like a cornucopia! How lucky I am to have such a mouth-watering, freshly picked decision to make!

As I fill my two sinks with water, clear the counters on either side of the sink so that there is a flow between the create, washing, rinsing, drying and my refrigerator bin, I reflect on this chance to take a much needed mid-day break from the computer. A break that I generally intend for myself and usually forget, so I intentionally timed my pick-up mid-day to ensure I took a break. My one day each week where I do honor my promise to myself.

And as I wash, I get to soak my hands in the lukewarm water, swishing the greens back and forth, first in the soapy water and then in the rinse water. Occasionally, my focus changes to dry leaves in the spinner or pat them dry with the towel. As I reveal layer, upon layer of produce, I find myself anticipating what awaits me underneath. Often a surprise lays hidden: a few weeks ago, it was a handful of artichokes … later, a bag of lima beans … more recently, purple beans! Last week, there were two perfectly shaped globes of zucchini nestled amongst the carrots and turnips. I’ll confess to my dirty little secret … sometimes there are so many greens that my refrigerator is bursting at the seams, so often the carrot and turnip tops go directly into my compost bin. I feel a twinge of guilt at that confession, knowing that my grandmother would have ensured that every little piece would have been savored … cooked, canned, dried, pickled … so many ways to preserve this bounty.

And as I watch the dirt and water spiral down the drain, I feel an enormous sense of privilege at what could be perceived by many as a chore. You see … this past Sunday, another layer was added to my appreciation when I got to be a part of the community celebration for Casey, Cristy Rose, Katerina, Sarah, and Erynn, the 5 interns who grew, harvested, and distributed the vegetables for the CSA. Each one of these women are pioneers in the Abundant Table Farm Project, sharing a passion for radical progressive change, the need for spiritual connection beyond existing religious affiliations, the desire for food equality, and the sheer joy at providing nurturing, wholesome produce to their ever growing circle of subscribers. On one hand, it is so lovely knowing that the fields are blessed by interfaith clergy each year. But the level of both intention and attention that these 5 women devote to each box of produce is stunning. … And humbling. Everything that it has taken to get this box to me comprises a devotional practice for them … as it has now become for me.

Do I really have to get back on the computer?!

UC Riverside scientist supports methyl iodide registration

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 09:56:41 -0700

UC Riverside emeritus professor of plant pathology, Jim Sims, recently gave his opinion on the pending registration of methyl iodide to several California newspapers. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday said Sims believes methyl iodide is "absolutely necessary" to continue agriculture in the state. "I think methyl iodide can be used safely," Sims was quoted by the newspaper. In April, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation proposed registering methyl iodide for use......

Declare food independence on the Fourth

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:54:25 -0700

A campaign on Facebook is encouraging Americans to assert "food independence" on July 4th and enjoy sustainable holiday picnics as an inspiration to others. The effort drew the attention of Huffington Post columnist Leslie Hatfield, who declared in an article published yesterday that "eating local food is patriotic." Hatfield contacted the director of UC Cooperative Extension in Ventura County, Rose Hayden-Smith, to get her take on food and patriotism. Hayden-Smith just finished her......

Lake Tahoe declares its own wildfire awareness week

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:01:48 -0700

The "official" Wildfire Awareness Week falls in May, but this year the Lake Tahoe community marks the event in July, according to a story in the Tahoe Daily Tribune. UC Cooperative Extension natural resources advisor Susie Kocher told the newspaper that participation in the statewide springtime event has been low in the Tahoe Basin because many second-home owners are only there in the summer. Because of the low participation rates, fire professionals, the Nevada Fire Safe Council, University......

Visalia Times-Delta features retiring advisor

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:32:48 -0700

In a feature story printed on her last day at work before retiring, UC Cooperative Extension 4-H advisor for Tulare County Carla Sousa said it wasn't until her retirement party last Saturday that she could pinpoint the greatest achievement of her 33-year 4-H career.Sousa told Visalia Times-Delta reporter Victor Garcia that many current and former 4-H members approached her at the party to say what a positive impression she'd made on their lives."For them to thank [me] for what [I] did for them,......

Ag research too focused on production, report says

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:03:33 -0700

National agricultural policies and research programs should look beyond cutting costs and increasing production and adopt a more holistic approach to farming, according to a 598-page report issued Tuesday by the National Research Council National Academies. A news release about the report was the basis of an Associated Press story that was picked up widely by the media. "Many modern agricultural practices have unintended negative consequences, such as decreased water and air quality, and......

Garden blog features IPM website

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:11:09 -0700

The blog "Good Life Garden," developed as part of the UC Davis Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, plugged the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management website in its most recent "Website Wednesday" feature. The Good Life Garden itself is an edible landscape in the Mondavi Institute courtyard featuring organic and sustainably grown vegetables, herbs and flowers. Together with the blog of the same name, the garden was designed to educate the public on growing, buying and......

Simple Gifts

Katerina — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:27:00 -0700

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

Refrain: When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right.

Last night, we hosted our final Abundant Table Farm Project party for this internship year. The party started with a service, during which we sang one of my favorite songs (lyrics above), a Shaker dance song called, "Simple Gifts."

This song could not be more appropriate as we end our time together. It has been a year of simple gifts: sharing in unexpectedly deep friendships with four other sisterfriends, witnessing the miracle of life happening as seeds germinate and chickens grow, harvesting food for our table and so many other tables as well, welcoming friends and strangers alike into our home, seeing our farm become a hub for community engagement and justice work, forming relationships with CSA members, farmers' marketers, farm workers, nuns, professors, students, the list goes on and on.

This year has not always been the "valley of love and delight" of course. There was a period when our abundant table looked pretty barren, when we did not know if the farm would survive, and when we did not know if we could push harder than we were pushing physically or emotionally. Gone now are any notions I once had of the idyllic farm life. Instead, I now bear a deeper understanding of why my grandparents left that life and a felt knowledge of the challenges that this economic system holds for small farmers.

Yet this year has also instilled in me the belief that "to bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed." My manual labor in the field and my work with the local organization, "House Farm Workers," taught me that though farm work is socially marginalized, often underpaid, and under-acknowledged, this labor forms the core of our society. Our survival rests upon the labor of farmers and farm workers, their daily maintenance of the soil, and the sustenance of food that comes from their hands. For this reason, and for the work itself, I have come to realize the essential dignity of farm work and the respect it deserves. I have stopped wondering if I am too "good" (educated, full of potential, etc.) for this, and have started to ask if I am worthy of this work. I now know it is holy work.

I am forever changed by this work and by this place. In some capacity or other, my hands will remain connected to earth. Already, I have begun to transition away from work at the Farm and have started working as a community garden coordinator at a local 1 acre community garden called Community Roots Garden. The Garden is a shared space where people come to volunteer and learn how to grow their own school/ community/ home gardens. It is also a ministry of the North Oxnard United Methodist Church, and the harvest goes to local food pantries and a women's shelter. I'm excited to continue sharing the gift of growing food and building community with and for all who are hungry (for all are hungry, in some way or other!).

I'll also be working part-time as an assistant for dear friends of the Farm, Ched Meyers and Elaine Enns at Bartimaeus Coorperative Ministries, who inspire me in their work of peace, justice, and radical Christian faith. Their Oak View home has been a place of rest and retreat for us at different points, and I look forward to learning from them there.

As I was deciding where to live this coming season, I couldn't shake the feeling that this feels like home now - as the song says, "tis the gift to come down where you ought to be." So, I've decided to continue to live at the Farmhouse as a part of the Abundant Table community! (Though not as a farm intern.) This means I'll get to welcome in the 2010 interns and journey with them through the ins and outs of farm life. And, if you don't find me on this blog, I may be updating my old blog, http://formingroots.blogspot.com, now and again.

Living the Gift,
Katerina

Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again

cristyroses — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:33:00 -0700

Times of transition require giving pause, and as I step into my final three days of living in the Oxnard farmhouse, I want to honor the "year" here as well as accept the coming change. I'm not going very far, and so I think of the phrase I've heard some dear friends use to say good-bye - "merry meet and merry part and merry meet again" - and I pause here on our blog to be grateful.

There are certain things I am grateful for/ I will miss from this year as an intern/farmer/farm worker.

I am grateful for/ I will miss playing guitar in the morning in the big room with Oliver

I am grateful for/ I will miss driving down Hueneme Road

I am grateful for/ I will miss living so close to the ocean

I am grateful for/ I will miss my farm harvesting outfits

There are parts of the work we do that I will miss as well, including:

Working at the market

Retreats at the farm

Early morning in the fields!

ATFP parties at the house

Dinners in the big kitchen

Interviewing for the paper

Also, it's been wonderful to live in a place that friends want to visit! Having friends visit the farm has been another great honor. I think of...

Of course, a great part of this project has been getting to know my four sisterfriends!

And, last, I am grateful for my relationship with the Earth.

Altogether, the Oxnard farm is where I believe I was meant to be. I take away precious memories and a renewed sense of trust in the power of our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the Earth.

Incredible journey comes to unfortunate end

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:33:01 -0700

A mountain lion tracked with a GPS collar by UC Davis scientists made a two-month, 100-mile trek through San Diego County - skirting highways, the Wild Animal Park and Camp Pendleton beaches - before being shot in April because he raided a farm near the community of Japatul. The San Diego Union Tribune reported last Saturday on the improbable journey of M56, the moniker by which the lion was known. The UC Davis Wildlife Health Center began the mountain lion tracking project in 2000, the......

UC scientists study Peruvian avocado pest

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:21:58 -0700

The avocado seed moth, Stenoma catenifer, could wreak havoc on California's avocados should the pest make its way to the state, according to UC Riverside entomologist Mark Hoddle. Hoddle is in Peru until July to study pests of avocados in the South American country, according to a UC Riverside press release written by Iqbal Pittalwala. The avocado seed moth is native to Peru, and is particularly destructive in avocado-growing areas in the Chanchamayo region of the Junin District – a warm,......

Olive Oil Times touts UC Davis Olive Center

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 07:19:38 -0700

An industry blog on the website Olive Oil Times devoted a lengthy post to the UC Davis Olive Center this week. The center, established two years ago, is part of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. In the post, writer Sophia Markoulakis noted that acreage of California olive trees for oil has increased from 6,000 in 2004 to 22,000 in 2009. "And with California producing 99 percent of the nation’s olive oil, the UC Davis Olive Center is ground zero for ongoing olive industry......

Scientists help clean lake in Guatemala

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:53:53 -0700

Armed with decades of knowledge gleaned from research on Lake Tahoe, scientists from UC Davis, University of Nevada-Reno and Arizona State are helping tackle pollution on a remarkably similar body of water in Guatemala, according to a UNR news release. The water in Lake Atitlan is contaminated with waste water and watershed runoff, spurring algae growth and providing suitable conditions for bacteria and pathogens. UC Davis wetlands ecologist Eliska Rejmankova initiated the project, aimed at......

UC farm advisor speaks up for local tourism

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:02:13 -0700

Maxwell Norton, a Merced County UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor and acting director of UCCE in Mariposa County, provided extensive information to a Merced Sun-Star reporter about efforts to encourage tourism in Merced County and educate visitors about local agricultural roots. About a year ago, a group of agriculturists got together and starting brainstorming on ways to increase ag tourism, Norton told reporter Carol Reiter. The group formed "Country Ventures" and decided on two goals:......

Methyl iodide hearing prompts news coverage

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:12:34 -0700

Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez held a hearing of the Food and Agriculture Committee last Thursday to review the Department of Pesticide Regulation's tentative decision to approve the pesticide methyl iodide. The hearing prompted wide news coverage over the weekend, including a story in the New York Times that said the discussion in California over methyl iodide has implications beyond the Golden State. The U.S. EPA has indicated DPR's decision may influence federal policy on the use of the......

Rainy season was good for valley wheat growers

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:36:22 -0700

The rainy season of 2009-10 was good news for San Joaquin Valley wheat farmers, according to an article in Western Farm Press. It was the wettest growing season in the past five years, wrote reporter Harry Cline. Central Valley dryland producers are happy; coastal and Delta farmers, however, got too much rain, which cut early production.Cline gathered the information at a UC Cooperative Extension cereal field day in Tulare County. At the field day, UCCE farm advisor Steve Wright said the rain......

Clinton lauds UC research in hunger speech

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:38:48 -0700

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acknowledged the contribution of UC research in combating world hunger in a speech yesterday honoring the winners of the 2010 World Food Prize. The president of Bread for the World, David Beckmann, and president of Heifer International, Jo Luck, were honored by the State Department for expanding their grassroots organizations and bringing help to the world's hungry. Bread for the World is a Christian advocacy organization that presses lawmakers to support......

Kern County UCCE hosts air quality study

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:58:53 -0700

A 60-foot tower near the UC Cooperative Extension office on South Mt. Vernon Avenue in Bakersfield has been built to hold instruments aloft for air quality studies in the area, the Bakersfield Californian reported. Researchers from around the country are conducting the studies to gain a deeper understanding of the environment and to inform air quality regulatory policy. "You need to measure what's in the air, and then from that you go back and look at crafting regulatory policy," UCCE farm......

San Francisco paper reports on water war

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:59:40 -0700

A perspective piece in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle wrapped up decades of California water wrangling and pondered a possible end to the state's "water war." The article centered on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which 150 years ago was a marshy estuary with a constant ebb and flow of saltwater from the San Francisco Bay and fresh water from rivers draining the mountains, said the article, written by freelancer Matt Jenkins. Today, the article said, after 150 years of "spirited......

Spotted wing drosophila also a backyard pest

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:39:22 -0700

For the last few years, farmers in coastal California have been dealing with a new pest, spotted wing drosophila. Yesterday, the Contra Costa Times reported that it is becoming a problem in backyards, too. A native of Asia, spotted wing drosophila made its first American appearance in August 2008 and is now widespread throughout California's coastal counties. Cherries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, plums and nectarines are all favorites of the pest. According to the......

Rancher turns to UC for guidance

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:23:34 -0700

The latest in a series of small farm profiles in the Sonora Union-Democrat features a spry, 70-year-old, self-described city girl who manages a 40-acre ranch - with cattle, llamas, goats, cats and dogs - by herself. Elisabeth Kelly, a native of Switzerland and retired medical doctor, told reporter Lenore Rutherford that when she needs information about caring for her plants and animals, she turns to University of California Cooperative Extension in Tuolumne County. “They have been a big......

European grapevine moth funding for growers

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:27:23 -0700

At a press conference in Fresno Wednesday, the Natural Resources Conservation Service announced a $1 million cost sharing program to help combat European grapevine moth in California. The support will cover half the cost of voluntary, environmentally friendly control options, according to the NRCS press release. The pest control strategies, the release said, were developed and approved for use over the past five years by NRCS and the University of California Cooperative Extension. The cost of......

Feds provide funding to fight European grapevine moth

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:47:29 -0700

The federal government has pledged $1.75 million from the 2008 Farm Bill to fight European grapevine moth, a pest that made its first recorded U.S. appearance last September in a Napa County vineyard. EGVM has since spread to six grape-producing counties, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. "After increased detections of the pest in California in recent weeks, it is clear that additional funding is needed to ensure we can respond quickly and effectively to protect......

State authorities may register methyl iodide

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 07:27:16 -0700

The Department of Pesticide Regulation's announcement in April that it recommends registration of methyl iodide for use in California strawberries has been recently been gaining traction in the news media. Yesterday, National Public Radio-affiliate KQED produced a five-minute story about the potential use of methyl iodide as an alternative to methyl bromide fumigation of strawberry fields. (Methyl bromide, an ozone depleter, is being phased out.) The story, by Amy Standen, was part of Quest, a......

UC Riverside called The Idea Factory

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:28:37 -0700

The Riverside Press-Enterprise published an eight-page special report about UC Riverside in the Sunday newspaper, calling the institution "The Idea Factory." "Not only students graduate to the real world. Ideas do, too," the report's introduction says. One of the articles in the special report focuses on industry support of agricultural research at UC Riverside. The story traces the roots of UC Riverside's agricultural programs from its establishment as a citrus research station in 1907......

