December 2023

Oxnard Historic Farm Park Awarded National Status

The Oxnard Historic Farm Park and Museum is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places as the Gottfried Maulhardt Farm. This location also serves as a demonstration garden for the UC Master Gardener Program in Ventura County. Read the article...

Image: Oxnard Historic Farm Park & Museum Facebook

First-Ever Queensland Fruit Fly Quarantine Restricts Moving Homegrown Produce

Author: Hamutahl Cohen

In Fall 2023, two Queensland fruit flies (Qfly) were found in Thousand Oaks, CA, triggering the first ever quarantine for this fly in the US. Qfly, a species native to Australia, is a serious concern because it causes damage to fruit and vegetables -- it has over 170 host plants, is a prolific breeder, and has the ability to adapt to various environmental conditions. Get more information here...

Image: Pest and Diseases Image Library, Bugwood.org; licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License

USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the first time since 2012. It provides gardeners and researchers with a modernized tool to better determine where plants can thrive. The new, expanded map is more accurate and contains more details. To learn more and view the map...

Image: USDA Agricultural Research Service

What Can Happen With Too Much Rain? Watch that Mulch!!!

Author: Ben Faber

Rain is wonderful stuff. If it comes and washes the accumulated salts of the last several years out of the root zones of citrus and avocado, that's a good thing. But what happens if there is a little too much of the good stuff? In the winter of 2005, Ventura got over 40” of rain, which is 200% of what is normal. The last time big rains occurred prior to that was in the winter of 1997-98. That year the rains were evenly spaced on almost a weekly basis through the winter and into the late spring and over 50" fell. That year we had major problems with both citrus and avocados collapsing from asphyxiation. The same occurred in 2005, but not so pronounced. Rain is good, right? Read more here about the effects of rain when mulch can be a problem.

Postdoctoral Scholar Opportunity

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join a team of University of California Merced and University of California Cooperative Extension researchers. The postdoc will lead a project on assessing impacts of climate change on agriculture in Ventura County and develop data-driven tools and resources that will help guide future actions to mitigate impacts of climate change.

Click here to apply...

The 2023 State Water Efficiency Enhancement Program (SWEEP) is open!



The State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program (SWEEP) is a California Department of Food and Agriculture’s program to support grower adoption of improved irrigation systems. The grant program awards up to $200,000 to projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve irrigation efficiency. This program is funded annually and is currently open. Read more about the SWEEP grant...

Climate Corner

Author: Jill Sarick

Regenerative Agriculture Practices Support California’s Agriculture Economy

According to a study being conducted by the University of California. Researchers are asking questions regarding a longstanding decision to till or not to till fields and which practices produce better yields. Depending on who you ask and where you farm, you often get a different answer. To learn more continue reading here...

Green Living Tip of the Month:

Creating More Sustainability

During the holiday season, it is a tradition to give and receive gifts, share homemade treats, and decorate our homes to celebrate this special time of year. According to the EPA, waste disposal typically increases by 25% around the holidays. We’ve curated a list of helpful tips to make your holidays more sustainable.

Annual Audubon Bird Count Starts December 14th

If you ever watched the movie “The Big Year” with Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson, make some popcorn, snuggle up, and take some notes to prepare for the Annual Audubon Bird Count. Or, if you want to be a bit more adventurous, consider participating in the Audubon’s Annual Bird Count. For more information, visit the website that is full of helpful tips and strategies to stack your list with rare finds and common favorites.

Key to the Phytoseiid Predatory Mites Found on California Crops

Author: Ben Faber

Predatory mites in the family Phytoseiidae are known throughout the world in agricultural crops as important predators of pest mites, especially the spider mites (Tetranychidae), as well as small insects. Detailed line drawings in this publication illustrate descriptions of each mite species, and a separate appendix included contain photos of key characteristics of slide-mounted mites taken through a compound microscope. The interactive appendix includes photos of 45 out of the 46 mite species found in the key. For some species, additional photos are included for structures that are especially important for confirming identification. For more information on the publication and appendix view here...

Bug Busters!

Investigating Insect Pests and the Arthropods That Control Them in Agricultural Drainage Ditches

Authors: Maripaula Valdes-Berriz and Abigail Brondos

Do you know how many bugs can be vacuumed from a ditch in 15 seconds? Our new project will be doing just that to investigate how three insect pests and other beneficial arthropods use year-round vegetation in agricultural drainage ditches. We modified a leaf vacuum to convert it into a bug vacuum for collecting arthropods. It truly makes us look like “Ghost Busters”, bug version. In this first article, we explain our objectives for this research and how we expect it to benefit Ventura County. We will continue to share more about the project and give you updates through this newsletter, so stay tuned. Read the full article here...

Photo: Maripaula Valdes-Berriz

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