UC Blog
California blueberries are 10 days late
Persistent cool, wet weather has pushed California's blueberry ripening back 7 to 10 days, but farmers are expecting a bountiful harvest of the antioxident-rich fruit, reported the Fresno Bee today.
Typically, some varieties are ready at the end of April and "by the second week of May we're going," UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Manuel Jimenez told Bee food writer Joan Obra.
Consumers rarely have the opportunity to select blueberries by variety, but the different types grown in California vary substantially.
Jimenez suggests, for tart, firm berries, go for the early-season Emeralds, Obra reported. A softer and sweeter option is the Jewel. The Reveille has lots of sweetness, while Southmoons have the best flavor and sweetness combination.
Farmers and industry representatives are participating in a blueberry and blackberry field day and tasting today at the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center. The public may sample 15 blueberry and 4 blackberry varieties at a berry tasting 8 to 11 a.m. June 12 at Bravo Lake Botanical Gardens, 200 E. Naranjo Blvd., in the Tulare County community of Woodlake.
Bravo Lake visitors will also have the opportunity to try Pakistani mulberries. According to the California Rare Fruit Growers, Pakistani mulberries have extremely large ruby-red fruit that is sweet and has fine flavor balance.
Manuel Jimenez at a previous blueberry field day.
Lack of local slaughterhouse enlarges footprint
The efforts of grass-fed beef producers in Northern California to shrink their carbon footprints are frustrated by the need to truck animals long distances to the nearest slaughterhouse, according to an article in today's Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
“There just aren't enough of these smaller plants people can go to,” the article quoted John Harper, UC Cooperative Extension livestock farm advisor in Mendocino County.
The story said Harper is working on a slaughterhouse project with Mendocino County ranchers, community members and economic development officials. They're hoping to attract an investor willing to build one.
Small meat-processing facilities used to be commonplace all over the country, Harper said, but most have disappeared. Ukiah's last slaughterhouse closed almost 50 years ago. Four large corporations now process 85 percent of the nation's cattle, most of which are finished in feedlots eating grain.
To reach remote producers, USDA promotes mobile slaughterhouses. However, Harper told reporter Glenda Anderson that the mobile alternative isn't feasible for Mendocino County. State law makes it illegal to bury the inedible and unusable parts of butchered animals, so the mobile facility presents a disposal problem.
Four years ago, a Marin County investor proposed building a meatpacking facility in the Ukiah Valley, but the plan was dropped because of local opposition. Opponents feared the facility would emit an unpleasant odor, the story said.
“I learned really quickly the public doesn't know the difference between a feedlot and a meat-processing plant,” Harper was quoted.
The facility being promoted would not include a feedlot, which generates the odor people mistakenly associate with slaughterhouses, Harper said. After one study and public outreach, Harper believes that objections to a local slaughterhouse now are limited to people who don't believe animals should be killed for food.
Beef grazing grassland.
Recording of ANR Town Hall May 25, 2010
An Adobe Connect recording of the May 25, 2010, town hall meeting can be viewed at http://uc-d.na4.acrobat.com/p47071107/. Length: 61 minutes (the first 20 seconds did not record). First topic: the governor's May revise.Flash is required to view the recording. Flash can be downloaded at http://Adobe.com.
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
ANR town hall reminder and support for AFRI grants
Reminder: ANR town hall set for 9:30 am May 25
Please join VP Dooley for a 60-minute ANR town hall meeting on Adobe Connect on Tuesday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m. PDT.
Dooley will discuss the governor's "May Revise" and implications for UC and ANR's budget, and thoughts on progress towards our Strategic Vision.
The town hall link will be https://admin.na4.acrobat.com/anrtownhall. Enter as a guest and type your name.
If you have trouble connecting to the town hall during the event, contact Mike Poe at (530) 902-2058 or mlpoe@ucdavis.edu.
ANR support for AFRI grants
The Program Support Unit (PSU) and ANR Contracts and Grants have developed a support process for Principal Investigators (PI) applying for AFRI grants.
The PSU website has a page devoted to ANR AFRI support and also includes video tutorials for locating and navigating an AFRI federal funding opportunity, completing an AFRI Grants.gov grant application and submitting the application.
The process begins with the principal investigator contacting the Strategic Initiative leader in the appropriate subject area to assess the proposal’s merit and fit within ANR guidelines.
The Initiative leaders should contact Joni Rippee when a proposal is approved. PSU staff will be assigned to handle proposals for each specific request for application. Contracts and Grants staff will match up to each PSU staff member to ensure continuity through the entire process.
A communication plan, including a Collaborative Tools group and training for Contracts and Grants and the PSU staff, will be implemented to keep the PI, initiative leaders, and PSU and Contracts and Grants staff updated.
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
Cool weather is slowing down agricultural crops
California's cool, wet spring is putting a damper on the state's agricultural industry, the Sacramento Bee reported today. Watermelon may not be ready for the Fourth of July, and tomato harvests likely will be delayed.
The problem for tomato growers has been persistently wet fields, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Gene Miyao told the newspaper.
"Under wet conditions, (planting) causes soil compactions. That affects root growth. Irrigation (water) doesn't infiltrate as well," Miyao was quoted. "I think it certainly is a concern."
Waiting for soil to dry means risking that rain will fall again before planting. Greenhouse growers can't move young-plant inventory to fields on schedule. And at harvest time, some growers must wait for processor capacity. Tomatoes may rot in the field or face exposure to insects while waiting, Miyao said.
Weekend temperatures were among the coldest in more than a half-century from Redding to Stockton, the Bee reported.
In addition, Bakersfield set a record Sunday when the mercury reached just 67 degrees, and wind advisories were in place over the weekend in the coastal areas of Los Angeles County and in the Antelope Valley, according to the National Weather Service. (As reported by the Bakersfield Californian and Los Angeles Times.)
Farmers can expect no relief in the next few days. The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches for the Sierra Nevada and predicts rain throughout California tomorrow.