Advergames sending kids the wrong messages

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 07:26:43 -0700

Many food companies are now using free online games to get kids to log onto their websites and stay awhile. The children enjoy the lively animation and video content, but are also being peppered with messages about fast food, high-sugar cereals and candy, according to a UC Davis study published in the May issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.The research was the joint project of Diana Cassady, associate professor of public health sciences at UC Davis, and Jennifer Culp, Food......

Goverment gets oil spill advice from UC expert

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 10:27:11 -0700

A news reporter from the Sacramento ABC affiliate interviewed UC Davis environmental toxicology professor Ron Tjeerdema yesterday about his role in the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Tjeerdema and a team of experts are advising the federal government about abating the environmental disaster. The story (a minute and 18 seconds long) appears on the TV station's website. In it, Tjeerdema explains that officials are using a dishwashing liquid-like material to disperse the oil. "It......

Not a lot of greenhouse gas is from animal ag

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:39:21 -0700

There's been some confusion in recent years about the impact of animal agriculture on global warming. UC Davis Cooperative Extension air quality specialist Frank Mitloehner will share his findings on the subject this month during a free webinar on the eXtension website, according to an article in Pork magazine. The 2006 United Nations report "Livestock's Long Shadow" said the livestock sector is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, a higher share than transportation.......

Farm-to-school movement gains momentum

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:51:14 -0700

UC Davis is riding high on a swell of interest in changing the way American children eat. First lady Michelle Obama, celebrity chef Alice Waters and TV personality Jamie Oliver are behind the spiking popularity of a movement that has been quietly building for years in places like UC Davis, which founded the Davis Farm to School Connection in 2000. Last week, school nutritionists, farmers and others in the agriculture industry - including UC Cooperative Extension - gathered for a workshop aimed......

Bees can be trained to detect plant diseases

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:35:39 -0700

The super sensitive sensors of insects' antennae can detect vapor molecules in the low parts per billion, so a UC Davis researcher is seeking to train bees to pick up the subtle scent of plant disease before it can be seen by the human eye. UC Davis plant pathology post-doc Andrew Sutherland designed an experiment that utilizes bees' sense of smell to alert farmers they may or may not need a fungicide spray to manage disease on their crops. Sutherland's use of the classical conditioning......

A poem by Julie Morris, beet poet

Katerina — Fri, 28 May 2010 03:37:00 -0700

Julie's been writing midnight beet poems, and sent us one this morning.

On meeting the beet week after week

First, I resist the foreigners.

Next, I resolve to include them in the hot melting pot.

Soon, I preach their inherent goodness.

To my surprise, my eight year old speaks their language.

Hauerwas defines family as “strangers God has given us to love.”

They all arrive on Tuesday, in my CSA box.

If any one else wants to share CSA-inspired poems, email them our way!

Biofuel is a growing opportunity for California

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 27 May 2010 08:16:15 -0700

Federal law requires annual U.S. production of 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022, creating a potentially profitable opportunity for California farmers, according to UC experts quoted in Western Farm Press. Writer Cary Blake based two stories in the magazine's current issue on the April 2010 Alfalfa, Forages and Biofuels Field Day at the UC Desert Research and Extension Center in El Centro. The story said UC Davis Cooperative Extension agronomist Steve Kaffka is optimistic about the......

California blueberries are 10 days late

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:01:37 -0700

Persistent cool, wet weather has pushed California's blueberry ripening back 7 to 10 days, but farmers are expecting a bountiful harvest of the antioxident-rich fruit, reported the Fresno Bee today. Typically, some varieties are ready at the end of April and "by the second week of May we're going," UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Manuel Jimenez told Bee food writer Joan Obra. According to Alex Ott, executive director of the California Blueberry Commission, more than 30 million pounds of......

Lack of local slaughterhouse enlarges footprint

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 25 May 2010 11:34:58 -0700

The efforts of grass-fed beef producers in Northern California to shrink their carbon footprints are frustrated by the need to truck animals long distances to the nearest slaughterhouse, according to an article in today's Santa Rosa Press Democrat. “There just aren't enough of these smaller plants people can go to,” the article quoted John Harper, UC Cooperative Extension livestock farm advisor in Mendocino County. The story said Harper is working on a slaughterhouse project with Mendocino......

Cool weather is slowing down agricultural crops

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 24 May 2010 09:27:54 -0700

California's cool, wet spring is putting a damper on the state's agricultural industry, the Sacramento Bee reported today. Watermelon may not be ready for the Fourth of July, and tomato harvests likely will be delayed. The problem for tomato growers has been persistently wet fields, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Gene Miyao told the newspaper. "Under wet conditions, (planting) causes soil compactions. That affects root growth. Irrigation (water) doesn't infiltrate as well," Miyao was......

Of Pie and Pentecost

Katerina — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:37:00 -0700

In celebration of Pentecost Sunday, the day in the Christian liturgical tradition when the Spirit of God descended on the disciples of Jesus, I baked a "Tongues of Flame" pie for our potluck dinner. Loquats from our backyard and mangos saved from a Whole Foods dumpster went into the filling. I was pretty proud of how it turned out. If you look close, you can see the tongues of flame as slits in the crust :)

"Tongues of Flame" Loquat-Mango Pie

I don't come from a liturgical church tradition that celebrates Pentecost Sunday, and I've really enjoyed participating in the multitude of special days celebrated by the Episcopal/Anglican Church. From Epiphany and Lent to the Passion to Pentecost and Advent, it feels like I'm a part of a story that's larger than myself. This story is the broader story of the church that throughout the year is dying and being re-born through the re-telling and remembering of the narrative of Scripture.

I think that our journey as an Abundant Table community can also be told through this story. In just the past year, we've gone through a lot of growth, and also a lot of change. We're working through fears and questions about the sustainability of our project, and much is still unknown. Will we live and flourish? This church tradition, with its living memory of an old, old story, is a comfort to me and also hope-giving. Pentecost Sunday seems to come at just the right time for our questions, breathing life and wind into our sails and bringing an energy that excites me. There is something new in the air...

“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams..."

-Acts 2:17, from the prophet Joel

what a great idea!

sarah — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:31:00 -0700

Check out the great blog started by our members at our newest drop off site (Calvert St. Elementary School in Woodland Hills), talking about what they do with their boxes!

http://calvertgreencsabox.blogspot.com/

A blessing for the Abundant Table

cristyroses — Fri, 21 May 2010 05:28:00 -0700

Thank you, john o'donohue

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

Be kind to honey bees

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:54:02 -0700

A national roundup of honey bee happenings on the website Tonic.com touched on the UC Davis Honey Bee Haven, a bee-friendly garden set to open to the public Sept. 11. Tonic reports on good things that happen, dwelling on stories that "inspire, bring hope or simply put a smile on your face." And what could be more inspirational than a lovely flowering garden made possible by a generous donor that daily brings delight and joy to the world, Häagen Dazs ice cream?The Honey Bee Haven is designed to......

Don't skip fruits and veggies to prevent ADHD

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:12:31 -0700

A recent, well-publicized report that connected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to pesticide residues on fruit and veggies has the director of UC Davis' Food Safe Program concerned. Carl Winter was quoted in an Orange County Register blog as saying the research shouldn't deter parents from feeding their children fruits and vegetables. “The most important thing consumers can do is eat fruits and vegetables,” he was quoted. “There’s not, at this stage, the evidence that this causes......

Effort under way to find home for water archive

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:03:53 -0700

UC ANR may extend another request for proposals to find a new home for the Water Resource Center Archives, now housed at UC Berkeley, according to an article this week in the Contra Costa Times. ANR announced last October plans to move the archive in order to achieve budget savings. "We don't believe we have the expertise to continue to manage a library," ANR associate vice president Barbara Allen-Diaz told reporter Mike Taugher. "I believe in these kinds of archives. I will do my best to......

European grapevine moth found in Merced Co.

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:55:46 -0700

Three European grapevine moths found recently in a northeast Merced County vineyard mean six grape-growing California counties are now dealing with the new pest, according to an article over the weekend in the Fresno Bee. The pest, a native of southern Italy, made its first California appearance last fall in Napa County. It has also been trapped in Solano, Sonoma, Mendocino and Fresno counties. Writer Robert Rodriguez reported that the Merced agricultural commissioner was surprised by the......

UC nitrate quick test protects water quality

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 17 May 2010 10:51:58 -0700

Lettuce farmers can use less fertilizer - saving money, cutting back water use and reducing nitrate groundwater contamination risk - without sacrificing crop yield by employing a "quick test" developed by UC Cooperative Extension, the San Francisco Chronicle reported today. With the quick test, growers can determine how much nitrogen is in the soil and use only as much fertilizer as their lettuce needs to grow. UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Michael Cahn told reporter Julia Scott that......

USDA and UC join forces against potato psyllid

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:33:44 -0700

Scientists at USDA's Agricultural Research Service and UC Riverside will work together to develop a chemical attractant to monitor and manage the potato psyllid, according to an ARS news release issued today. The psyllid harms the potato industry in two ways. Toxins emitted when the pest feeds causes psyllid yellows and an organism vectored by the psyllids causes a condition known as "zebra chip." Zebra chip happens when sugars accumulate in some areas of the tuber instead of starch. Dark......

UC expert speaks at Lodi town hall meeting

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:08:28 -0700

A town hall meeting yesterday, hosted by the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District, included comments from UC Davis Cooperative Extension groundwater hydrology specialist Thomas Harter, according to an account in the Lodi-News Sentinel. The discussion centered on a local ballot initiative to fund the development of infrastructure for groundwater recharge. The story said authorities are working to solve "the region's groundwater crisis." "The ground isn't sinking like in Bakersfield,"......

Researchers respond to Sac Bee Sierra grazing story

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:34:03 -0700

UC Davis Cooperative Extension researchers Ken Tate and Rob Atwill responded to a story about High Sierra grazing published last month in the Sacramento Bee in the California Farm Bureau Federation's newspaper AgAlert. The Sacramento Bee story suggested that cattle grazing in high-elevation areas of the Sierra Nevada causes water contamination. Following is an opening excerpt of Atwill and Tate's commentary. See the AgAlert link for the complete 600-word response: "Our shared challenge is to......

Foodborne illness outbreak not the usual bug

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:02:48 -0700

The reported foodborne illness outbreak in Ohio, Michigan and New York this week differs from other recent leafy green contamination episodes in the type of E. coli that was identified in the lettuce, according to an article published today in Western Farm Press. Trevor Suslow, a UC Davis Cooperative Extension food safety specialist, told reporter Cary Blake that E. coli 0157:H7 is the classic type of E. coli that can cause serious illness and potential death. “E. coli 0145 is well......

UC Davis and UC Berkeley called green

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 11 May 2010 11:19:32 -0700

UC Davis and UC Berkeley were listed among the nation's 286 greenest colleges in a recent report by the Princeton Review. In fact, eight UC colleges made the list. The Sacramento Bee last Saturday ran a story about Sacramento area colleges that the Review called green, including UC Davis, Chico State and University of the Pacific. "We're not doing it to be trendy," UC Davis chemical engineering professor Roger Boulton told reporter Laurel Rosenhall about the green practices to be employed in......

Forest Service works with UC to ensure water quality

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 10 May 2010 11:00:35 -0700

U.S. Forest Service regional forester Randy Moore said the agency and its collaborators take the quality of high Sierra water seriously, according to an op-ed article that ran in the Sacramento Bee over the weekend. The op-ed came after a May 1 Sac Bee editorial encouraging the Forest Service to limit grazing to lower elevations. Moore wrote that the Forest Service is working with the State Water Resources Control Board to develop a water quality management plan for California national......

Pacific fisher orphans on Fresno TV

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 10 May 2010 10:58:37 -0700

Five Pacific fisher orphans were featured on Fresno's KSEE Channel 24 news last Friday. The story includes great video of the five tiny, weasel-like animals now being cared for at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. The orphaned fishers were rescued by an Oakhurst-based UC Berkeley team that is studying the Pacific fisher population in the southern Sierra Nevada. The animals are the offspring of two fisher females that were part of the study. One was killed by a bobcat, the other hit by a car. Get all the......

Sugar = corn syrup? UC Davis to weigh in

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:50:35 -0700

Consumers are confused about their sweeteners. Media have reported that high fructose corn syrup is no different from cane sugar, and they have publicized studies that show the corn-based sweetener is more harmful to good health than sweetener extracted from sugar cane and sugar beets. Connecttristates.com tried to sort out the facts: Both sweeteners are made up of roughly equal amounts of glucose and fructose. (New York University nutrition professor quoted in the New York......

European grapevine moth in Fresno County

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 06 May 2010 09:30:15 -0700

Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner Carol Hafner held a news conference yesterday to outline efforts to combat European grapevine moth after three were detected last week in Fresno County. The ag commissioner's office has been monitoring thousands of traps in the county as part of a statewide program to detect the invasive pest. On April 28, the officials confirmed that two European grapevine moths were found in separate traps about a half mile apart in vineyards southeast of the city of......

Small-scale lamb producer featured in Sac Bee

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:36:29 -0700

Dan Macon, a Placerville lamb rancher who last year received UC's Pedro Ilic Award for outstanding farmer, was the subject of a human interest feature in today's Sacramento Bee. The article said Macon is among Placer County's most successful and sustainable meat purveyors. He sells his product to local restaurants and as part of the Sierra Foothills Meat Buyers Club.In addition to producing meat, Macon contracts with other farmers to "mow" their cover crops.Director of UC Cooperative Extension......

House Ag Committee hears from valley farmers

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:08:54 -0700

California farmers would like the 2012 farm bill to provide help for struggling dairies, incentives for reducing air pollution and support for a legal farm work force, according to testimony at a House Agriculture Committee hearing yesterday at Fresno City Hall reported in today's Fresno Bee. The story, written by Robert Rodriguez, said an almond grower who requested help for purchasing new tractors that meet state air quality regulations heard from Rep. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, that it may......

Meet your Farmer

Katerina — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:50:00 -0700

This post comes from an interview for our CSA newsletter a few weeks ago with Agustin, who, along with his brother Juan, has been helping us with farm work at "Join the Farm." Agustin is something of a farm manager for us here. He does everything from cultivating, mowing, weeding, irrigation, and maintaining equipment to watering the outer roads of the field to keep down dust. With his background knowledge from growing up on a farm, he gives us tips on extending crop life and advice on plant problems. I've loved getting to know Agustin, and his jovial nature and jokes make our work lighter. Here's his short bio from the newsletter:

Agustin Contreras has been working on the DeBusschere family ranch for 18 of the 37 years that he's lived in the U.S. As he helped us wash carrots, turnips and leeks for your CSA boxes, he amiably answered some questions for this newsletter. Agustin comes from the town of Querendaro, Michoacan, Mexico. Some of Agustin's favorite memories from Querendaro include tending his family's cattle and helping out with the farm work there. His father left the farm in Agustin's care to work in Temecula, CA as one of over 4 million Mexicans contracted for agricultural labor as part of the Bracero program during the 1940's.
After 18 years of working on his family's farm, Agustin also left Mexico along with four of his siblings because it became too hard to feed the family there. He recently became a U.S. citizen, along with his brother Juan, the other employee on the Ranch. Agustin lives in Oxnard close to his sister and brother and is a favorite uncle of his nieces and nephews. On his day off, when he's not taking his nieces and nephews to their various appointments and activities, he likes to relax with a beer or two. His favorite vegetables are onions, garlic, and chili peppers. Agustin brought us back some chili seeds to plant from a holiday visit to his hometown, so hopefully we can share them with you too this summer!

European grapevine moth found in Mendocino

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:51:28 -0700

As authorities collaborate on a battle plan to combat European grapevine moth, the pest has been detected in a new area. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported last week that 13 moths were found in a North Ukiah chardonnay vineyard, the first evidence the pest has reached Mendocino County. The discovery of the moths means that a quarantine with a three-mile radius around the vineyard will be established. Mendocino County Ag Commissioner Tony Linegar believes the moth was transported on......

UC Riverside scientist receives national honor

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:11:20 -0700

UC Riverside plant cell biologist Jian-Kang Zhu has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Zhu's accomplishment was mentioned by UC Riverside Chancellor Timothy White in his "State of the Campus" address Wednesday, said a story on the Southwest Riverside County News Network website. Zhu’s research focuses on the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying plant responses to adverse environments, such as salinity, drought and low temperature. His work has led to the......

