UC Blog
Immigration reform and enforcement could be costly for farmers
The story was based on research by agricultural economists at UC Davis and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report, titled “Labor Trajectories in California’s Produce Industry,” found that changes in the way immigrant labor is regulated in the U.S. would increase the cost of labor for California's $20 billion fresh fruit, nut and vegetable industry.
“California’s produce industry depends on a constant influx of new, foreign-born laborers, and more than half of those are unauthorized laborers, primarily from Mexico,” the UC Davis news release quotes Phillip Martin, a professor of agricultural and resource economics.
“The cost of hiring these laborers will likely rise as the U.S. government ramps up enforcement of immigration laws by installing more physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border and requiring more audits of workers’ I-9 employment verification forms,” Martin said.
Read more in the current issue of the ARE Update.
Parker selected as CWRRI director
After a nationwide search, we are pleased to announce that Doug Parker has been selected to serve as the inaugural director of the California Water Resources Research Institute (CWRRI), effective Oct. 1. He will also serve as leader for the Water Quality, Quantity and Security strategic initiative.
Parker is currently director of the Mid-Atlantic Water Program, an associate professor of agricultural & resource economics and Cooperative Extension specialist at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on environmental economics, economics of non-point source water pollution control, and economics of regulation and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
Before joining the University of Maryland in 1997, Parker served as an assistant Cooperative Extension specialist at UC Berkeley from 1993 to 1997.
We are excited to have Doug back at UC. He brings a unique blend of skills and experience that we need to bring together the resources of the UC system to solve the complex issues surrounding California’s water.
CWRRI is a special program within ANR, enabled by the federal Water Resources Research Act, with the mission of supporting research and extension activities that contribute to the efficient management of California’s water resources.
As CWRRI director, Parker will coordinate water-related research, extension and education efforts across the 10 UC campuses and across the ANR system. He will bring together local, state and federal stakeholders to identify issues and sources of political and financial support for water-related research. He will also organize and lead constituency-based advisory boards. To improve the understanding of water issues, Parker will serve as a key spokesperson on California water issues, working with federal, state, regional, nonprofit and campus stakeholders on advocacy and outreach programs.
He earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and environmental studies at UC Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics at UC Berkeley.
Parker will be based in Oakland and report to Barbara Allen-Diaz, AVP - Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives.
Executive Working Group
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
Atypical rainstorm pounds the central San Joaquin Valley
Another chapter in California's unusual 2011 weather saga was added over the weekend when clouds dumped 1.64 inches of rain in Fresno, seven times the average for the month June, according to the Fresno Bee.
The story, written by Mark Grossi, said that the wet weather increases the potential for mold and mildew problems in vineyards. Growers may be applying additional treatments of mildew-fighting chemicals.
"Rain during this stage of the growing season is really unwelcome," the article quoted Matthew Fidelibus, UC Cooperative Extension viticulture specialist based at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
For farmers of other crops, the rain storm is a break from having to irrigate fields for a few days, agricultural officials told Grossi.
According to the Weather Channel website, the usual dry and warm weather pattern for June will soon resume. By Thursday, the valley high temperature is forecast at 90 degrees, about average for this time of year.
UC Employee-initiated Reduction in Time (ERIT) program
Colleagues:
UC is implementing a new program, the Employee-initiated Reduction in Time (ERIT) program, for the time period of July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012. UC ANR has elected to participate in this program with the stipulation that the approval must be made by the supervisor AND the head of the unit (Statewide Program Director, REC Director, CD, Support Unit Director, etc.).
This program is intended as an optional tool that locations and organizational units may offer to employees to address the current budget crisis. Under this program, eligible staff employees may voluntarily reduce their time and corresponding pay in exchange for certain advantages, such as accrual of vacation and sick leave at the employee’s pre-ERIT rates.
Program details and eligibility requirements are posted online at http://ucanr.org/erit.
Two specific points are important to highlight:
- First, this is a voluntary program that can only be initiated by employee request and supervisory approval.
- Second, unlike previous voluntary programs such as START, retirement service credit accrual will be based on the reduced percentage of time worked by the employee during program participation. This is the primary difference between this program and previous programs.
As in the past, this program is not open to Senior Management Group employees or academic employees.
With appropriate approvals, employees may sign up any time between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012.
For questions, you may contact the Staff Personnel Unit at anrstaffpersonnel@ucdavis.edu or call (530) 752-4540.
Robert A. Martinez
Human resources coordinator
ANR Staff Personnel Unit
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
UC Davis professor studied old Lake County vine
Within a quarter century of the county's 1861 establishment, it boasted 600 acres of vineyards. One vineyard was purchased in the late 19th century by flamboyant British actress Lillie Langtry. She sold the property in 1906. Prohibition and the vineyard's destruction soon followed.
But according to local legend, Langtry's legacy lives.
"Rumor has it that one of California’s oldest vines continues to grow on the Langtry Estate at the top of Tephra Ridge. It is thought to be part of Mrs. Langtry’s original vineyard," the article said. "Professor Ohmo of UC Davis, one of the world’s experts on viticulture – now deceased – came across the vine some years ago, smiled and said, 'This is one of the oldest vines in California and I think it is a Syrah.'"
The report didn't source these rumors. However, a 1989 Los Angeles Times article confirms some of the facts. The Times article said Guenoc Vineyards in Lake County discovered eight vines believed to have been planted by Lillie Langtry.
Reporter Dan Berger wrote that UC Davis viticulture professor Harold Olmo (spelled differently than in the Lake County News account) visited the ranch and said he felt one of the old vines might be original Syrah, a grape of the Rhone. Langtry's wine maker, French-born and -trained Henri Deschelles, had imported some grapevines from Europe, and this red-wine vine might have been one of them.
When discovered, the old vines had not been cultivated or irrigated for more than 80 years, but survived and outlived even big trees that had grown in their midst. One vine had wrapped itself around a pine tree and strangled it.
The Times said Olmo took some of the leaves and seeds back to Davis in order to pin point the variety and determine whether the genetic stock could be converted into a commercial crop.
In his obituary, Olmo was referred to as the "Indiana Jones of horticulture" and quoted as declaring, "Give me enough time and I'll grow a great grape on the moon!" Alas, there is no mention whether he was able to confirm the origin of the supposed Lillie Langtry Syrah.