Welcome to our new County Director Shannon Klisch
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Shannon Klisch, who started on April 1, 2024 as the new University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Area County Director in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Shannon has worked for UCCE for 9 years and most recently was an Academic Coordinator for the Youth, Families, and Communities Program in San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara Counties. She has 19 years of experience in community health education and has a Master’s degree in Public Health.
Shannon's expertise spans school and community health, nutrition security, food safety, enhanced access to local food and agriculture, and youth engagement. In her new director role, Shannon is committed to ensuring that UCCE on the Central Coast is well-run, well-resourced, widely recognized, and responsive to the communities we serve. She looks forward to engaging with UCCE Ventura stakeholders to further the UC ANR mission and connect the power of UC research with the knowledge of local communities to improve the lives of all Californians.
Please help us in welcoming Shannon to our team! She will be based in San Luis Obispo. Dr. Annemiek Schilder will remain Director of the Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
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Wildflower & Weed Show
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources is partnering with Ventura County Agriculture Commissioner/Weights and Measures, Ventura County Agriculture Museum, Ventura County Weed Management Area, California Native Plant Society, and other local organizations to present the third annual Ventura County Weed and Wildflower Show. The free event will be held Saturday April 20, 2024 from 11am until 3pm in the museum located at 926 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula.
The highlight of the show will be the display of hundreds of native wildflowers and weeds that grow throughout the county. Educational tables and exhibits will accompany the plant material, along with speakers, children's activities sponsored by the museum and garden tours hosted by Ventura County Master Gardeners.
Image: Museum of Ventura County
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New UC study estimates costs for growing strawberries on the Central Coast
Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
A new study that can help growers and other readers estimate costs and potential returns for growing strawberries on California's Central Coast was recently released by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics Get more information here...
Image: UCANR
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Organic strawberry yields boosted by technique refined through UCCE research
Author: Michael Hsu
Troubled by puny plants, low yields and persistent mite problems, third-generation Southern California strawberry grower Glen Hasegawa was ready to give up on his transition from conventional to organic 12 years ago.
“I've always liked a challenge – but it turned out to be more of a challenge than I thought it would be!” he said.
But then, with the help of scientists including Oleg Daugovish, UC Cooperative Extension strawberry and vegetable crop advisor in Ventura County, Hasegawa tried a technique called anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD). When applied correctly, the multi-step ASD process creates a soil environment that suppresses pathogens and weeds and makes for healthier, more robust crop growth.
Read more here
Image: UCANR
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Soil Biodiversity in California Agriculture: Framework and Indicators for Soil Health Assessment
Author: Ben Faber
Soil health depends on soil biodiversity.
However, external pressures from land-use change, climate change and certain agricultural practices threaten the biotic networks that underpin the delivery of soil's many ecosystem services. Yet measuring soil biodiversity is a complex task, with a wide variety of possible indicators, and methodologies that are evolving with recent technological advances. This report, prepared by the Belowground Biodiversity Advisory Committee (BBAC) convened by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), focuses on how best to assess soil biodiversity in the context of working lands and considers current and future challenges faced by California agricultural producers, policy makers, governing agencies, and related stakeholders. The report presents information on the taxonomic and functional diversity of soil organisms, ecosystem services they provide, threats to soil biodiversity, assessment frameworks, and biodiversity indicators. Examples of how biodiversity indicators can be applied to specific use cases provide insights for soil health, sustainable and climate-smart agriculture, and biodiversity conservation in California. Read more.
Image: CDFA Soil Health
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UC ANR Staff Teach Local Youth at Annual CSUCI STEAM Fair
Over 3000 local youth and families attended the annual Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) Fair presented by and held on the California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) campus in Camarillo on Saturday March 9, 2024.
Our UC Advisors and Staff introduced children to beekeeping, beneficial and pest insects, 4-H, soils, and watershed function. The youth were enthusiastic to watch an enclosed beehive, see preserved insects, be introduced to the 4-H program, learn about our county soils by handling them, and watch a small scale enactment showing how water and pollutants make their way through a watershed.
Image: Ben Faber
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Winter Storms are Gone. Time to Relax?
Author: Julie Clark
Rains this year came late and were fierce. Most locations in the county enjoyed 100-200+% of average annual precipitation. Soils are saturated and groundwater tables are rising. The hillsides are green. Areas burned in the last many years are finally revegetated. Streams and rivers are deeper than usual and flowing at a clip. What a glorious spring!
The rains were not without challenges. Rock- and landslides forced closure of some roadways. Some, including Highway 150 and Matilija Canyon, will require geological engineering to ensure road stability and access. Continue Reading here.
Image: KVTA
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