Food safety input collected in Monterey Co.

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:58:00 -0700

Food safety authorities were in Monterey County earlier this week gathering information from farmers, conservationists and scientists about new rules regulating the fresh produce industry, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle. UC Cooperative Extension was represented by the director of Monterey County's UC Cooperative Extension office, Sonya Varea-Hammond. She is pictured at the meeting with the director of the Food Safety Project, Jim O'Hara, in the The Packer. The Monterey......

New food safety law could hurt small farmers

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:52:18 -0700

A behind-the-scenes battle is raging in the Senate over how to regulate small and organic growers without ruining them - and still protect consumers from contaminated food, according to a story published yesterday in the San Francisco Chronicle. The crux of the legislation gives the Food and Drug Administration greater authority to regulate how products are grown, stored, transported, inspected, traced from farm to table and recalled when needed. Reporter Carolyn Lockhead interviewed Madera......

Come out and join us Thursday for a benefit concert!

cristyroses — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:21:00 -0700

More farmers using dust-reducing techniques

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:49:02 -0700

Farmers in the Central Valley are increasingly turning to "conservation tillage," a variety of practices that reduce soil disturbance and cut down on dust, according to a story in the Modesto Bee over the weekend. The story, written by John Holland, said producers in nine valley counties were surveyed by the Conservation Tillage and Cropping Systems Workgroup, an alliance of farmers, researchers and industry representatives coordinated by UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialist Jeff......

High Sierra not the place for cattle, scientists say

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:15:57 -0700

A UC Davis emergency room doctor and the director of the UC Davis Tahoe Research Center have launched a publicity campaign calling for cattle grazing to be suspended in the high Sierra, according to a story in Sunday's Sacramento Bee. The article, billed as a "Bee exclusive" and written by Tom Knudson, said the doctor, an avid backpacker, took hundreds of water samples from pristine streams and lakes in the Sierras. He found that high-elevation water bodies on land managed by the Forest......

Valley ozone story takes off

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:15:19 -0700

Research by UC Davis scientists that revealed a substantial amount of San Joaquin Valley ozone is generated by animal feed is getting wide coverage in the news media. Google News reported 126 articles on the subject. Many newspapers ran the Associated Press version of the story, written by Fresno-based Tracie Cone. She reported that the study — funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, California Air Resources Board and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District — was initially......

Animal feed generates lots of valley ozone

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:55:32 -0700

Scientists have been puzzled by the fact that the San Joaquin Valley often suffers high ozone levels even though the mostly rural, agricultural domain has fewer cars and trucks than big cities. Research by UC Davis scientists is now showing that some of the ozone in the valley is being generated by fermented animal feed, according to a story posted yesterday on the website Science News. While ozone provides a protective barrier for the earth in the stratosphere, it is an unwelcome molecule to......

Herb-infused manure nourishes contentment

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:29:24 -0700

After a hard life - which included multiple divorces, alcoholism, drug addiction, the loss of a young son and bankruptcy - specialty fertilizer producer Denise Ritchie is now finding gratification by rescuing dairy cows before slaughter and using manure to create biodynamic compost. Ritchie's story was featured this week in a Los Angeles Times Column One article by Martha Groves. She and her husband Randy purchased a dairy cow at auction last August. The animal was christened Bu, ensconced at......

Wine alcohol content is going up

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:37:14 -0700

The Wall Street Journal's wine critic, Lettie Teague, said winemakers are beginning to push beyond wine's traditional alcohol-content ceiling of 14 percent - sacrificing the favor of some wine afficionados for flavor and intensity. The federal government taxes wines with 7 to 14 percent alcohol as "table wine," and taxes wines with 14 to 24 percent alcohol at a much higher rate as "dessert wine." A wine's alcohol is determined by the grape's sugar content. As grapes ripen, they accumulate......

Of Dirt and Worms and Birds

Katerina — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:50:00 -0700

Last Friday, Raising Micah came out to visit the farm. They are a local group of families who want to raise their children in community to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God." Every month, they have a reading to reflect upon, and also take learning or service trips together. This month's reading is called "Of Dirt and Worms" (I highly recommend it!), and so they came out to our farm to learn about the importance of good soil. We had a lot of fun digging for carrots, looking at mycorrhizae, feeling, smelling and - for one earth-loving youngster - rolling in the soil, warming our hands over compost, and talking about all the living things in and around dirt. Before leaving the field, I led the group tip-toeing down the furrow beside our artichoke row to see a discovery that made my day last week:
A sparrow's nest! The kids immediately made the connection between the presence of the birds and healthy soil. When I asked them what the nest is a sign of, they yelled, "Worms!" and "Bugs!"

We talked a little bit about some of the basic differences between organic and conventional agriculture. Because we don't spray chemical pesticides, there are more insects and living things in and around our soil, both beneficial (like ladybugs and microorganisms that break down organic matter in the soil) and not so beneficial (like aphids). When the fields around us are sprayed with pesticides, it affects all the living things there, from the soil to the bugs to the birds. The soil becomes sterile, since the natural processes by which microorganisms make nutrients available to plants are disrupted. This necessitates chemical fertilizers. So, in addition to buying chemical pesticides, a grower must now depend on chemical fertilizers (or tons of compost) to supply the 14 nutrients essential for plant growth. In contrast, healthy soil, given plenty of good rest and care, will develop a natural balance of minerals and nutrients. Though organic plants might not grow as fast as they do with chemical fertilizers, studies have shown that they absorb more nutrients over time and are, in the end, more dense in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that we need for life.

Out here on our island in the middle of a conventional agriculture sea, we see plenty of signs of life. Thanks to naturalist John Borneman's gift of a bird book to the farm, I've learned the names of some feathered fauna in our area , including the following spotted in our field:

-White-crowned and House Sparrows
-Western Scrub-jay
-Red-tailed Hawk
-All kinds of hummingbirds!

I am glad for these birds, for their own sake and because they are signs of good soil.

P.S. Sarah is organizing a farm event to bring in John Borneman and the kids from Casa Pacifica who did a science fair study comparing the numbers of birds on our farm and on conventional fields. We'll let you know when it is so you can mark your calendars to attend!

Farm advisor hails self-pollinating almond

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:07:13 -0700

A self-pollinating almond variety under study at the USDA's research facility in Parlier would relieve farmers of costly annual bee rental to pollinate their trees, according to an article in Saturday's Fresno Bee. "That is like the Holy Grail," UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Roger Duncan told Bee reporter Robert Rodriguez. The story was released by the USDA's Agriculture Research Service in its April 2010 research magazine. Writer Alfredo Flores reported that self-pollinating almonds......

Volunteers battle Sudden Oak Death

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 08:33:39 -0700

To better understand the extent of sudden oak death in California, UC Berkeley professor Mateo Garbelotto is enlisting volunteers in "SOD blitzes" to scour neighborhoods and wildlands for symptoms of the devastating disease, according to a story in the Oakland Tribune. Sudden oak death, caused by a fungus Phytophthora ramorum, has resulted in widespread dieback of coast live oak, California black oak, Shreve oak, tan oak and canyon live oak in Central and Northern California and Oregon coastal......

Share value of UC with anecdotes, Berkeley prof says

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:52:36 -0700

Relating the economic impact of University of California programs may not be the best way to increase the university's share of the state budget, according to UC Berkeley emeritus professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics George Goldman. Goldman presented his ideas about public perceptions of UC economic benefits at a recent faculty seminar. The event was covered by UC Berkeley student blogger Tess Townsend at http://caledinsider.org. Underscoring the emerging importance of citizen......

Master Gardener criticizes LBAM program

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:44:36 -0700

Annie Spiegelman, author of the gardening book "Talking Dirty" and a Master Gardener for UC Cooperative Extension in Marin County, wrote an opinion piece published today in the Huffington Post that mocked CDFA's and USDA's past efforts to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth in California. The author seemed particularly incensed by aerial spraying of pheromones, which was part of the eradication program. In fact, the story was posted with a photo illustration showing a crowded Santa Cruz......

PopSci pursues the perfect lawn

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:16:10 -0700

Popular Science, the world's largest science and technology magazine, spotlighted the work of UC Riverside Cooperative Extension turf scientist Jim Baird in its May 2010 "Statistically Speaking" feature. Titled "The Perfect Lawn," the full-page story said Baird is bioengineering grass that drinks less water and still earns praise for its lush, emerald green appearance. "The process is sort of a gladiator academy for grass," PopSci says. The scientists grow promising hybrids, then turn off the......

Chronicle op-ed questions fire prevention tactics

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:25:11 -0700

Stripping plants from swaths of land to create fire breaks may not be the best way to prevent wildfire damage, according to an op-ed article published in the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday. Writer Ben Preston said the long-practiced fire management strategy opens space for invasive weed invasion, which could burn even hotter. Research by fire scientists at universities all over the Western United States has found that, despite extensive efforts to prevent large fires with prescribed burns......

A new video about us!

cristyroses — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 07:47:00 -0700

NRCS announces $15 million grant program

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:45:19 -0700

The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service distributed a news release on PR Newsire today that says the agency will fund conservation projects around the nation to the tune of $15 million. The release featured comments from the California State Conservationist, Ed Burton, who encouraged California farmers and researchers to apply. "This is a real opportunity for our University of California, California State University and Cooperative Extension offices to help expand our knowledge in......

Hatch Act celebrated in Western Farm Press

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:39:39 -0700

The act of Congress that created agricultural experiment stations at universities across the nation, known as the Hatch Act of 1887, was memorialized in a Western Farm Press article published today. Many stations founded under the Hatch Act later became the foundation for state cooperative extension services under the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. In the Hatch Act, Agricultural Experiment Stations were charged with conducting original research on plants and animals, diseases to which they are......

Small strawberry industry makes a big splash

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:49:43 -0700

Strawberries aren't a large industry in the San Joaquin Valley. Only about one percent of the state's crop is grown on the valley floor. But strawberries' annual arrival on primarily small-scale farms and sale from roadside stands is hailed annually by the local news media. Yesterday, Fresno's ABC Action News ran a report on the effect of recent rain storms on strawberry production. The story featured Southeast Asian grower Nelson Yang, who expressed relief that the rain seems to have stopped......

Fisher report influenced by timber industry

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:40:19 -0700

UC Berkeley wildlife ecology professor Reginald Barrett will present a 15-page letter to the California Fish and Game Commission at their meeting in Monterey tomorrow explaining that a new Department of Fish and Game report about the Pacific fisher misrepresents his input. The Pacific fisher is a small, nocturnal carnivore that typically perches all day high in large, old-growth pine and oak trees. Related to the mink, otter and marten, fishers historically ranged throughout the mountainous......

Suburbanites fight regs that limit food production

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:57:40 -0700

City dwellers are fighting local governments in communities across the nation to permit the production of food in their residential gardens, according to a story that appeared in San Diego's North County Times over the weekend. The story, written by Raquel Maria Dillon of the Associated Press, opened with the frustrations of LA flower grower Tara Kolla, who produced poppies, sweet peas and zinnias on her 21,000-square-foot lot to sell at a farmers market. Neighbors complained to the city about......

How to Start Seeds

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:55:14 -0700

Here is a video I made to show you how to start seeds effectively. It is short (3 1/2 minutes), but shows the technique I use to get great production with little (if any) disease issues. Starting with sterile media and watering ‘from the bottom’ are the hot tips…

Domain Samurai

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:43:08 -0700

Besides gardening, I also enjoy internet research. Here is a video showing a brand new search product – Domain Samurai.

Domain Samurai is a domain name research tool that will integrate with Market Samurai, the best keyword research tool around.

Here is a video giving you a sneak peek under the hood…

Giannini book documents family's gifts to UC

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:23:05 -0700

A new book with historical and contemporary information related to a generous 1928 gift to UC supporting agricultural economics will be available to the public April 15, according to a UC Davis news release distributed yesterday. The new publication, titled A.P Giannini and the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics, is being sold through the ANR catalog for $50 for softcover and $75 for hardcover. The Giannini name has been long associated with UC. Amadeo Peter Giannini, founder of......

Light brown apple moth eradication unlikely

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:20:09 -0700

A recently certified report on light brown apple moth asserts that the pest, native to Australia, cannot be eradicated from California. "Given the increases in LBAM population densities and the extent of contiguous spread of LBAM observed over the past 2 years, coupled with a lack of area-wide management tools, eradication is no longer feasible in California," the USDA report says. The "area-wide management tools" referred to in the report includes aerial pheromone spraying, which drew the......

Happy Cesar Chavez Day!

Katerina — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:57:00 -0700

I recently learned that Chavez lived here in Oxnard for a part of his childhood. He is still both highly regarded and highly controversial (depending who you talk to) in the area.
En memoria:

UNITED FARM WORKERS' PRAYER
written by Cesar Chavez

Show me the suffering of the most miserable, so I may know my people's plight.
Free me to pray for others, for you are present in every person.
Help me to take responsibility for my own life, so that I can be free at last.
Grant me courage to serve others, for in service there is true life.
Give me honesty and patience, so that I can work with other workers.
Bring forth song and celebration, so that the Spirit will be alive among us.
Let the Spirit flourish and grow, so that we will never tire of the struggle.
Let us remember those who have died for justice, for they have given us life.
Help us love even those who hate us, so we can change the world.
Amen.

many hands...

sarah — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:21:00 -0700

This morning I successfully orchestrated a crop mob. What does one do with a group of 30 adult volunteers from Excel Charter Academy in LA who want to volunteer a few hours for a farming cause to mark Cesar Chavez day?

You make them weed.

And they did. I wish I had taken pictures, because within two hours they had cleaned up nearly half of the beds we're currently farming. And some of those weeds (I'm ashamed to admit) were getting alarmingly close to three feet tall.

Because they were a big group, they had fun doing it too. We in the new farmers/interns/kids-who-have-no-clue-but-really-want-to-be-involved-with-food world are prone to romanticize pre-WWII farming communities, but one thing I think we can unapologetically reclaim from that era is the practice of gathering a whole community to do in a few hours or a day the work (like barn raising, or clearing a few acres of weeds) that a few farmers couldn't tackle in a month - and making a celebration of it.

So many thanks to Excel Charter Academy, and here's to many more community work day/crop mobs to come!

Drought tolerance found on cowpea genome

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:57:41 -0700

By comparing the DNA from cowpea plants that did poorly in low water conditions with those that did well, an African scientist studying in the Netherlands has traced the location of drought tolerance on the cowpea genome, according to a press release from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture posted yesterday on SeedQuest.com. The research, conducted at Wageningen University, will help breeders and farmers produce crops with higher yields despite the changing climate. Cowpea is......

Change: A lenten reflection

Katerina — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:01:00 -0700

Every Wednesday during the 40 days of Lent, two of us make a soup and salad dinner for a gathering at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Ventura, a church that has been a faithful supporter of our project from the start. Father K. asks us to share about different aspects of the farm life as dinner is served. Last Wednesday, he asked me to talk about change.

I spoke about several changes that have been a part of this project - our project's growth, newer understandings of gratitude, and changes in physical endurance - but one of the changes I want to write more about now is a change in landscape.

Until recently, our farm was bordered on all four sides. On the north and east sides, Eucalyptus trees and fences, on the south side, at least 5 long acres of raspberry hoop houses, and on the west side, Poplar trees. I did not know how accustomed I had become to the familiar landscape of our field sheltered on all four sides. I guess it's not until something is gone that you realize how much you've grown to love it. The white hoop houses, which looked strikingly like the tops of Conestoga wagons, were the first to go. It was a slow dismantling as workers stripped their plastic outer shells, then the metal ribs. A foreman helped me glean a last little bowl of ripe berries before they finally mowed over the thorny vines.

After the operation next door removed their raspberries, the 5 acres we're working on suddenly felt more expansive. We saw cars on the Hwy 1 for the first time, and the trucks seemed noisier without the insulation of those hoop houses around us. If we looked hard enough, we could see "Missile Park" at the Navy base, an open-air museum of historic missiles with nice nature names such as "Oriole," "Sparrow," and "Loon." We watched the farm workers next door, previously obscured, picking fast to keep up with the huge machines that extend over about 10 rows of strawberries. Casey noticed that sometimes they break into a run to be able to pick more berries.

