UC Blog
The plight of the honey bee
The headline, a play on the famous orchestral piece "The Flight of the Bumblebee," comes from the Web site tothecenter.com, which carried a rundown this week on the oft-publicized colony collapse disorder, a mysterious ailment that is severely curtailing the country's honey bee population.
The story appears as UC Davis news service distributes a news release about a new $125,000 contribution from Häagen-Dazs to help honey bees. Half of the money will be used to create a one-half acre Honey Bee Haven on the campus, the release says. Häagen-Dazs and UC Davis will determine how the balance of the gift can best be used to benefit honey bees.
Landscape architects will want to take note. The design of the new bee haven is at the center of a competition. The winning design team will see their ideas implemented at UC Davis and will receive recognition on the Häagen-Dazs commemorative plaque in the garden. Best of all, the winner will receive a free year's supply of Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
Information on the design competition may be requested from Melissa Borel at mjborel@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-6642.
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Bee dangling from guara blossom.
Well-attended UCCE program gets local news coverage
The Daily News of Tehama County covered a UC Cooperative Extension meeting where 130 people attended to "engage in dialogue about the complexities of water resource management." Reporter Ashley Gebb wrote that the event was the second biennial meeting on water resources in Tehama County and the surrounding area.
"We all know water does not abide by political boundaries," Gebb quoted the deputy director of Tehama County Public Works Water Resources, Ernie Ohlin. "Actions and things that we do in our own county can affect people outside our county."
Ohlin told the audience that Northern California farmers and residents need to understand their water resources because actions taken by the governor and the legislature could have an impact there.
Gebb wrote that Allan Fulton, irrigation and water resources advisor for the UCCE, agreed.
"We often think we are removed from it, but we're not," he was quoted.
Fulton noted that 60 to 75 percent of the water used in Tehama County comes from the underground aquifer, the article said.
Flood-tolerant rice hits the airwaves
UC Davis plant pathologist Pamela Ronald's flood-tolerant rice is getting publicity in the state's capital, with a detailed and lengthy radio interview on the Capital Public Radio program Insight and in a TV spot on the Sacramento CBS TV affiliate.
Ronald explained to Insight host Jeffrey Callison that flood-tolerant rice was developed over a period of 13 years by isolating a gene from a rice plant that has poor quality grain, but is naturally able to survive two weeks submerged in water.
Using a process called precision breeding, the gene was introduced into rice with palatable grain, and then tested on a farm in the Philippines with great success. Precision breeding, Ronald told Callison, is less controversial than "genetic engineering," which is differentiated by GE's use of a gene in a plant that had been taken from a different organism.
Ronald said the benefits of precision breeding far outweigh the potential risks.
"The risks are so low, so minute, and there are so many people that need to eat rice," Ronald said. "The introduction of a single genetic region can enhance the lives of 30 million people."
During the same public radio program, two UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors discussed their presentations at a UC Davis conference on the local food economy.
Chuck Ingels, the environmental horticulture advisor in Sacramento County, addressed the needs of Southeast Asian refugee farmers; and Morgan Doran, a livestock and range advisor for several Northern California counties, spoke about the obstacles faced by small-scale livestock operations that wish to have their specialty products - such as grass-fed beef or locally produced meat - processed.
Cooperative Extension around the country
University of California Cooperative Extension covers a lot of ground, but from time to time I'd like to give of glimpse of the diversity of programs offered by sister programs around the country, as portrayed in the news media. Some of the program are familiar, while others haven't been adopted by UCCE.
Nebraska Cooperative Extension is providing divorce care classes, according to The Grand Island Independent. The class for parents in divorcing families began in January 2007 as a requirement by the state Legislature for any parents of children 18 and under who are divorcing, seeking custody or seeking a change in custodial arrangements.
Alabama Cooperative Extension provides estate planning programs, according to a story in The Brewton Standard. An announcement published in the paper invites the public to "join us for two nights to learn all you ever wanted to know about estate planning - but didn't know who to ask."
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension provides advice for cattle farmers dealing with the nation's economic recession, said a story on CattleNetwork.com. "When feelings of confusion and helplessness set in, it’s time to get help immediately, before things get worse," the story quoted an Oklahoma CE resource management specialist.
Georgia Cooperative Extension provided information to The Early County News about the dangers of high blood pressure. Hypertension is the most common chronic disease in the U.S. and is becoming a major health concern for Americans of all ages, a CE specialist told the paper.
Florida Cooperative Extension was named as a source for baking information in a St. Petersburg Times story that posted the "Top 10" cookie baking tips. The 10th tip says, "There's no shame in asking for help. Stop someone at the grocery store, pester a relative or call an expert at your county's Cooperative Extension."
Wyoming Cooperative Extension announced the appointment of a coordinator for its Operation Military Kids program. "This is a new position supported through a 4-H military grant obtained by Laramie County 4-H youth educator Jenna Evans," the announcement says.
Cotton takes a hit in 2008
California's white gold, aka "King Cotton," took a significant hit in 2008. According to CDFA, cotton revenue dropped $61.5 million and 48,000 cotton acres were abandoned or went unplanted.
Cotton growers comitted to pressing on attended a recent cotton field day at the UC West Side Research and Extension Center, which was covered by freelance writer Marni Katz for Western Farm Press.
“I know you guys who have survived up to this point are the cream of the crop," the article quoted Ed Barnes, ag research director of Cotton Inc. “You really are dealing with a situation here that is unlike anywhere else in the country."
Katz drew information from presentations by four UC Cooperative Extension experts for her article:
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IPM advisor Pete Goodell spoke about the need to address lygus regionally, rather than on a farm-by-farm basis.“The community has to manage the IPM landscape. This is a community problem and it’s going to require a community solution," he was quoted.
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Field crops specialist Jeff Mitchell addressed the use of conservation tillage in cotton production. "The key to success, he said, is to plant into adequate moisture and use starter fertilizer to help establish the crop," Katz wrote.
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Farm advisor Dan Munk discussed new guidelines for irrigating Pima and Acala cotton under "new water realities," such as drought and shortages due to water diversion.
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Cotton specialist Bob Hutmacher said UC is re-examining nitrogen recommendations for cotton given rising fertilizer costs and diminishing returns for cotton. “Under quite a few different rotations, such as lettuce or others, there may be opportunities to back down on N applications without impacting cotton yields,” Hutmacher was quoted.
Cotton.