Agricultural Advice from UCCE Advisors | |
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2025 Carrot Research Symposium
March 12, 2025
9 AM - 12 PM | Zoom Webinar
The annual Carrot Research Symposium will focus on the latest information in research and activities related to carrots. Attendance is free and open to the public.
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UC Ag Experts Talk: Considerations for Cover Crops and Weed Management
March 19, 2025
In this webinar, Sarah E. Light, Agronomy Farm Advisor with University of California Cooperative Extension, Sutter-Yuba County, will give an overview of both summer and winter cover crop management for optimized weed control. She will include potential herbicide savings from reduced application, risks when termination goes wrong, and weed management considerations when implementing cover crops. Sarah will share results from multiple sites and years in the Sacramento Valley and will discuss the impact of cover crop variety, and weather, on weed pressure.
Image: Annemiek Schilder
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Webinar: What Are You Wearing? Basic PPE for Pesticide Safety
March 20, 2025
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an essential way you can protect yourself when handling pesticides. In this webinar, pesticide safety education expert Jasmin Ramirez-Strain will explain the basic PPE you should always wear when using pesticides and where you can find PPE requirements for the pesticide product you are using.
Image: UC IPM
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UCCE Ventura is launching a new nutrition education program: CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE
We are excited to announce the hire of our newest academic, Melissa Guillen.
Melissa Guillen (she/her) brings extensive experience in food systems, nutrition, and organizational leadership. With a strong background in both nonprofit and business operations, she is committed to advancing community health, sustainability, and equitable food access.
Prior to joining UCCE, she served as Chief Operating Officer at Backyard Bowls, where she led strategic growth, operations, and team development. Previously, she managed youth and nutrition programs at the San Luis Obispo Food Bank, focusing on food literacy, food security initiatives and public health advocacy. Her expertise spans program development, business strategy, and cross-sector collaboration, making her a valuable addition to the UCCE team.
Beyond her professional work, Melissa is a dedicated community leader. She serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara and as President of the Board for Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA). She is also an accomplished trail and ultra runner and proud mother- adoptive mother, stepmother, and biological mother to four children.
Melissa holds a Master of Science in Nutrition from Meredith College and a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from North Carolina State University.
In her new role at UCCE, Melissa will leverage her expertise and collaborative approach to support community-driven solutions in food systems and nutrition.
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UCCE Community Education Programs | | |
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UC Master Gardener Program | |
Congratulations, UC Master Gardeners of Ventura County, on being an IPM Achievement Award winner! | | |
UC Master Gardeners of Ventura County has received an IPM Achievement Award from the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). We’re excited to be honored by DPR for expanding IPM knowledge and practices for gardening through extensive, multilingual outreach and hands-on support and guidance. | |
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Start Your Summer Vegetable Garden
March 22, 2025
Come learn what and how to plant your summer vegetable garden so that you can put healthy vegetables on the table. The workshop features information on how to select vegetables that thrive best in the spring and summer.
Image: Annemiek Schilder
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Author: Jill Santos
What do wildfires, near hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, debris flows, hailstorms, and King Tide storm surges all have in common? This January, residents of Ventura and nearby Los Angeles (LA) counties endured them all—bringing destruction, loss, and urgent questions about the changing nature of extreme weather.
While these events are natural in origin, their increasing severity and frequency have left first responders, government officials, scientists, and communities grappling with their devastating consequences. Many are asking: Why do these events now surpass historical averages, occur more frequently, and happen concurrently?
Attribution scientists—who study links between extreme weather and climate change—have coined the term “unnatural disasters” to describe these unprecedented events. While climate change does not create wildfires, windstorms, or tidal surges, it intensifies the conditions that make them more destructive. Continue reading...
Image: Evett Kilmartin
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Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center | |
Five agtech companies selected to grow with VINE Connect
Five agtech startups have been selected to participate in the VINE Connect Program, which vets and connects emerging agricultural technology with growers to accelerate the adoption of practical, farm-ready solutions. The program, run by UCANR Innovate, Farmhand Ventures, and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), will host a public field day on April 10 at the UC Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Camarillo, where these companies will demonstrate their technologies on farm. Continue reading...
Image: UC ANR
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Innovation as the Future of Agriculture in Ventura County
Author: Ruben Alarcón, Professor of Biology
Driving to and from CSUCI’s campus, you’ll notice that Ventura County’s landscape is occupied by fields, orchards and nurseries, encompassing about 150 square miles of irrigated lands. If you include open range where livestock can forage (303 square miles), nearly 24.6% of Ventura County is in some way involved in agricultural production, which directly employs more than 25,000 people. Impressively, Ventura County agriculture is a $2.1 billion industry that consistently ranks 10th in the state in terms of gross dollars, and 11th in the United States. Our County’s contributions help California rank first in the United States in terms of food and agricultural products, and as the fifth largest supplier globally. Continue reading...
Article courtesy of CSU Channel Islands Channel Magazine
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UC ANR Overview Presented to UC Regents | |
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Glenda Humiston, University of California vice president for agriculture and natural resources, presented an overview of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources to the UC Board of Regents on Jan. 23, 2025, She gave examples of how UC ANR, which is in all 58 counties, brings research and knowledge to Californians in their own communities. Her overview included how UC ANR is:
- Growing adoption of groundwater recharge using farm fields, orchards, and vineyards.
- Developing and promoting the adoption of new drought- and heat-tolerant plant species to reduce water use.
- Educating Californians to help ensure a safe food supply
- Helping farmers adopt improved growing practices and new crops for economic sustainability.
- Developing tech for farmers to precisely manage irrigation, fertilization and pests.
- Informing policy to expand prescribed fire benefits for California's landscape.
- Training UC Master Gardener volunteers to help residents with home hardening for wildfire resilience
- Engaging 4-H youth in science such as reducing food waste
- Supporting policy through science and research
- Showing pest control professionals best practices for managing urban pests such as bed bugs and rodents
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The University of California Cooperative Extension in Ventura County conducts research and education activities in agriculture, natural resources, and positive youth development. We strive to promote a healthy food system, healthy environment, and healthy communities.
Your support helps in many ways.
Thank you.
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