The southwest side

A few weeks after the raspberries went down, we drove out to our fridge truck on the west side of the field to load up for market. A bulldozer-type Excavator sat a couple hundred feet away, half way done with the western windbreak of poplars. Its long arm bent slowly backwards and, like a sleepy giant swatting at an insect with the back of its hand, it struck down a thirty foot tree with the flat of its shovel. "What are you doing?" I shouted over the roar of the machine to the men standing nearby. They told me that strawberries will probably be planted next, where the raspberry hoops used to stand. The shade from these trees would slow the growth of the incoming crop. I stood and watched as another tree cracked and strained at the roots, then toppled under the heavy hand of the Excavator. In a day's time, the 1/4 mile long line of Poplars lay horizontal with leaves in the dirt and deep root cavities exposed. Paul tells me they haven't been there long, only twelve years. I think, that's more than half of my lifetime.

It's been at least three weeks since the hoops were dismantled and trees felled. Yet for whatever reason, the changes do not leave my mind. A strange sense of grief remains. Cristy Rose named it when she said our field seems more exposed, more vulnerable. The changes opened our quaint-looking, sheltered farm to broader realities. We can see our neighbors now, and the difference between their work and ours is uncomfortably apparent. The military planes that fly low enough to shake the earth are housed closer than feels safe. The transitory nature of large-scale agriculture unnerves me, as does our economic reality that anything can be extracted to make way for business. Everything is shifting now, tractors spinning earth that was just cleared of the old to put in new crops, forming beds, laying down irrigation. A landscape has collapsed around us and is being re-built. I'm not ready for these changes yet.

This week, we celebrated Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' triumphal entry (as triumphal as someone can get on a borrowed donkey, I suppose) into the city of his death. Before the church service, I walked out to the uprooted Poplars and broke off a number of the long branches that still had leaves on them. These served as our palm branches, which we waved above our heads as we marched around the living room singing about glory and honor to welcome our expected Messiah. We sang knowing full well, of course, that by this Friday, he will not save us in the way we expect, but will die on that tree called the Cross. Looking back, it seems appropriate, like foreshadowing in a sad story, that we lifted the branches of razed trees to welcome Jesus our Savior into this week.

The San Joaquin River is flowing to the ocean

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:21:13 -0700

For the first time in more than 60 years, the San Joaquin River is flowing from the mountains to the sea. The restoration of the San Joaquin, however, comes at a cost, according to a recent Fresno Bee article. "Now, in the first full year of the restoration, east San Joaquin Valley farmers will lose up to 230,000 acre-feet of water to keep the flow going," wrote reporter Mark Grossi. "It amounts to 18% of the water they have been getting after an average season." In a letter to the editor......

Is suitcase smuggling to blame for new pest?

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:51:08 -0700

A few of California's top vintners admit to having smuggled grapevine cane cuttings into the United States to avoid a long wait for the plant to be cleared by USDA, according to an article that moved on the Associated Press wire over the weekend. The article was published in the Fresno Bee, the New York Times and other media outlets. Some are wondering if what reporter Tracie Cone wrote is a "winked-at act of sneaking in vines" from Europe may have also imported the European grapevine moth, an......

A little something we wrote up the other day

cristyroses — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:45:00 -0700

10 practical things The Abundant Table Farm Project recommends for “just food”:

Know where your food comes from – Join your local CSA, or support the farmers’ markets near you, and “shake the hand that feeds you.” Ellwood Canyon Farm in Goleta starts up their CSA May 1^st! Montecito’s farmers’ market is Fridays from 8-11 on Montecito Coast Village Road (found at http://www.sbfarmersmarket.org/). Buying local strengthens your community and supporting independent farms encourages biodiversity. Check out http://www.foodroutes.org/ and http://www.localharvest.org/ or for a lighter endeavor, http://locavorelite2010.webs.com/.
Buy Fair Trade – If you can’t buy something locally, look for fair trade products. Get involved at http://www.transfairusa.org/.
Use animal products sparingly - meat production is responsible for 1/5th of greenhouse gases, takes up 75% of water in the western US, and accounts for more than 1/2 of the nitrogen fertilizers used in the US . Even grass-fed organic cattle take up 8-10 acres of land each. As much as possible, use meat, dairy and eggs to flavor food rather than as the center of the meal.
Cook from scratch - making your own meals from scratch helps you know what's in your food and cuts down on waste from packaging.
Cook from what you have - limiting trips to the grocery store can help you get creative with the food that you do have and reduce food waste.
Know what’s native – native plants are drought-tolerant, attractive, and are made to be here! We recommend you check out Nopalito Native Plant Nursery. They are helpful and one of very few nurseries that know about and sell native plants. http://www.nopalitonursery.com/
Check out local garden projects – One such project is the community garden at St. Michael's University Church and Campus Ministry at UCSB. Their vision for is to “bring together community members to share in the honest labor and earthy satisfaction of planting, growing and harvesting fresh organic food!”
Rethink Plastic – Help stop plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, the environment, and wildlife worldwide. Check out http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/ and “just say NO to single-use and disposable plastics.”
Consider horticultural therapy - The therapeutic benefits of peaceful garden environments have been understood since ancient times. In Santa Barbara , they have the certified organic Healing Grounds Nursery (http://www.healinggroundsnursery.com/ ), which works to serve clients through the Santa Barbara County Mental Health Services.
Support eateries that buy locally -- It’s as simple as asking your favorite restaurant, “where does your food come from?”

San Francisco meeting generates research buzz

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 07:51:50 -0700

A meeting this week of the American Chemical Society turned two interesting UC research projects into headline news. UC Davis nutrition professor Paul Davis reported that walnuts slowed prostate tumors by 30 percent to 40 percent in mice, according to a UPI article. The dose was equivalent to 2.5 ounces for a typical man. Not only was prostate cancer growth reduced, but the mice had lower blood levels of a protein that is strongly associated with prostate cancer.Completely unrelated research......

UC Davis research discovery a game changer

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:59:28 -0700

A UC Davis plant scientist has discovered a reliable way to produce plants that carry genetic material from only one parent, a breakthrough that could speed up crop plant breeding programs, according to a letter published today in the online journal Nature. Assistant professor of plant biology, Simon Chan, said the chance discovery was at first thought to be a mistake. "We were doing completely 'blue skies' research, and we discovered something that is immediately useful," Chan was quoted in......

news

Katerina — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:49:00 -0700

We just found out that the Episcopal Life news posted an article about our project. Check it out!
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_120973_ENG_HTM.htm

Small farming is a lifestyle worth preserving

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:54:20 -0700

Farming is a life of sacrifice, but a part of Americana that should be protected, according to speakers at the California Small Farm Conference, held earlier this month in San Diego. “You need to know the odds are against you," Michael O’Gorman, executive director of the UC Davis Farmer Veteran Coalition, told young farmers, according to an account published yesterday by the San Diego News Network. FVC helps returning veterans find employment, training and places to heal on America’s......

Modifying the lay of the land for fire resistence

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:36:34 -0700

Creating defensible space around woodland homes is a legal requirement and common-sense habit. UC Cooperative Extension has developed extensive information that will help homeowners maximize safety while maintaining the greenery that makes rural living desirable, according to an article in the Redding Record Searchlight. Defensible space, yes, but UC Cooperative Extension forestry advisor Gary Nakamura told reporter Laura Christman, "It doesn't mean you need to nuke the site and clear......

UC offers solutions to perennial ant problem

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:42:24 -0700

Simple, smart and safe ant invasion solutions from UC Cooperative Extension were shared in newspapers around California today. The article, written by John Sammon, originated in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, and was picked up in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the Oakland Tribune, and the Pasadena Star-News. The reporter used a UC Cooperative Extension information sheet as a source for background on ants. His story focused on the common Argentine variety, small black ants native to Argentina,......

Farmers find niche in pomegranate production

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:32:46 -0700

Growing demand for pomegranate juice, with its many purported health benefits, is increasing farmers' interest in cultivating the drought-resistant crop, according to a story in the Lodi News. The article featured a new, vertically integrated agribusiness venture being developed by San Joaquin County partners John Ferreira and John Cotta. The team are converting acreage from thirsty alfalfa to a crop cultivated since ancient times in Middle Eastern desert regions. "I wanted to get away from......

LA Times blogger to be a UC Master Gardener

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:54:23 -0700

Freelance journalist and Los Angeles Times blogger Jeff Spurrier is in Los Angeles County's Master Gardener class of 2010. In a post he wrote on Tuesday, centered on a new initiative sponsored by the Master Gardener program, Spurrier promised to share what he learns as he goes through the training himself. Spurrier wrote about LA County's “Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative," slated for March and April 2010. A UCCE news release said the initiative will help people start their own gardens......

Grass-fed beef fights cancer, study finds

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:02:54 -0700

Several studies suggest that eating grass-fed beef elevates precursors for Vitamin A and E, as well as cancer-fighting antioxidants such as glutathione and superoxide dismutase, compared with eating beef from grain-fed animals, says a research review published in the current issue of Nutrition Journal.The review, written by three Chico State professors and UC Cooperative Extension livestock advisors Glenn Nader and Stephanie Larson, wrote that grass-fed beef has an overall lower fat content.......

eggs

sarah — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:37:00 -0700

Last week, it started. Little brown ovals, the first few of which were scattered around the coop, but which are now concentrated in the nesting box.

The chickens are laying eggs. After a really rough couple of months (2 chickens died, and 2 got sick and haven't really gotten better), it's nice to have good news to report.

Its a bit magical, going out to the coop around lunch time every day and finding three or four eggs.

And, skeptical as I was, I can now verify that Americana chickens lay blue eggs.

A salute to Master Gardener service in Santa Clara

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:17:40 -0700

Santa Clara County's Master Gardener Program has channeled UC's research-based gardening information to county residents for 25 years, according to an article marking the milestone that was published in the San Jose Mercury-News last Friday. Last year, the program's 50 volunteers answered nearly 3,000 questions from home gardeners who called, e-mailed or visited. The article - written by Master Gardeners Rebecca Jepsen, Lee Ann Ray and Deyana Len - delineated some of the online resources......

A friend's blog about us: "Down on the Farm"

cristyroses — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:59:00 -0700

Thanks, Christy!

Down on the Farm

When I found out from Jenny that our friend, Cristy Rose, was living and working on an organic vegetable farm in Oxnard, I just knew we had to make a road trip out there to visit. Jenny loved the idea. She said she needed a vacation and also saw it as a symbolic return to nature, an opportunity to reap and sow and dig our hands in the soil. Personally, I’m not a big fan of dirt, so I wasn’t quite as excited about the symbolic return to nature, but I knew it would be an adventure, nonetheless.

And it was. We loaded up my car last Saturday morning with work boots, old jeans that wouldn’t mind getting messy, and a bag full of wine from Trader Joe’s—our 'thank you' gift for Cristy Rose and her roommates.

Instead of taking the 405 to the 101, Jenny suggested that we hop on the Pacific Coast Highway once we got to Santa Monica and take it all the way to Oxnard, which turned out to be a beautifully relaxing drive through the charcoal-colored mountains of Malibu. Because it was scheduled to rain later that afternoon, the mountains were enshrouded with a light layer of clouds that delicately adorned their grassy peaks, and made us feel almost as if we were driving through the islands of Hawaii—pounding waves on one side, misty mountains on the other, and an unpredictable highway that wound about, every which way, taking us in and over and through this little gem of Southern California. We were a little over an hour from Long Beach, yet it felt like a world away. I couldn’t help but recognize that old familiar feeling of freedom and excitement that always overcomes me when I am going some place new.

When Jenny and I reached Oxnard, we almost rolled right past the dirt and gravel driveway marked by a sign that says, “Join the Farm.”

Jenny read the sign aloud and then said, “Yup, that sounds a bit like the world Cristy Rose has been living in.”

I smiled, and turned down the small road, past the grove of avocado trees, and up to the farmhouse. We were greeted by a joyful Cristy Rose, with galoshes on her feet and a dog named Oliver in her arms. He is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, otherwise known as the dog Charlotte adopted on Sex and the City.

After exchanging hugs, Cristy invited us in and gave us a tour around the farm. Oliver came along—always the happy host—although he did have a tendency to get preoccupied along the way, feeling the need to pester the hens in the chicken coup, or sniff through the mounds of riches and mystery that are the compost pile. Every dog I know loves compost piles. I grew up with a compost pile, and if you are from the city and have no idea what I am talking about, then allow me to educate you. A compost pile is a collection of food scraps that slowly biodegrade and can be ground up and used as fertilizer. It is coffee grounds and eggshells and potato peels and moldy leftovers that have been cluttering the shelves of your refrigerator. It is nature’s alternative to a garbage disposal.

Yes, this farm has compost piles and clotheslines running through the backyard. It’s not that the girls don’t have an electric dryer, it’s just that they try their very best not to use it. It goes against the sustainable lifestyle that they faithfully adhere to and are incredibly passionate about. The longer I was there, the more I realized that it wasn’t a regime for them, or a trendy attempt at jumping on the sustainability bandwagon. It also wasn’t solely a matter of eating the organic vegetables they harvested, or having a few token recycling bins lying around the kitchen. It was about the way they envisioned their place in the world, and it influenced every aspect of their lives. At one point over the weekend, their sustainable lifestyle even resembled a fifth grade science experiment.

One of the bathroom sinks had gotten clogged with hair—a dilemma that is bound to occur in a house full of five girls—and rather than reaching for the Drano, as I surely would have, they started mixing various concoctions of vinegar and baking soda and pouring them down the pipes. We had an informal meeting of the minds, as each of us shared whatever at-home-remedies we could think of. Jenny suggested the vinegar and baking soda. Erynn suggested using Coca Cola. I suggested asking the almighty Google.

The girls likely would have gone online and found a recipe, had the vinegar and baking soda not worked so well. They are part of the new generation of farmers. Farmers who are in their mid-late twenties, and who are technologically savvy and who listen to their ipods as they dig up carrots out in the fields. Yet, the technology is nicely balanced with basic acts of simplicity. At the Channel Islands Farmers Market, I watched them barter and trade with the other venders. Some kale and mustard greens for a bag of organic oranges. A bouquet of wildflowers for some turnips.

The Sunday morning farmers market was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. We left the house around 8:00am and crammed into the front seat of a pick-up loaded with crates of vegetables, folding tables, and an Easy-Up tent. Jenny and I got to help Cristy Rose and one of her co-workers named Casey set up their little corner. We arranged the leafy, delicate strands of fennel to hang over a crate. Below them were bundles of spinach that cascaded over the table and leaves of swiss chard, so large and sturdy you could fan yourself with them. Then, of course, there was the cilantro, the broccoli, and the purpley turnips that added a nice splash of color amongst all the greenery.

Just like the farmers market I love in Long Beach, this one was also located alongside a marina. As the customers started to pour in, the boats just sat quietly, rocking back and forth above the calm water. From behind the booth, we watched dogs of every breed and variety walk by with their owners, and commented on how cute the children looked bundled up in knit hats on this breezy winter morning. We chatted with the patrons—a woman who eats everything raw, and who drinks leafy vegetables thrown into a juicer; a chef who works at the buffet at Whole Foods, and who shared with us his dedication for overcoming what he calls, the “food issues” we have in America. “Yeah,” he said, “we have a few issues with eating in this country. Like one, or two, or thirty thousand.” He was an interesting guy. He stayed and talked to us for about an hour, telling stories of how he used to lobby for Greenpeace. Before he left, he gave Casey a container of sprouts that he had grown in his backyard.

When we got hungry, we wandered over to the hot food carts. I ordered a tamale and a shrimp taco from a smiling Mexican woman with an orange Gerber daisy in her hair. They were greasy and authentic and spicy and delicious! Jenny went to a different vendor and bought a jar of rhubarb jam for her mother. The lady recognized her as being with the “organic vegetable girls” and gave her a discount. We told Cristy Rose, who later sent us back to her with a bag of vegetables to say thank you.

By the end of the afternoon, we had gone from three tables of vegetables to one. We packed the leftovers into the truck, and headed back to the farm to get ready for the evening church service that meets each week in the common room of the farmhouse. This farm that we were visiting was a collaborative project funded by some farmers, a nonprofit organization, and an Episcopalian church.

