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Fall 2019 - Issue 2
USDA California Climate Hub
News & Notes
The USDA California Climate Hub within the Agricultural Research Service at the UC Davis John Muir Institute works with partners across federal and state agencies, universities, and industry to help enable climate-informed decision making and advance the adaptive capacity for California's working and managed agricultural, range, and forest lands. Through these newsletters we share news and information of relevance and interest to our stakeholders. We encourage you to get in touch with us if we can be of further service or assistance.
Wildfire Resources

As wildfires continue to impact communities across the state, we're keeping this link at the top of our newsletter.

Check out our list of resources for information on wildfire incidents, air quality updates, and resources for preparation and recovery.
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Halloween Extremes

The kids were sweating through their costumes in Palm Springs in 1966, where the thermometer hit 101F on Halloween – the warmest Halloween in California according to Climate Central's analysis .


The record coldest? Of the cities listed, Santa Maria and Salinas tie for that prize, with temperatures dropping to 28F on Halloween 1935, though some of our high desert and mountain towns may wish to dispute this record!
UC Natural Reserve System Kicks Off New Water-Focused Initiative

The UC Natural Reserve System is building a new initiative to monitor and quantify California's precipitation from the mountains to the deserts to the coasts. The California Heartbeat Initiative, so called because "water is the life-blood of California" aims to monitor water across the state, from sap flow and transpiration to groundwater and soil moisture, to quantify the spatial and temporal movement of water through the state's multitude of ecosystems and environments. By utilizing the Natural Reserves as laboratories, data collected through this initiative will feed into models to provide information about the mid-term future (5-15 years) of California's water availability. The initiative scientists note that this information will be useful for land and water managers, farmers, and policy makers in their decision making.

Check out this UCNR video and their webpage for more.
In the Spotlight

DR. MAE CULUMBER is a University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Farm Advisor in Fresno County working on whole orchard recycling and orchard floor management strategies and their implications for soil quality, water efficiency, and whole orchard health.

In the News
California Dairy and Climate Change Mitigation - Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a major part of climate change mitigation efforts. California's dairy industry is on track to reduce methane emissions by more than 2 million tonnes annually thanks to collaborative and state-supported projects.

Whole Orchard Recycling Gets Boost - Whole orchard recycling improves soil health, boosts water retention, and can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon in orchard agrisystems. Now CDFA is looking to include the practice as part of its Healthy Soils Initiative Program. Public comment on this issue is open until Nov. 15th.

Fresno ranked top agricultural county in the nation - Fresno's $7.88 billion in ag sales in 2018 launched the county to the top of the heap. Silver and bronze go to Kern and Tulare counties, highlighting yet again the huge role California plays in feeding the nation.

Did you know? October 12th was National Farmer's Day. It's never to late to thank a farmer!
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We would be pleased to share your newsworthy items, outputs or products, or associated resources with the USDA California Climate Hub community. If you would like to reach the Climate Hub community, provide a feature for this newsletter, or contribute content for our website, please contact Steven Ostoja , USDA California Climate Hub Director, or to Lauren Parker , USDA California Climate Hub Postdoctoral Fellow.