UC Blog
Smith-Lever increased funds to be focused on program development
The Executive Working Group has been notified that ANR is receiving an increase in USDA Smith-Lever funding, and has directed these funds in FY 2010-11 to program development by advisors and program representatives. These funds will be allocated to county directors in the amount of $1,000 per advisor and $500 per program representative, regardless of their source of funding.
These funds are to be used in support of professional development expenses such as professional travel to meetings, conference registration, seminars and in-service trainings. Use of these funds will be approved by each county director.
Funds will be transferred by the Business Operations Center at Kearney to a program development account for each county director to manage, allocate and approve expenses.
EWG hopes to provide similar funding in future years.
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
UC Riverside scientist supports methyl iodide registration
UC Riverside emeritus professor of plant pathology, Jim Sims, recently gave his opinion on the pending registration of methyl iodide to several California newspapers. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday said Sims believes methyl iodide is "absolutely necessary" to continue agriculture in the state.
"I think methyl iodide can be used safely," Sims was quoted by the newspaper.
In April, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation proposed registering methyl iodide for use in California. A 60-day public comment period ended June 29. The Chron said the 53,419 e-mailed comments and at least 175 letters have not been tallied, but that a DPR spokesperson said those against methyl iodide's registration were in the majority.
An article that quoted Sims appeared in the Watsonville Register-Pajaronian last Friday. Most of the story is only available in the print edition, but online the article noted that methyl iodide is a liquid pesticide that could be used in place of the fumigant methyl bromide, which is being phased out because of its ozone-depleting effects.
Sims researched the use of methyl iodide as a soil fumigant for nearly 20 years, the Register-Pajaronian said. His research led to a patent, owned by UC Regents, managed by UC Riverside and licensed to Arysta LifeScience Corp. of Tokyo.
Declare *food independence* on the Fourth
A campaign on Facebook is encouraging Americans to assert "food independence" on July 4th and enjoy sustainable holiday picnics as an inspiration to others.
The effort drew the attention of Huffington Post columnist Leslie Hatfield, who declared in an article published yesterday that "eating local food is patriotic."Hatfield contacted the director of UC Cooperative Extension in Ventura County, Rose Hayden-Smith, to get her take on food and patriotism. Hayden-Smith just finished her dissertation on the history of U.S. Victory Gardens at UC Santa Barbara.
She told Hatfield that demonstrations of American patriotism have often been linked to food, going back to the American Revolution, when Americans dumped British tea into the Boston Harbor rather than pay taxes on it.
"Many of the foods we traditionally associate with the Fourth of July - including apple pie - reflect the diverse mix of immigrant heritages that make our nation strong and unique," Hayden-Smith was quoted. "Like people, food ways have mingled, creating new and unique cultural expressions."
Hatfield seemed taken aback by the suggestion that apple pie is not all American. Hayden-Smith told her apple pie's roots go back to the 14th century, not in America, but in Germany, Holland and England.
Returning to her point, Hatfield wrote that she believes eating industrially-produced foods helps support systems which have put a lot of farmers out of business and made a lot of people a lot less healthy.
"Let's get patriotic in the easiest, most delicious way possible," Hatfield suggests, "by eating some awesome food."
Many traditional American foods were imported by immigrants.
Lake Tahoe declares its own wildfire awareness week
The "official" Wildfire Awareness Week falls in May, but this year the Lake Tahoe community marks the event in July, according to a story in the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
UC Cooperative Extension natural resources advisor Susie Kocher told the newspaper that participation in the statewide springtime event has been low in the Tahoe Basin because many second-home owners are only there in the summer.
Because of the low participation rates, fire professionals, the Nevada Fire Safe Council, University of Nevada and University of California Cooperative Extension programs and other organizations created their own week-long event to promote wildfire and ember awareness.
“The event is being held to encourage all Lake Tahoe Basin residents to ‘Be Ember Prepared' and help protect their homes and communities from the embers that cause destruction of many homes during wildfires,” Kocher was quoted.
The article says a capstone event will be a wildfire summit on July 9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Harvey's Casino. More information and the complete schedule of events are available on the Living with Fire website.
Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week.
Visalia Times-Delta features retiring advisor
In a feature story printed on her last day at work before retiring, UC Cooperative Extension 4-H advisor for Tulare County Carla Sousa said it wasn't until her retirement party last Saturday that she could pinpoint the greatest achievement of her 33-year 4-H career.Sousa told Visalia Times-Delta reporter Victor Garcia that many current and former 4-H members approached her at the party to say what a positive impression she'd made on their lives.
"For them to thank [me] for what [I] did for them, that would be my greatest accomplishment," Sousa was quoted.
According to the article, Sousa said her attitude about 4-H has changed over the years along with the organization. She values most the "life skills" — including communication and teamwork — that participants come away with.
"At first I thought the subject matter was [most] important, but realized that it's the life skills they get out of it that's important," Sousa was quoted.
Read more about Sousa's career in a retirement release on the UC ANR news website.
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