The Episcopalian service I attended that evening was led by a female priest. She was blonde and she wore black-rimmed glasses, similar to mine. She led us through a passage from the book of Luke, and as the discussion began to pick up, I realized that I was almost entirely in the presence of farmers—farmers who had unique and personal interpretations of the many farming analogies that Jesus makes in the New Testament. He speaks of reaping and sowing, of crops that produce good fruit, and crops that seem to die and wither no matter how much nourishment they are given.

These are all concepts I’ve heard before and that I understand on a rather abstract level, but for this group of farmers, these ideas were more than just abstract. They were realities from their daily lives. They knew what it was like to plant and harvest. They understood the faith and vision it took to take an empty piece of land and turn it into an entire crop. They knew what conditions certain crops needed to flourish, and what it was like to have them wiped out by things like wind and floods and Mother Nature’s many other surprises.

The rest of the service was a mixture of Catholic traditions, like communion and liturgy, followed by a group watercolor painting. We concluded the service by kneeling on a blanket that was filled with paint and brushes, glasses of water, and blank sheets of paper laid out like cards from a game of memory. We each chose a piece and then painted a visual representation of our prayers to God. I had never experienced anything quite like that service before. It was one of many new experiences I had the privilege of encountering that weekend.

On Monday afternoon, after spending a few hours in the fields harvesting kale and carrots, we said our good-byes to Oliver and Cristy Rose, and headed back to Long Beach. Jenny and I agreed it had been an awesome weekend. We felt revived; as if we had both gotten exactly what we came for. She got her vacation, and I got my adventure, plus a captivating glimpse into a new way of life.

Cristy Rose and Oliver

The kitchen

At the farmers market

Spraying organic pesticides over the crops

From left to right: Cristy Rose, Me, and Jenny

Casey working in the fields

Mustard Greens

Katarina, Cristy Rose, and Jenny

http://bloggingmisschris.blogspot.com/2010/03/down-on-farm.html

Ranches can increase income with agritourism

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:29:05 -0700

Cattle ranches may be able to boost the bottom line by inviting tourists onto their land for bird watching, hiking, photography or just getting an up-close look at California beef production. This was the message shared by the director of UC Cooperative Extension in Sierra and Plumas counties, Holly George, at UCCE's annual Oakdale Livestock Forum, according to a story published today in the Modesto Bee. "I would advise you to look at what you have and genuinely share that," George was quoted......

Dairies fear free trade with New Zealand

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:07:19 -0800

American dairy operators are asking the Obama Administration to protect them from an increase in New Zealand dairy exports to the U.S., according to an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal. But Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center, believes the American farmers' worries are overblown."They're making wild claims," Sumner was quoted in the story. Obama's trade negotiators begin talks next week in Australia on a regional trade agreement that may make it easier for......

UC Davis team combats malnutrition

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:24:06 -0800

UC Davis nutrition researchers invented a four-teaspoon snack that can be used to supplement children's diets in poor countries to ensure proper body and brain development, according to a story in the Sacramento Bee. Each ketchup-packet-sized serving of "Nutributter" contains 120 calories and 40 essential vitamins and minerals. The idea for the nutrition supplement came from the successful use of Plumpy'nut, a peanut-based food developed by French researchers for famine relief. Each......

Cal Poly announces collabortions with UC ANR

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:02:44 -0800

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, issued a news release last week that said four professors in its Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Department are part of nine teams of researchers and educators to receive funding intended to foster collaboration among California’s colleges and universities. Funding for the nine projects, the release said, "is provided by the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and totals $79,000." The......

UC specialist looks into steam cleaning soil

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:07:10 -0800

UC researchers are considering the use of hot steam fumigation on coastal central California farms to prepare soil for planting strawberries and new orchards and vineyards. Farmers there have for years relied on methyl bromide, but the phase-out of the powerful soil fumigant is closing in, according to an article in The Packer. To study the steam method, UC weed specialist Steve Fennimore outfitted a tractor with a boiler that heats steam to more than 300 degrees F. Ten-inch spikes inject......

Plight of the honeybee particularly bad in 2010

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:15:25 -0800

After several mild years, colony collapse disorder of honeybees has returned with a vengeance in 2010, according to news articles that ran over the weekend. Fresno Bee reporter Robert Rodriguez used UC Davis apiculturist Eric Mussen as a source for his story, describing the scientist as "the state's leading bee expert." "It never went away," Mussen said about the mysterious disappearance of bees from hives, "but this year a substantial number of beekeepers got walloped again. And worse than......

Chinese delegation visits Marin research site

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:26:05 -0800

A delegation from China's Ministry of Agriculture visited a Marin County ranch on Wednesday to view a collaborative research project aimed at sequestering carbon in rangeland. The visit was covered by Contra Costa Times reporter Mark Prado. The research collaborators, which includes UC Cooperative Extension, are studying whether application of compost on rangeland will boost plant growth, which in turn would store more carbon. Research leader UC Berkeley professor Whendee Silver shared with......

Beef business writer blasts new food movement

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:26:07 -0800

A commentary that appeared on the Web site Drovers.com, an information source for beef industry insiders, said the dialog at the Farm, Food & Health Conference held March 2 and 3 in Kansas City was "unbalanced and unrealistic." "Much of the conversation at the . . . conference," Drovers editor Greg Henderson wrote, "centered around the idea that a 'movement' is taking shape in America to change our food system." In the article, Henderson quoted conference speaker Larry Yee, director......

A note from a guest

Katerina — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:41:00 -0800

Last week, we interns joined in a 5-day "retreat" through the Bartimaeus Institute, led by Ched Myers and Elaine Enns. The institute focused on themes of ecojustice and Sabbath economics, and engaged participants in some radical Bible study. We also studied several "case studies" of folks involved in the work of loving creation, including Sister Dorothy Stang, a nun recently killed in Brazil for defending rainforest land from intruding ranchers. Last Wednesday, the 20-something other participants visited the "case study" of our farm to share dinner (and songs!), hear the stories behind our project, and to talk about farming and our farm community.

Dancing to Jay and Meg (from the group 'Psalters') at the Farmhouse last Wednesday
*Notice Sister Roseanne on the far right - these nuns know how to party.

I was struck by our guests' responses afterward and by how impacted they were by hearing from us and seeing this project firsthand. It almost required listening through others' ears to really understand the significance of our stories. Here's a note from Sam, one of the many people who visited our home last week (passed on by Sarah Nolan):

February 24th, 2010

Dear Sarah,

I once had the good fortune of having soup with Wendell Berry. At the time, I was a divinity school student, and a couple of friends and I had been talking a lot about intentional communities – what they were, how they worked, whether we might start one somewhere (anywhere, really – our first mistake). Perhaps foolishly, and probably seeking some sort of affirmation, my friend Steve decided to bring this up with Mr. Berry. His first response was that whatever far-flung ideas we had, an intentional community would have to be an agricultural one; it would have to be a land-based community. Maybe it was not surprising to us that he would say such a thing, but in retrospect I imagine he was pretty surprised. Here were some smart-seeming Yale students with almost no sense at all.

Long after the subject had been changed and we were all walking out the door saying our goodbyes, he made his second point: “Listen to your wives, boys – listen to your wives.”

In his little essay “In Distrust of Movements” Berry says that movements generally fail to accomplish their goals because they take aim at symptoms and not underlying causes; they usually fail to be radical enough. If he were to name the movement he thinks he might be part of, it would be called the “Movement to Teach the Economy What It Is Doing” (MTEWIID), which consists finally of a few elements. The movement must be dedicated to whole social, economic, and environmental systems and not mere solutions; it must be composed of people willing to undertake profound self-analysis; and it must content itself to being poor.

Berry concludes by writing, “The callings and disciplines that I have spoken of as the domestic arts are stationed all along the way from the farm to the prepared dinner, from the forest to the dinner table, from stewardship of the land to hospitality to friends and strangers. These arts are as demanding and gratifying, as instructive and as pleasing, as the so-called ‘fine arts.’ To learn them is, I believe, the work that is our profoundest calling. Our reward is that they will enrich our lives and make us glad.”

I was thinking these thoughts at the farm tonight and being very glad.

Peace,
Sam

Pollution regulations stymie dairy electricity generation

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:57:17 -0800

For Central Valley dairies, conflicting laws are making it hard to generate green electricity from dairy waste, according to an article this week in the Los Angeles Times. In order to reduce emissions of methane - a greenhouse gas - some dairy operators have installed methane digesters that convert the methane into electricity. However, the process produces nitrogen oxides (NOx), which react with volatile organic compounds to create ozone, a significant air pollution problem in the San......

Ag in Uncertain Times adds Spanish programming

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:57:21 -0800

A webinar series produced by an organization of agricultural economists at Western land-grant universities is adding Spanish programming this month, according to a news release distributed today by Washington State University. Webinars are seminars on the Web. The webinar series in English, called "Ag in Uncertain Times," began broadcasting in June 2009. Past programs programs have included "Operating in risky environments" and "Operating in the face of uncertain markets." All programs are......

UC scientists see ravages of new pest firsthand

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:47:26 -0800

A group of UC scientists traveled to Chile recently to see firsthand vineyard damage caused by the European grapevine moth, according to an article in the Fresno Bee. The moth has been detected in California's Napa County, and is being actively tracked in the valley to determine whether the infestation has spread. European grapevine moth was discovered three years ago in Chile. Because the pest develops from larvae to moth at a crucial time in the grape's growth cycle, its effects can be......

chicken day

sarah — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:44:00 -0800

How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings...

Today was full of chickens. One of the the first things I did this morning was hang my laundry on the line surrounded by a ring of curious hens (who then all trotted off to peck on the wall of the shed for reasons I don't understand).

Later I went down to Malibu to check out the Getty Villa, and this was my favorite piece:

A little terra cotta statuette of a woman feeding a hen, who has chicks under her wings.

And then of course the gospel reading for tonight's service was Luke 13:31-35, which includes the verse about Jesus wanting to gather Jerusalem's children like a hen gathers her chicks. So Emily and Molly colored pictures of chickens...

...and Anna painted this on a receiving blanket (symbolic of the warmth and security provided by the hen)

How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings...

Food safety in walnuts an ongoing concern

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:05:20 -0800

The issue of food safety in walnuts was raised with more than 200 growers at the UC Cooperative Extension Sutter/Yuba/Colusa Walnut Day this week, according to an article in the Appeal-Democrat of Yuba County. "We want our crop to be perceived as healthy to consumers and we want to grow a safe crop, too," the story quoted conference speaker Jennifer Getz, the California Walnut Board domestic marketing director. Consumers, farmers and regulators are concerned about E. coli and salmonella......

Upscale magazine celebrates Hmong cuisine

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:18:50 -0800

A brief article in this month's issue of San Joaquin Magazine gave readers a glimpse of one of the more unusual research plantings at the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center by UC Cooperative Extension small farm advisor Richard Molinar and his assistant Michael Yang. The publication, which the title page claims "is found in affluent homes of Stockton, Lodi, Tracy, Ripon, Manteca, and Mountain House," said "evocatively-named" herbs Siberian motherwort, Vietnamese coriander, Black......

Sacramento Bee runs strange candy review

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:57:12 -0800

Valentine's Day 2010 is history, but with Easter around the corner, candy season is still in full swing. That justifies a look at a peculiar Valentine's-themed story from the Sacramento Bee about the possible nutritional benefits of candy, which was picked up by the Sun Sentinel in Florida this week. "What if candy were as good for you as it is good tasting?" reporter Carlos Alcalá mused hopefully. "Some ingredients in candy may be healthful, but does that make the candy beneficial?" Alcalá......

Farm economy not as bad as reported

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:21:39 -0800

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein fanned a controversy earlier this month when she said she would propose legislation urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to raise the valley's water deliveries. Her idea was hailed by West Side growers and farmworkers - who say they are suffering economically because of short water supplies - and criticized by environmentalists and many of her fellow democrats - who believe the water is needed to protect delta smelt and salmon. Yesterday, the Los Angeles......

Scientific panel suggests state ban methyl iodide

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:17:16 -0800

The Fresno Bee ran a story on the front page this morning reporting that a scientific panel recommended that the California State Department of Pesticide Regulation reject a request by Tokyo-based Arysta LifeScience Corp. to approve the use of methyl iodide for pest control on California farms and in structures. The eight-member Scientific Review Committee, chaired by UCLA environmental health sciencies professor John Froines, includes UC San Francisco medicine professor Paul Blanc, UC......

Interview with a Farmer

Katerina — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:51:00 -0800

The following is an interview I had yesterday afternoon with Juan for our CSA newsletter:

Meet Your Farmer!
In this section, we'll be profiling Juan and Agustin (see next week's newsletter), two of farmer Paul's employees who help the Abundant Table interns with work on the farm.

Juan Contreras is from the town of Querendalo in Michoacan, Mexico, a town famous for its annual chile festival. He moved to Oxnard in 1988 and worked in the lemon orchards for about nine years. Then, when NAFTA was implemented in the 90's, the market plummeted for Ventura County growers as cheaper lemons came in from other countries. Most of the lemon workers had to leave as orchards were replaced by strawberry fields. Juan was offered a job with his brother, Agustin, on the DeBusschere ranch working with avocados and beans.

Juan and his wife have four children, two of whom are married and live near them in Oxnard, plus one in college and one in high school. He enjoys tending his flower and chile garden at home and going out to eat in the evening with his family on his day off. Juan has two nicknames that his brother gave him: "Sophocles" and "The Philosopher," because of the higher education he had in Mexico and because of his quiet, reflective tendencies. Of all the vegetables on the farm, he says he can't pick a favorite since he likes them all. Keep an eye out on our website for recipes from Juan and Agustin - they know some good ones.

It's a good year for California cherries

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:16:33 -0800

With winter winding down, fresh fruit season in California is right around the corner. The first fruit to come off trees in May and June are bing cherries. The Stockton Record reports today that consumers can expect a bounty of the delicious and healthful fruit. California's cherry growers could produce a record-breaking 10 million 18-pound boxes of fruit this spring, according to the article by Reed Fujii. Last year California cherry growers produced 8.3 million boxes. Excellent weather and......

interview with a farmer

Erynn — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:49:00 -0800

My senior English class with Mrs. Potts!

I am a 1999 La Reina High School graduate. My dear Alma Matter continues to be a supportive and encouraging place. My former English teacher, Mrs. Potts, brought her granddaughter out to the farm and gave my work on the farm a really nice mention in the alumnae newsletter. It appears another English teacher (Mrs. Stanley has been extremely fond of me since I acted out a Maya Angelou poem sophomore year of high school-um, suffice to say I got really into it) is giving a helping hand to the farm by encouraging her students to profile me! (and the farm) for the school newspaper The La Reina Herald. As I was responding to the student's email interview (she was really hoping to make it out the farm but car borrowing situations arose-lots of sympathy there sister!), I realized how nice it was to sit down and write out some things I have been reflecting about for sometime now. Of course, this triggered my inner blog alert, "WRITTEN REFLECTION=GOOD BLOG MATERIAL!" So, I avail the interview to you, my public.

