Merced Sun-Star
Bakersfield Californian
Fresno Bee
Seedstock
San Diego News 8
California Ag Today
WalletHub
New York Times
USA Today
Los Angeles Times
AgNetWest
California Ag Today
Capital Public Radio
LA Times
California Ag Today
Ag Alert
Chico Enterprise-Record
Capital Press
Morning Ag Clips
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The Vantage Point
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
It was fitting that there were a few rain showers this year during UC ANR’s participation at
Ag Day
in Sacramento, since water is such a perennially important issue for California. Water is on our minds these days:
- The January-March 2018 issue of California Agriculture (Jim Downing, executive editor) focuses on the implications of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the package of bills signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown in September 2014. The issue covers groundwater in all its many facets and what we are doing to solve the challenges of managing it better.
- An editorial in the issue by Faith Kearns and Doug Parker of UC ANR’s California Institute for Water Resources (CIWR) notes that UC ANR is working to develop one of the most promising groundwater recharge approaches — replenishing aquifers by spreading wintertime river flood flows onto farm lands and other open spaces. It's an effort that illustrates the core strengths of UC ANR and UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) — research and partnerships. Kearns and Parker were guest editors of this special issue of Cal Ag, along with Meredith Niles of the University of Vermont and Kurt Schwabe of UC Riverside.
- By the way, Faith Kearns also writes The Confluence, the excellent blog of CIWR, and her recent blog posts on “California indigenous perspectives on water and fire management” and “Understanding California’s water culture” offer environmental and interdisciplinary perspectives on water management.
- On World Water Day, March 22, I appeared on Water Zone by Toro on KCAA Radio where I talked about California water and research, as well as the Farm Bill.
- I am also interviewed in Beyond the Brink, a new documentary to be released globally on Earth Day, April 22, 2018. The film focuses on California’s San Joaquin Valley and the ever-increasing difficulties for farmers and the local produce industry due to drought and water scarcity. The documentary warns that water shortage in the San Joaquin Valley is a matter of national security, national concern. This documentary is a must-watch for everyone who cares about water policy.
- And I recently moderated the closing plenary panel at the California Water Policy conference where the topic was the Future of Agriculture in California. Assemblymember Anna Caballero, sixth-generation farmers Fritz Durst and Cannon Michael, and Jeff Payne of Friant Water Authority all offered promising ideas. Their projects, including Caballero’s California Farm Bill, Durst’s Sites Project, Michael’s Bowles Farm and Payne’s Friant Water Authority speak to sustainable solutions for ag economic development, which is tied to rural economic development. Also, it’s great to see support for UCCE in Caballero’s California Farm Bill.
- Speaking of UCCE, Assembly Bill 589 is associated with water measurement requirements related to Senate Bill 88. AB 589 allows water rights owners the option of attending a measurement class offered by UCCE. UC ANR’s Khaled Bali, Allan Fulton and Larry Forero recently held two classes with a total of close to 200 people attending!
At this point, we have no additional news on potential changes to the UC Office of the President (UCOP) organizational structure, or what that might mean for ANR.
While separating ANR's budget from UCOP offers many advantages to both entities, it is important that the ANR vice president continues to report directly to the president and that the structure best serves the UC system as well as the statewide functions of ANR. The president continues to analyze the different options before her to ensure UCOP is best serving the UC system as well as all Californians for the long term.
We are excited to work closely with President Napolitano to strengthen UC as a premier research and extension institution by giving these vital programs room to grow and better serve the critical needs of California's economy and communities. I will continue to keep you informed as our discussions unfold.
In closing, we are very excited to gather UC academics and staff from throughout the state for our upcoming conference in Ontario, California. The theme is “Expanding Our Reach & Collaborations in the Age of Disruption” and we look forward to excellent speakers, workshops and opportunities to share information and work together to design the next century of delivering the ANR mission to California.
As always, please share
Connected
with colleagues who would be interested in receiving it, and encourage them to
subscribe
.
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2018 Integrated Pest Management Summit
April 17, 2018
UC Davis Conference Center
Davis, CA 95616
The focus of the 2018
Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) Summit is
Pests, Pesticides and IPM
, a two-year California Department of Pesticide Regulation-funded project to enhance dialogue about pest management across a variety of IPM settings: landscape, structures, and agriculture. The project is designed to
increase adoption of IPM and to increase the understanding of the complexities of pest management by the general public.
Learn more and register
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2018 California Cattle Grazing School
April 27-28, 2018
UC Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center
8279 Scott Forbes Road
Browns Valley, CA 95616
This
two-day, hands-on grazing school will provide participants with practical, field-based experience in applying the principles of managed grazing on rangeland and irrigated pasture. Working in teams, participants will learn about grazing planning, paddock design, range ecology, estimating carrying capacity, range ecology and monitoring, and drought planning.
Register.
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This is just a sampling of our events. See more events in
our calendar
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Spotlight on Practical Resources
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Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP)
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The
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program is committed to strengthening California's agriculture by advancing knowledge of the science of sustainability, supporting farmers and ranchers working to develop more sustainable agricultural practices, and assisting communities in building strong and healthy regional food systems. Practical solutions for
sustainable agriculture, such as
a cover crops database, the
Solution Center for Nutrient Management,
food hubs and values-based supply chains, a
database of farmworker researchers and advocates, info on
creating and sustaining a school (and home) garden, a
directory of California farmer education and support services organizations, a
life cycle assessment tool for analyzing the environmental impact of a food from the farm to the table, and more are featured on SAREP's website.
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California agriculture industry must act now to adapt to climate change
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More news from UC ANR
UC ANR staff news
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The
UC ANR Calendar
lists events hosted by our programs throughout California.
Check
to see what's happening in your neighborhoood!
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University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
2801 Second Street
Davis, CA 95618
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