Me as a "sevie" (seventh grader) on the La Reina lawn

1. How did you get involved in the agriculture buisness? Why?

My interest in agriculture has been brewing for a few years. I think my earliest interest can be traced back to the time I spent in Cuenca, Ecuador (2005-2007). In Cuenca, and throughout Ecuador, most folks-especially the lower and middle socio-economic classes-buy their produce, meat, and cheese from large feria libres, basically huge farmers markets. Local farmers bring their goods to sell at these markets. I loved getting to know the farmers, developing relationships with them, getting to know their produce, and trying new and exciting things. At that time I was living with roommates from around the world and we were all able to connect over food-shopping together, cooking together, and learning from the farmers and vendors how to use new things from the feria libre. I started thinking of farming and food as means of developing community. When I returned to the U.S. I missed the feria libres and community shopping and cooking experiences. Here most of us shop at the grocery store and have no sense of the farmers and laborers who cultivate our food. Our food system in the U.S. is not set up to build healthy communities. It is set up to support large industrial farming and distribution chains that put many links between the farmer and the consumer. Each link decreases the quality and nutrition of our food because produce is harvested while it is immature, ripened with chemicals while in route to warehouses where it can sit for days before being transported to the grocery store where we buy it. Large scale industrial farming was created to feed our growing U.S. and world populations. Maybe large industrial farming would make sense to me if it truly did this. However, currently our government pays farmers with subsidies to grow excess amounts of crops like corn which is then turned into corn products like high fructose corn syrup and added to many cheap food products which make us sick with obesity related illness like diabetes and heart disease. So having gone from a community based food system in Ecuador to our large and anonymous food system in the States, I really started thinking not only did our food system not make sense- it is injust. People going hungry while we overproduce crops which go to waste is injust. The fact that cheap, processed foods, which can make us sick, is more available in some of our communities than fresh produce is injust. While I was attending Cal State Channel Islands last year getting my bilingual teaching credential, I started attending a campus ministry called The Abundant Table. The Abundant Table is an Episcopal Christian campus ministry inspired by Jesus' vision of inclusive love and courageous commitment to peace. Food justice was a piece of our group reflections. Our priest Julie's husband is a 4th generation farmer in Oxnard and had been wanting to start a small organic farm on his ranch. Julie envisioned an internship project of young adults who would work the land and connect faith and spirituality to sustainable living on the farm, farming, starting a Community Supported Agriculture program on the farm, and working with other community organizations on food issues like affordable housing, immigration, and education. I decided to join the project. This project has been a nexus of all the areas I have been so interested in the past few years; our food system; farming; living in community; growing my faith and commitment to service; and education (I am the farm educator). This project fosters a restorative connection between the community, their food, and the folks who produce their food.

2. I heard that you attended usc, did you like it there? Did you feel La Reina had prepared you well?

I did go to USC and I did feel extremely prepared both academically and emotionally. La Reina prepares you for so much more than the next four years after high school. La Reina fosters academic engagement which helped me succeed academically at USC and beyond. La Reina also fosters positive self-image and strong women. I was surrounded by incredible women at La Reina-fellow students, teachers, and my principals while I was there Sr. Lisa and Sr. Antoinette Marie. This network of support and encouragement helped me grow into a confident, capable woman. I also learned the Serenity Prayer at La Reina and part of it has stayed with me and motivated me ever since. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." These words absolutely guide my work on the farm. I cannot accept hunger and sickness in the face of such abundance and working to directly provide all members of my community with fresh, organic produce and educate folks about problems in our food system is my effort to change what I cannot accept.

3. How did you go from a major in journalism to agriculture?
Part of my strength and confidence comes in being ok with taking the less chosen path. After college while all my friends were applying for jobs, I knew I needed some time to reflect on my next big life choices. I moved to Lake Tahoe and focused on myself-spending time outdoors, developing a healthy lifestyle focusing (or trying to focus!) on exercise, meditation, yoga, eating locally. I worked in a restaurant until I knew I was ready for a change, always checking in with myself about where I was at where I wanted to be, and always listening to my heart. I was a Latin American studies minor in college and thought I would benefit from spending time in South America. I took a job as a teacher in a bilingual preschool and elementary school in Cuenca, Ecuador. I taught in a bilingual program that educated students in their native language while also teaching math, science, and language arts in English. I loved teaching! I have always connected with kids and found teaching utilized many of my skills and interests, while challenging me-exactly what a profession should do! After teaching there for two years I came back to CSUCI to get a bilingual teaching credential. This is where I connected to the Join the Farm project! It is perfect for me because I am the farm educator. I provide educational experiences for students on the farm. We have preschoolers to university students out learning on the farm! From planting seeds, to harvesting carrots, to acting out the plant life cycle, to learning about direct marketing models.

5. Do you have any advice for the La Reina population about farming, eating well, or just life in general?

Connect to your food! It seems we are living more connected than ever with facebook, cell phones, texting, and emails. But I wonder if these "tools" actually distract us from true connection. Person to person meaningful connection, community connection. The type of connections I found through food while living in Ecuador. So, get together with your friends or family (or both!) and stroll through a farmers market-come see my farm Join the Farm! at the Thousand Oaks Farmer's Market Thursdays from 1:30-6:30 at the Thousand Oaks Mall-talk with the farmers and pick up a few things you love to eat and few new things. Go home and make a meal together-laugh and have fun. My farm also has a CSA (community supported agriculture) program. Your family can "join the farm" by purchasing a share in our farm. You can purchase a share through our website www.jointhefarm.com and each week we will delivery a box of produce for your family at one of our 7pick up points nearest you! CSA members not only get their weekly boxes of produce, by they participate in different events on the farm. Or, you can just come and check out our farm, I'd love to show you around! Hmmm...life advice. Learn how to listen to what's truly in yourself and follow what's in you. Be reflective. Surround yourself with good people. Listen to old people-they know what they're talking about.

7. Any additional comments or personal experiments you would want to share?
Lots of personal experiments, don't know if they're appropriate for the La Reina herald! ha!

UC scientist reacts to consumer group's salad report

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:14:07 -0800

UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialist Trevor Suslow wrote an opinion piece for Food Safety News saying a recent Consumers Union study - which questioned the safety of prewashed salad greens - has caused a flurry of concern and confusion. An article in the March 2010 issue of Consumer Reports magazine said its study of packaged leafy greens found nearly 40 percent of samples contained bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination, according to a news release......

Writer retracts criticism of Small Farm Program move

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:15:17 -0800

Harry Cline, a longtime ag reporter who writes a weekly column for Western Farm Press, devoted space this week to counter a commentary he published last fall lamenting the ANR decision to close the Small Farm Program. In the column that ran yesterday, Cline noted that the program is not dead; rather its administrative services have been merged into another office. Cline wrote that UC ANR vice president Dan Dooley and others pointed out the mistake. Dooley told Cline that the goal is to limit......

Spring-like weekend brings attention to bees

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:50:47 -0800

California's pre-spring mid-February weather is pushing open orchard blossoms and raising worries about dwindling bee numbers. The Madera Tribune yesterday reported that an abrupt disappearance of worker bees within the last two weeks, and in some instances overnight, is spreading alarm throughout the California agriculture industry. “We are going to have a big shortage of bees,” the story quoted Madera beekeeper Lyle Johnson. “It’s worse than four years ago. Growers don’t know it yet, but......

Ag must adjust as population grows and world warms

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:10:26 -0800

With the world facing serious challenges - like global warming, diminishing fresh water supplies and population growth - there is a critical need for people to get beyond biases against the use of agricultural biotechnology, according to a group of prestigious scientists that includes UC Davis plant pathologist Pamela Ronald. This admonition was part of a perspective piece published in the Feb. 12 issue of the journal Science. The authors also said there is an increasing need for development......

Chron helps distribute UC fire information

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:14:15 -0800

The Sweat Equity column in the San Francisco Chronicle today steered readers to a UC PowerPoint presentation on the Web that provides details on fire-resistance ratings for roofs. Produced by UC Cooperative Extension wood durability advisor Steven Quarles, the 18-slide presentation gives viewers an understanding of how roof coverings get their fire rating. The information in Sweat Equity, a regular home improvement column written by brothers Bill and Kevin Burnett, was prompted by a reader......

Urban runoff main source of pesticide in California rivers

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:47:00 -0800

Researchers who studied runoff from agriculture, sewage treatment plants and urban neighborhoods found that the main source of pesticide concentration was from urban run-off, according to an article published in the Daily Californian. Portions of the American River and San Joaquin River contain pesticide levels high enough to kill some invertebrates, such as gadflies and mayflies. "On the source side of things, urban run-off consistently has pyrethroids at levels that are toxic to some......

UCCE's Anna Martin recognized for anti-obesity efforts

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:21:42 -0800

The Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program has singled out San Joaquin County's UC Cooperative Extension nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor, Anna Martin, for helping create a healthier community. Martin was one of 16 people and organizations to receive Cultivator Awards at a ceremony Jan. 29, according to a CCROPP news release. CCROPP honors one person or organization in each San Joaquin Valley county. Martin was the recipient in San Joaquin County. Regional awards......

Spotted wing drosophila raising cain in California

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:38:13 -0800

A fruit fly that made its first California appearance four years ago in Watsonville - spotted wing drosophila - can be managed with three basic common-sense techniques. "It's going to come down to trapping, monitoring and good sanitation," Mark Bolda, University of California Cooperative Extension farm adviser in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, told a group of growers in January, according to an article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "Most of the industry is in this room right......

UC helps Marin dairy operators clear the air

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:55:29 -0800

UC Cooperative Extension provided Marin ranchers and dairy operators exposure at a two-hour workshop Feb. 2 to the latest conservation practices that can help the agriculture industry reduce its environmental impacts and increase farm and ranch energy efficiency. In addition to local farmers, reporter Rob Rogers was at the event collecting information for an article published in the Marin Independent Journal yesterday. Rogers reported that cows produce a smaller percentage of greenhouse......

Gardening Coaches Subscription Newsletter

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:37:57 -0800

We are pleased to announce the imminent opening of the Gardening Coaches Subscription Newsletter. This weekly newsletter features instructional videos, seasonal gardening information with planting schedules for crops, personal Q&A responses to your questions, and access to members-only areas of the web site.

More information when the program goes live…

Gardening Coaches Subscription Newsletter

Santa Maria Preschool & Kindergarten | Casa Dei Bambini Montessori

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 07:52:06 -0800

Santa Maria Preschool & Kindergarten | Casa Dei Bambini Montessori.

Casa dei Bambini Montessori provides a high quality Preschool and Kindergarten experience for children and families in Santa Maria, California.

Our Preschool and Kindergarten is clean, organized, and safe. Treated with respect and love each student is valued for what they uniquely bring to the world. We believe every child is capable and special, with an intrinsic capacity to create.

For more information on education and gardening for kid, please visit Gardening For Kids website.

Lack of water is killing Kern County ag

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:42:45 -0800

The Bakersfield Californian reported that it isn't just the listless economy ravaging Kern County agriculture. The industry's woes are pinned on water. Reporter Courtenay Edelhart spoke to the director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center, Dan Sumner, about the national economic downturn's impact on ag. With the exception of the dairy industry, Sumner said, agriculture prices haven't been that bad over the past year. The state of California has, however, suffered three years of drought - with......

Are Americans losing their taste for grapefruit?

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:17:35 -0800

Yearly per capita consumption of grapefruit has been on a steady decline since the late 1970s, according to an article in the Riverside Press-Enterprise. To boost the fruit's popularity and keep the industry in business, growers in Southern California have organized a cooperative and hired PR expert Kari Birdseye to put together a marketing program. In 1976, Americans ate almost 9 pounds of grapefruit per year. As a late-baby boomer, that doesn't come as a big surprise to me. The popular......

Master Gardeners help school kids grow veggies

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:23:12 -0800

An inner-city Los Angeles school has a small vegetable garden that is overseen by a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener, according to a story published yesterday in the Daily Breeze. "This may be the only place they can have access to nature," the story quoted Master Gardener Kris Lauritson. "It's an outdoor classroom." The school serves primarily Latino students; about 80 percent qualify for free and reduced lunches. The program teaches students about healthy......

UC labs get $1 million to study exotic pests

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:26:24 -0800

USDA announced last week that UC Davis and UC Berkeley are among 13 research universities across the country that will receive funds to develop ecologically and economically rational strategies for management, control or elimination of weedy or invasive species. Nearly $500,000 will go to the Davis laboratory and $500,000 to a UC Berkeley laboratory. The 13 university recipients are sharing $4.6 million in all. "Invasive plants and animals are a major threat to food and fiber production,......

UC Davis expert scoffs at alpaca trade

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:59:09 -0800

Alpacas are praised as mild-mannered, fluffy camelids; their fleece lustrous and silky. But UC Davis agricultural economist Richard Sexton called business ventures aimed at selling the highly prized wool "hopeless" in a feature published today in the Chico News and Review. Alpacas - native to Peru and Chile - look something like long-haired small llamas, but they were bred for their fiber, not as beasts of burden. Writer Alastair Bland reported in the article that cleaned, unprocessed alpaca......

Consumers to pay more for winter veggies

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:53:26 -0800

Last week's rain storms are pushing up prices of vegetables typically grown this time of year in California and Arizona's southern deserts, according to a story in Western Farm Press. Writer Cary Blake's article blames El Niño. Last Friday through Sunday, “We exceeded our annual rainfall in about 12 hours,” the story quoted Kurt Nolte, director of the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Yuma County. “We had a massive rainstorm between noon and 6 p.m. Thursday.” Over the weekend......

ANR specialist on USDA jobs panel

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:37:57 -0800

UC ANR specialist Dave Campbell, the director of the UC California Communities Program, will take part in the USDA's video forum about rural unemployment tomorrow, which will be broadcast at 19 USDA sites around California, according to the Central Valley Business Times. Curiously, the Times publicized the video forum, but it is not open to the public. Input from a series of nearly 40 local jobs forums (that were open to the public) held across California this week will be summarized for a......

Delta environmental review underway at UC Davis

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:17:22 -0800

An independent panel appointed by the National Academy of Sciences is working this week at UC Davis to review Delta water allocations, according to yesterday's Sacramento Bee. The activity doesn't directly involve ANR scientists, but the implications for agriculture in California are huge. Sen. Dianne Feinstein asked for the review in response to requests from San Joaquin Valley farmers, including Stewart Resnick, owner of Paramount Farms, according to the Bee. Resnick's Sept. 4 letter to......

Master Gardener shares rare fruit source with Chron readers

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:31:52 -0800

A Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension in Santa Clara County, Laramie Treviño, turned San Francisco Chronicle readers on to a source of fast-producing, unusual fruit trees in a feature story printed over the weekend. Treviño profiled C. Todd Kennedy and Patrick Schafer, rare fruit enthusiasts who run their online-only nursery as a "personal charity," the story said. Tree prices are $19.50, low considering they are already a good size and most will produce fruit within one......

Education needed to revitalize ag in Iraq

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:45:57 -0800

A group of agriculture department deans from universities around the country traveled to Iraq in December to assess the future of the embattled country's agriculture industry. Among them was James Hill, the associate dean of the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Science. Currently, Iraq imports a whopping 85 percent of its food. But there is hope for a thriving agriculture industry inside the Middle Eastern country, Hill told Capital Press reporter Mitch Lies. "They definitely......

Slow Food group to air Sierra Valley video

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:31:02 -0800

The Lake Tahoe chapter of Slow Food will present the short video "Is Sustainable Attainable?" at its January meeting next week. The show is another opportunity to spread the word about a series of videos promoting the rural culture in Sierra Valley, Calif., produced as part of the UC Davis "Art of Regional Change." The project, called "Passion for the Land: Personal Stories from the Sierra Valley," is a collection of 12 stories, told on video through narration and photos, about the challenges......

Web site plugs Cooperative Extension programs

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:21:52 -0800

Education.com, a Web site that provides parents of school-aged children with parenting, developmental, and educational information, this week published an overview of the educational opportunities offered by Cooperative Extension programs around the country. The title of the piece - "The Cheapest Kids Programs You've Never Heard Of" - and an oft-repeated phrase that opens the second paragraph - "Cooperative Extension might well be the best-kept secret around" - introduce details about......

Polluted air may contribute to farmworkers diabetes risk

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:50:10 -0800

The Sacramento Bee picked up on a UC news release about the most recent issue of California Agriculture journal, which said more than 1 million California farmworkers face a higher risk of diabetes and respiratory disease because of poor air quality. The news release says California's Central Valley has the highest recorded levels of particulate matter in the country. The polluted air results in increased rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. In addition, the release said research......

Early wildfire detection may forestall damage

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:39:23 -0800

It may seem like a wildfire would be easy to detect, but vast, rugged wilderness can permit a small blaze to develop into a firestorm before firefighters are deployed. Reeling from the enormous losses sustained by last year's devastating Station Fire in Los Angeles County -- which took two firefighters' lives, destroyed dozens of structures and cost more than $95 million to fight -- Supervisor Mike Antonovich is asking the county to allocate money to study a high-tech early detection......

Another weight loss story? It must be January

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:51:34 -0800

If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, Subway and its young, folksy spokesman Jared Fogle must be overjoyed. The company's fast food rival Taco Bell has a new spokesmodel, Christine Dougherty, who purportedly lost 54 pounds over two years (results not typical) by eating from the chain's "Fresco" menu. Bay area news radio station KCBS interviewed UC Berkeley nutrition specialist emeritus Joanne Ikeda to get her thoughts on Taco Bell's new advertising campaign. Ikeda said it's......

Rewards might prevent post-exercise eating

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:43:39 -0800

The post-workout binge is so common, according to the Los Angeles Times, scientists have come up with a term for it: compensation. They are now trying to figure out what makes some people compensate while others don't. In studies of the effects of diet and exercise on body weight, some people who lose a lot of weight, some lose very little weight and some lose none at all. That has led some scientists to believe that exercise might not be a reliable way to lose weight, the Times reported.......

A new angle on the vegetarian diet debate

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:12:20 -0800

Many vegetarians choose to eat an animal-free diet because they believe cows, hogs, chickens and goats have the same desire for life as humans. An op-ed in the New York Times might give these vegetarian eaters pause. The author, Natalie Angier, suggests that vegetables have feelings, too. To support her argument, Angier spoke to UC Riverside genetics professor Linda Walling. Walling said plants can’t run away from a threat, but they are good at avoiding being eaten. But she wasn't talking......

UC food safety research on the national news

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:19:42 -0800

Last Saturday night, the CBS Evening News aired a six-minute special report on food safety. The research component for the story featured an appearance by UC Davis Cooperative Extension food safety specialist Linda Harris, in which she explained work underway to understand the potential food safety impact of irrigation practices on leafy green vegetables. Reporter Bill Witaker noted that cutting edge research is being conducted around the country to find out how pathogens make it onto fresh......

Raised Bed Gardens – Part 3

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:54:08 -0800

(This article is taken from a the series ‘Raised Bed Gardens’ by Gardening-coaches.com and is used with permission)

Shaping the beds

If you are lucky enough to have enclosed beds, you can skip this section as your beds are already raised and shaped.

If you don’t have an enclosed bed, you just need to shape the beds. I have grown for many years without sideboards and it works quite well. The earth is removed from the aisles and placed on the bed. A string or board is handy to keep a straight edge.

The goal is to form a mound with an aisle on either side, rake that flat, and firm up the loose edges. Re-raking the tops and edges a couple of times give you a nice, flat, truncated pyramid with flat top and 45 degree sloping sides. Since we encourage drip irrigation, a flat top works well; if you do this at home and must irrigate with a hose or sprinkler system, a lip along the edges of the beds will prevent run off and erosion.

The next step is to firm the sides up with a shovel or boot. Now the ground will hold its shape through a growing season. It is a good idea to add a 4″ deep layer of wood chip mulch the aisles between beds. This helps hold up the edges and saves water. Finish off as above with your drip lines and mulch.

To read this article in its original form, please visit the Camarillo Community Gardens Vegetable Gardening 101 pages.

Raised Bed Gardens – Part 2

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:08:07 -0800

How to Make a Raised Bed

(This article is taken from a the series ‘Raised Bed Gardens’ by Gardening-coaches.com and is used with permission)

Making a raised bed garden isn’t rocket science and it doesn’t require superhuman effort. It is fairly simple, low cost, but requires lots of work the first time you do it. The preliminary work to create a deep, prepared bed does pay off in succeeding years. You have healthier soil, healthier plants and a more productive garden.

Let’s look at the steps…

1) Loosening and cleaning up the soil.

The first order of business is to break up the (normally) compacted earth. Your best bet is to use a garden fork to break up the compacted soil and any ‘hard pan’ that may be present. The idea is not to turn the soil over or totally stir up the soil, but rather to break up the compacted area you want to give to your roots. Remove any weeds during this step.

Add any soil amendments to the broken up surface of the soil, and fork the ground up again. As before, the idea is to not turn cover the soil, but simple let the amendments to filter through the loosened dirt. Soil conditioners that are mixed into the soil are called amendments; materials that go on top of the soil are mulches.

Your job is to create a gradual change from enriched soil down to the subsoil. A sudden change in soil composition will form a barrier to water movement in the ground. Biological agents in the soil will continue this process in the future.

The soil you have to work with dictates the amendments. Heavy clay or loose sandy soils require more amendment than loam, but all soils benefit from organic amendments. Organic matter in the soil acts as a sponge that holds water, air and dissolved nutrients, ready to be taken up by the plants.

Note: Steer manure is classified as a soil amendment, not as a fertilizer. To be a legal ‘fertilizer’, there needs to be a minimum guaranteed amount of nitrogen in the product, and steer manure fails the test. It is a good soil conditioner, though.

2) Double-digging

(Note: here is a point on which our Master Gardener instructor and I, plus most of the gardeners in the class, disagreed. Dr. Downer was not convinced it was worthwhile, but his viewpoint was perhaps for larger scale agriculture while ours was the home garden. My opinion is backed up by the Peace Corps, but take my advice with a grain of salt… )

Double digging is discussed in this video, Home vegetable Gardening, Part 1, starting at about minute 19…

Double digging is the most important step for true deep bed prep.

The idea is to remove a shovel-depth of soil and set it aside, add amendments to the bottom of the resulting hole, and fork the amendments into the exposed subsoil as we talked about above. Go as deep as reasonable. Moist soil of course works easiest, and you may need to re-moisten the area and wait for the water to soak in. Push and pull back on the handle of your fork as you go down to break up and loosen the soil. Move the fork or spade back a few inches and repeat until your trench is complete.

In a narrow bed, move from side to side, then back a few inches and do an entire bed in one pass. On wider beds, it may be easier to make one long, narrow trench, then make another pass next to it, and move soil from side to side as you double dig. In either case, the idea is to move the top layer of earth, go down another shovel depth, then add the top of the next section to what you just broke up.

Replace the soil you removed previously and mix in amendments as you go, then fork this upper layer up. You now have a loosened area 16″ to 24″ deep with passages through the soil for the exchange of air and water.

This deeper cultivation will promote deeper moisture and root penetration. In really tough ground, you may not be able to go as deep as you like, but the next time you work up the soil, it will have been softened by the probing plant roots.

The final step is to rake out the resulting bed, moisten the soil, and let it rest for a day while the soil moisture stabilizes. You can now add your drip system and cover the soil with a weed prohibiting layer of organic mulch.

To read this article in its original form, please visit the Camarillo Community Gardens Vegetable Gardening 101 pages.

Raised Bed gardens – Part 1

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:42:13 -0800

Raised Bed Gardens – Part 1

(This article is taken from a the series ‘Raised Bed Gardens’ by Gardening-coaches.com and is used with permission)
With all the talk we have been hearing in the news about raised beds, perhaps we need to take a closer look at raised beds.
What is a raised bed?
A raised bed is any garden area that has been worked and graded so the planting surface is at least 4″ above the original soil level. Raised beds are usually 2′ to 5′ wide and any length desired. As you can see below, the deeply prepared soil of a raised bed gives the plants’ roots more room to grow in.

Narrow beds have a number of advantages. Garden jobs such as weeding, controlling insects, and harvest are all made easier with a reachable garden’ These jobs can be performed from the walkways between beds and the gardener never needs to step on the garden bed.
Staying off of the bed is important. Plants are short lived and need healthy roots to produce fruit. Just walking next to a plant in soft earth can shear of a large amount of root. Compressed soil also has fewer voids for water and air penetration, and root systems use both of these to digest and transport minerals.
To get the most out of a limited space, these raised beds need to be planned and laid out carefully. Narrow beds make it easier to watch for pests, but you need walkways 2′ wide to allow room to move among and care for the plants. Flagstones and other types of pavers can be used instead of walkways. They allow somewhat more growing area but allow you to wander onto the garden soil. Your challenge in laying out you beds is to maximize the use of your land, avoid walking on your plants and assure ease of use.
Access and spacing are important, and once established, raised beds help keep the areas defined. You concentrate the enriched soil and compost in the beds, not on the pathways. The aisle areas can be mulched to suppress weeds, and a visually attractive, low maintenance, high-production garden is the result.
Garden soil preparation is the most important part of an intensive gardening effort. Once it is properly prepared, your garden soil will be loose, with good texture (or structure), and rich in air, water and nutrients. This deep preparation promotes deep root growth and greater root mass, and it also puts the roots into a deeper, more stable moisture zone. We’ll cover the subject of soil preparation in a later section.
The deep bed preparation and enrichment that is part of an intensive system also allows us to grow more in less space. We can plant as close as practical without reducing the amount of food each plant can absorb. This close spacing allows us create micro-climates where plants shade the top soil and reduce soil temperatures, and reduce evaporation even more.
To read this article in its entirtity, please visit the Camarillo Community Gardens Vegetable Gardening 101 pages.

When to Plant Vegetables

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:01:48 -0800

“When to Plant Vegetables” is a really complex question. In California alone, there are 27 different climate zones, from tide pools to frozen rocky crags. In between the extremes, there are many combinations of long season (frost free) and short season (hot summers, icy winters).
There is a web site I found with good information on when you can plant different types of home garden crops. the site lists plants and planting dates for many veggies with dates given for both long and short seasons. With spring coming I thought I would share this link with you: When to Plant Vegetables
With the wide variety of climates in the world, local information is always best. Check with your gardening neighbors, your local extension service or your local Master Gardeners.
As an alternative, there is some cool software that helps you adjust your starting, growing and harvesting dates. Check out GroVeg, the on-line garden planner. There is a good write-up on it on this vegetable garden design software review page.

Ancient tree discovered in Southern California

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 07:44:17 -0800

Scientists believe that a tree - or rather a genetically identical thicket of Palmer's oak - nestled in a gulch on Riverside County's Jarupa Hills is the oldest living plant in California. According to an article in the online plant science journal PLoS ONE, the solitary plant has been growing in that spot for more than 13,000 years. The discovery was covered widely in the press, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Riverside Press-Enterprise, KQED Public Radio, the BBC and......

Going beyond the green bag

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:36:37 -0800

When the earth is passed on to the next generation, will those who last inhabited the space do so with any regrets? This grand question was asked by the director of UC's Agricultural Sustainability Institute, Tom Tomich, in an op-ed piece published in yesterday's Huffington Post. Leaving with "no regrets," he wrote, goes beyond cloth grocery bags and compact fluorescent light bulbs. And for the ag community, "no regrets" strategies are particularly important. "Agriculture is the largest......

The agony of the oaks

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:33:17 -0800

As if life weren’t difficult enough for California’s majestic oaks, they now face a brand new adversary. Already burdened by drought, wildfires, firewood harvesting and Sudden Oak Death, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported in December that gold-spotted oak borer hitchhiked from Arizona or Mexico a few years ago and is now attacking Southern California oaks. It was identified in the Golden State in 2006 and to date has besieged coast live oak, California black oak and canyon live oak,......

Ultra-short tail docking gets a withering glare

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:56:32 -0800

In the coming months, UC veterinarians and animal-welfare experts hope to develop new tail-docking recommendations for sheep being raised by 4-H youth, the Fresno Bee reported on Dec. 22. Currently, many sheep meant for county fair competition suffer "ultra-short tail docking," the story said. The practice is not looked upon favorably by UC Davis Cooperative Extension animal welfare specialist Carolyn Stull. "This is purely a cosmetic procedure and does not advance the welfare of the animal,"......

Expanding usage of weight-loss surgery

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:34:01 -0800

Happy New Year and welcome back to the ANR News Blog. It's common for people to resolve this time of year to lose weight. Appropriately, the lead story in Sunday's Los Angeles Times reported on what might be a controversial new way to shed a few pounds. In clinical trials, scientists are studying the use of weight-loss surgery - a practice more common for the morbidly obese - on moderately overweight people. The article opens with the story of a 48-year-old woman struggling to lose a stubborn......

Digital Slide Show

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:17:28 -0800

I have been having so much fun with creating digital slide shows, I started a blog devoted to making slide shows with the easy photo software I found, Animoto.

Click here to visit the digital slide show review blog.

Here is an example of the videos I make into a digital photo slide album. This one is of the San Marcos Gardens tour our Master Gardeners took last year. (Note: Flash is required to view the videos)

Click to play the digital slide show

Saving the forest by cutting down trees

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:35:27 -0800

It's heart wrenching, but forest researchers have found that cutting down bay laurel trees can make a woodland a healthier environment for beloved oaks. The bay laurel trees are carriers of the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. If the bacteria spreads to oaks, it causes a disease called Sudden Oak Death. Lisa Kreiger of the San Jose Mercury-News reported that "emergency surgery" is taking place in the Santa Cruz Mountains to extricate bay laurels and give ancient and majestic native California......

Taking the drudgery out of weed control

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:07:26 -0800

For automated, mechanical weed control to work, scientists must teach machines how to distinguish between unwanted vegetation and the crop being cultivated. A new, high-tech system using x-rays to detect tomato stems is under development by UC Davis Cooperative Extension agricultural engineer David Slaughter and USDA Agricultural Research Service researcher Ron Haff. The output from the x-ray detector is input to a microcontroller that controls a pair of pneumatically powered mechanical weed......

Scientists study the history of prescribed burns

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:54:59 -0800

Long before Europeans first set foot in the New World, Native Americans were altering the California landscape by setting fires, UC Berkeley researchers believe. A multidisciplinary team of scientists is looking at a variety of evidence to better understand the nature of Native American prescribed burns. The team includes ANR fire science professor Scott Stephens. The study was described in the UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science newsletter ScienceMatters@Berkeley. The article said......

Media look to agriculture for global warming relief

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:54:42 -0800

As protests at the Copenhagen "climate summit" heat up and talks reach a critical stage, the media are looking at a variety of ways humans can slow carbon emissions into the atmosphere, such as changing the way we farm. In an Ask Pablo column on a Web site called Treehugger, writer Pablo Paster considers whether people should go back to using horses instead of tractors to farm. At first glance, I thought the piece was meant to be humorous, but in fact, Paster researched whether such a change......

Mexican TV magazine covers Lindcove event

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:05:23 -0800

Because of anticipated inclement weather, the producers of the TV program California Country canceled their visit to the UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center's annual citrus tasting on Friday, which this year featured the dedication of two new facilities and the celebration of the facility's 50th anniversary. After a bitter cold week and a night of heavy rain, the weather on Friday turned mild and dry for the well-attended and notable occasion. And even though the California television......

UC Riverside botanist part of Avatar team

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:08:14 -0800

When the movie Avatar opens one week from today, watch Sigourney Weaver carefully. She was coached to dress, move and act like a botanist by UC Riverside professor of plant physiology Jodie Holt. "I met with her in her trailer in a sound studio in Playa del Rey in Los Angeles, and we had a long conversation," Holt said in a question-and-answer session that was written up by UC Riverside News Service. "I gave Weaver advice on topics like how a botanist would approach a plant and take......

FEMA changes course on wildfire hazards

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:03:23 -0800

Distribution of more than $5 million in federal funds for wildfire hazard abatement in the Oakland Hills has been delayed to allow time for a more intensive environmental impact review, according to an article in the Oakland Tribune. The news was a setback for UC Berkeley, the city of Oakland and the East Bay Regional Park District, which are relying on the grants to remove eucalyptus, pine and acacia trees from steep, wooded canyons and ridges. UC Berkeley fire science professor Scott......

UC director receives farm bureau President's Award

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:03:03 -0800

The California Farm Bureau Federation presented the director of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Governmental and External Relations, Steve Nation, with a President's Award last night at its annual meeting in Anaheim, according to an article published on the AgAlert Web site today. "Steve has worked closely with Farm Bureau leaders and staff to create better opportunities for all of us involved in the business of farming," farm bureau president Doug Mosebar was quoted in the story. The......

UC scientist differs with pop icon on climate change

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:21:13 -0800

"Meat free Monday, it's a fun day, and it's happenin', all around the world." - former Beatle Paul McCartney. You have only to watch singer Paul McCartney's Meat Free Monday song on YouTube (see below) to be convinced of his commitment and sincerity when it comes to getting the world to adopt Meat Free Monday. McCartney believes cutting back on meat and dairy consumption would have a significant environmental impact. But a UC Davis researcher says science is raining on McCartney's......

Victory Gardens touted on Pearl Harbor Day

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:44:10 -0800

The Fresno morning news show KSEE Sunrise used the occasion of Pearl Harbor Day yesterday to encourage people to plant Victory Gardens. Victory Gardens are fruit, vegetable and herb gardens that Americans traditionally planted during wartime to aid the war effort. Director of UC Cooperative Extension in Ventura County, Rose Hayden-Smith, is a vocal proponent of a Victory Garden resurgence in California. She maintains a Victory Grower Web site and blog. Hayden-Smith says the connection between......

Storm system unlikely to freeze citrus

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:08:16 -0800

Newspapers up and down the state are covering the cold storm system approaching California. In addition to reporting the weather, Sacramento Bee reporter Loretta Kalb took the time yesterday to check on the impact of the storm on California citrus. Even though it was Sunday afternoon, UC Cooperative Extension Butte County farm advisor Joe Connell contacted Kalb to tell her citrus crops should emerge with little or no damage from the week's storm. "As far as citrus goes, for the naval orange,......

California Country to cover Lindcove celebration

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:38:09 -0800

One week from today, the University of California Lindcove Research and Extension Center will combine its annual citrus tasting with a laboratory dedication and a 50th anniversary celebration, an event that will be covered by California Country. California Country is a 30-minute weekly television broadcast produced by the California Farm Bureau Federation about the people, places and lifestyles that have made California the nation's largest food-producing state, according to its Web site.......

Sacramento Bee opines on food safety

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:44:25 -0800

The day before Thanksgiving, the opinion writers at the Sacramento Bee praised the state of food safety in California, but said there is still room for improvement. In the editorial, they offered kind words for the role of UC in providing the state's residents with wholesome food. "Overall, our food supply is very safe," the Bee's editors wrote. "The University of California, Davis, with the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, is a leader in research and outreach – helping to bring......

New county director shares plans with paper

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:44:40 -0800

The newly named county director for San Joaquin County UC Cooperative Extension, Brent Holtz, was profiled in the Stockton Record today by the paper's longtime ag reporter, Reed Fujii. Holtz begins his new job Jan. 4, but was already able to share a goal. "One of the crucial things I'm going to be working with is to try to get a Delta specialist position," Holtz was quoted in the story. The Delta advisor would focus on issues concerning the unique soil and growing conditions of the inland......

The power of a personal statement

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:51:26 -0800

Working in media relations, we don't always think about the very-well-read section of the newspaper's editorial pages, the letters to the editor. But it can be a powerful outreach tool. The UC ANR blog, written by Mike Bolda and titled "Strawberries and Caneberries," was recently plugged in a letter to the Ashland (Oregon) Daily Tidings by none other than Mike's sister, Karen Bolda. An Ashland resident, Karen Bolda wrote: "The Nov. 12 article on the discovery of the harmful fruit fly is very......

Challenging times for California farmers

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:43:56 -0800

As if native weeds, diseases and insects weren't enough, California farmers seem to be facing ever increasing numbers of imported pests from far flung corners of the globe. That fact prompted the Napa Valley Register to run a story about "Moth wars" which detailed battles underway to combat light brown apple moth, a pest from Australia, and European grapevine moth, an Italian native that has caused serious grapevine damage in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. The European grapevine moth "snuck in......

Olive harvest underway in Sonoma

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:26:23 -0800

The Sonoma Press-Democrat ran a brief story today about the beginning of the olive harvest in the Northern California County better known for vineyards. Although olive production in the area is no match in size for the long-established grape industry, the crop's novelty and quality attract attention. “There are about 600 acres and 150 growers,” the story quoted Paul Vossen, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Sonoma County. By comparison, the county boasts 60,000 acres of......

Sterile light brown apple moths released in Carneros

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:27:59 -0800

USDA scientists released 3,000 sterile light brown apple moths yesterday in a Carneros vineyard, according to an article in the Sonoma Index-Tribune. The scientists hope that flooding the environment with sterile moths will prevent females from mating with normal moths and producing offspring. Reporter Emily Charrier-Botts wrote that UC Davis entomologist James Carey does not expect the program to be successful. He said releasing sterile insects has eradicated only one pest in history - the......

Desert farmers face a new pest threat – ANR News Blog – ANR Blogs

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:09:11 -0800

Desert farmers face a new pest threat – ANR News Blog – ANR Blogs.

Farmers growing vegetables in Southern California and Arizona deserts had to contend with a new pest this fall. The Bagrada bug – a native of East and Southern Africa, Egypt, Zaire and Senegal – made its first appearance in the area, posing especially significant problems to organic farmers, according to an article in Capital Press.

Bagrada bugs were introduced to California last year in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. This past August, farmers began seeing the pest in broccoli, cauliflower, and other cole crops in the Imperial and Coachella valleys, and in southwestern Arizona.

“Bagrada bugs were everywhere; it’s not like we’ve had to look for them,”…

Read the rest of the article here.

Good job outlook attracts students to ag schools

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:15:16 -0800

The Associated Press this morning reported that enrollment in agriculture schools across the nation is growing, even though the number of farms tumbles. Reporter David Mercer provided statistics from a survey of ag schools by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Enrollment in bachelor's degree programs in agriculture, the survey said, increased 21.8 percent from 2005 to 2008, from about 58,300 students to nearly 71,000. The story gave specific information about the UC Davis College of......

Desert farmers face a new pest threat

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:26:09 -0800

Farmers growing vegetables in Southern California and Arizona deserts had to contend with a new pest this fall. The Bagrada bug - a native of East and Southern Africa, Egypt, Zaire and Senegal - made its first appearance in the area, posing especially significant problems to organic farmers, according to an article in Capital Press. Bagrada bugs were introduced to California last year in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. This past August, farmers began seeing the pest in broccoli,......

The California NPR affiliate reports on Small Farm Program closure

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:03:20 -0800

The fate of UC's Small Farm Program was the center of a nearly five-minute story on this morning's California Report radio news program. Central Valley bureau chief Sasha Khokha opened her story on the east Fresno farm of strawberry grower Chang Fong. He and his family have for years worked with Fresno County UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Richard Molinar and his assistant Michael Yang, cooperating on research and gleaning information on farm safety, plant diseases, pests and other ag......

A pest, a crop and an ugly rant

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:46:08 -0800

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources made several appearances in the media yesterday. Separate news outlets Reported more sightings of European grapevine moth in wine country Charted expanding acreage of olives for oil Offered blustery vitriol about changes being implemented by ANR to deal with the economic downturn According to yesterday's Weekly Calistogan, the number of adult European grapevine moths found in Napa County has risen to eight since they were first spotted last month.......

Great Park development to get underway

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:46:23 -0800

The Irvine City Council voted on Tuesday to spend $65.5 million over the next three to five years to transform a portion of the old El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into parkland, according to the Los Angeles Times. Orange County's "Great Park" - billed as the first great metropolitan park of the 21st century - is across the street from the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center. The City of Irvine funds will turn about 225 acres of the base into lawns, exhibition space, sports fields,......

Riverside won't use treated water to irrigate citrus

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:07:06 -0800

Reversing course, the City of Riverside has decided it will not supply treated wastewater to irrigate citrus trees in a green belt and on the UC Riverside campus, according to a story that ran over the weekend in the Riverside Press-Enterprise. The idea was dropped after grower Andy Wilson raised objections to the plan saying the reclaimed water contains trace amounts of boron and sodium, which could accumulate in the soil and eventually kill trees. Instead, the city will sponsor a 10- to......

ANR is part of a new global health institute

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:19:57 -0800

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources will play a role in the new University of California Global Health Institute, a program that addresses global health education, research and partnerships, according to a UC Riverside announcement today.The Institute provides for the creation of three centers, which were selected in a competitive application process. Those centers are: One Health: Water, Animals, Food, and Society, led by UC Riverside and UC Davis Migration and Health, led by UC San......

Capital Press proclaims the promise of biofuel

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:58:37 -0800

An article in the agribusiness newspaper Capital Press about how much money is being spent on research around California to develop alternatives to fossil fuels was picked up from a UC ANR news release touting the most recent issue of California Agriculture journal.Writer Tim Hearden's story, however, refers in the third paragraph to "the study," when in fact the release reported that more than two-thirds of a billion dollars coming from corporate and government sources are funding dozens of......

City folk get a look at local ag

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:40:49 -0800

When 250 people climbed aboard buses for an annual tour of North Sacramento Valley agricultural operations this week, among them was Chico Enterprise reporter Heather Hacking to document the trip for the newspaper's readers who couldn't attend. The tour's five stops included a Mediterranean food producer, a pistachio orchard, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.'s new rail shipment yard, a prune orchard and a walnut farm. At the latter two stops, UC Cooperative Extension researchers explained their......

UC farm advisor battles the San Diego gnat attack

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:55:30 -0800

San Diego County officials are calling on a UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor once again to help solve a pesky problem with gnats, according to an article in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. Last year, residents of the north San Diego County community of Jacumba were plagued by gnats and believed their source was a local organic farm. UCCE farm advisor Jim Bethke confirmed their suspicions and began working with the farmer to find an environmentally sound way to control the pests. Now the......

UC farm advisor appointed to local school board

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:53:49 -0800

UC Cooperative Extension viticulture and plant science farm advisor Glenn McGourty has been appointed to the Ukiah Unified School District Board of Trustees, according to The Willits News. One of the reasons McGourty applied for the position, he explained in his written application, was because UC President Mark Yudof encouraged all UC faculty to reach out to K-12 education, "as the future depends on quality public schools in the state."McGourty was also asked in the application about his......

New features on ANR News Blog

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:41:36 -0800

UC ANR's Web Action Team has added new features to the blog system that now appear on the ANR News Blog. On the upper right, you will see icons for "share," "e-mail," and "print."Clicking on the "share" icon allows readers to quickly and easily add the post to their favorite social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, Digg and many others. Print and e-mail also simplify the sharing of information from the blog using more traditional communications approaches. Note: The ANR News Blog......

Two new UC conservation projects get coverage in Modesto Bee

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:32:51 -0800

It may be a little confusing for readers to tease out the truth from a story in today's Modesto Bee, but the article still raises awareness about two new programs that involve UC Cooperative Extension. Farmers are being sought to participate in both, but not both at the same time. The story is based on an announcement from the non-profit organization "Sustainable Conservation," based in San Francisco. Sustainable Conservation is providing funding to implement two new "Best Management Practices......

Hipster language meets SOD treatment

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:53:55 -0700

A fun-to-read column in the Berkeley Daily Planet this week combines tradition-busting language with practical information that will help homeowners combat Sudden Oak Death. I'll guess writer Ron Sullivan's word choice reveals him as a "hipster," a moniker attached to people who, according to Wikipedia, are young, recently-settled urban adults and older teenagers with interests in non-mainstream fashion and culture, particularly alternative music, independent rock, independent film and......

Gardening is a growing trend in tough times

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:39:25 -0700

A community garden in Palm Desert was featured on the local TV news last night, with gardeners and experts proclaiming the many benefits of producing one's own vegetables. Reporter Eddie Quezada of KESQ-TV interviewed gardener Brian Desborough, who said his small plot yields about 100 pounds of heirloom tomatoes, vegetables that often go for $5 a pound at supermarkets.UC Cooperative Extension vegetable crops advisor Jose Luis Aguiar noted in his interview the psychological benefits of......

UC ag research seasons Hmong cooking feature

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:47:03 -0700

A plot of Southeast Asian medicinal and culinary herbs at the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center made an appearance in a Fresno Bee food story published yesterday.The article centered on "Cooking from the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America," a cookbook for Americans who wish to try the exotic cuisine introduced by Hmong immigrants. A large population of Hmong settled in the San Joaquin Valley after the Vietnam War. The Hmong collaborated with the CIA during the conflict and were promised......

Marching to a different drumstick

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:38:54 -0700

Do happy chickens taste better? Some customers who buy poultry from Cache Creek Meat Co. of Yolo County think so. One of the owners, however, attributes the meat quality to the sunshine and fresh grass the birds enjoy on a farm that gives them even more liberty than so-called "free range" chickens, according to a story in today's Sacramento Bee.Cache Creek Meat Co. specializes in "pastured poultry" – raising chickens outdoors and rotating them through a series of pens. The birds spend their......

Small-scale dairy producer's chores punctuated with worry

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:13:29 -0700

There are perhaps no farmers who work harder than small-scale dairy operators. Consider that the cows must be milked twice a day, seven days a week, year-round - no matter the weather, illnesses, holidays or special occasions. Add to that the dismal economics of milk production, and you have a recipe for dispair.Those are the feelings of Marc Duivenvoorden, who was recently profiled in the Redding Record-Searchlight. He owns a dairy on the border of Tehama and Shasta counties with 25 producing......

Water archive needs a new home

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:20:52 -0700

Reports, maps and photos documenting the lively and sometimes contentious history of California water need a new home following UC ANR vice president Dan Dooley's decision to move the collection out of UC Berkeley, the Sacramento Bee reported today.Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis and professor of environmental engineering, Jay Lund, said he would like to see the library moved to Sacramento or Davis. "So long as it's available for people who need to go and do serious......

Farm bureau VP supports ANR restructuring plan

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:44:52 -0700

An article about ANR's restructuring plan in the California Farm Bureau Federation newspaper AgAlert concludes with words of support from the federation's first vice president, Paul Wenger. He said that in the past, Cooperative Extension and research stations have borne the brunt of university budget cuts, but the current restructuring "seems fair.""Challenging times call for challenging solutions," Wenger was quoted. "But at the same time, you want to make sure that somebody is not carrying......

Fish out of water

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:27:04 -0700

Fall rains came in just the nick of time for salmon in the Shasta and Scott rivers, according to an article in today's Redding Record-Searchlight. Before the most recent storms, salmon attempting to swim upstream to spawn were trapped in shallow, isolated pools. Agricultural water usage was getting the blame. "The irrigation withdrawals are very clearly what is causing the extremely low flows on both rivers," the article quoted Scott Harding, executive director of Klamath Riverkeeper, a......

Fresno Bee writer laments the Small Farm Program's fate

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:33:32 -0700

Fresno Bee food writer Joan Obra devoted her column this week to the impending closure of the UC Small Farm Program, a move being taken by UC ANR to meet budget constraints. Though Obra often writes about restaurants and recipes, she delved into agricultural topics long before it became fashionable in the genre. Because of her interest in agriculture and local food systems, the San Joaquin Valley's UC Small Farm Program advisors have made frequent appearances on the Fresno Bee food page. In......

European grapevine pest pops up in Napa County

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:19:17 -0700

To the profound dismay of California's winegrape growers, the European grapevine moth has somehow traveled from its home in Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia and the Caucasus to take up residence in famed Napa County. It is the pest's first appearance in the United States.San Joaquin Valley farmers are casting a weary eye up north hoping the new pest doesn't make its way into their vast acreage of wine, table and raisin grapes, according to a story in yesterday's Fresno Bee. UC......

More federal funds for California farm research

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:10:34 -0700

The economy is floundering, but federal money is still flowing. Last week, the U.S. Ag Secretary, Tom Vilsack, announced $7 million in grants for research on the biology of plant processes and traits which can be used to breed crops with greater value and resilience to climate stress, according to a USDA press release.The release said $448,000 of the funds go to UC Davis, where scientists will use the money to better understand plant biology "from the genome to the field."The "genome" refers to......

Take sodium advice with a grain of salt

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:34:07 -0700

UC Davis nutrition scientists say people don't have to worry about their salt intake. The human body makes sure sodium levels remain within a certain range at all times, according to recently published research that the Sacramento Bee called "controversial." "Our sodium intake is regulated by the brain, and your brain won't let you go very far outside of that boundary," the Bee quoted study co-author David McCarron. "You may eat that whole bag of chips, but it just means that as you sit down......

Californians to get a local cup o' joe

jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:55:58 -0700

UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Mark Gaskell is working with a farmer in Santa Barbara County to determine whether coffee can be a viable specialty crop in California, said an article published last week in the Santa Barbara News Press. On the 20-acre organic farm of Goleta resident Jay Rusky, more than a dozen coffee varieties are being cultivated on a trial basis. Rusky first planted coffee in 2000; he now has about 400 trees. Gaskell told the reporter it is likely the most extensive......