UC Blog
Santa Barbara funds CE; Faulkner Farm supporters write letters to editors
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to save the local UC Cooperative Extension programs by approving additional funding, according to the Aug. 11 Lompoc Record.
“State cuts to the UC system, combined with local funding reductions, would have reduced the Extension program’s presence in Santa Barbara County to practically nothing without the infusion of cash from the Board of Supervisors,” writes reporter Sam Womack.
In other South Coast news, Ventura County residents have been writing letters to the editors of the Ventura County Star and the Santa Paula Times voicing opposition to the Hansen Trust Advisory Board’s recommendation to sell Faulkner Farm.
In the Aug. 9 Ventura County Star, Douglas Nelson and Nicholas Deitch of Mainstreet Architects + Planners write that they were hired by UC to provide a Master Plan for the Hansen Agricultural Center at Faulkner Farm.
“We worked for over a year with the first Hansen Trust Advisory Board, UC staff, UC Cooperative Extension and design focus groups from the local community,” they wrote. “Through a collaborative process, we developed a long-range plan for the Hansen Trust - a plan that was based on principles and goals reflecting the vision of benefactor Thelma Hansen.” They call the recommendation to sell Faulkner Farm “a very short-sighted decision.”
In the Aug. 6 Santa Paula Times (available only in print form currently), Mike Mobley and Ginger Gherardi of Santa Paula urge readers to “help in preventing this travesty by writing a letter” to President Yudof and VP Dooley.
Wine demand expected to rise in US, fall worldwide
Within 20 years, 42,000 acres of new vines could be needed to meet growing U.S. wine consumption, Western Farm Press reported Jim Lapsley, UC Davis professor emeritus of ag economics, said at the “Outlook and Issues for the World Wine Market” symposium sponsored by the UC Agricultural Issues Center in late June.
But recently, cheaper wine imports have been spurring growers to replace grapevines with more profitable crops, notes reporter Harry Cline. In the Central Valley, wine grape plantings declined from 190,000 acres in 2001 to 157,000 in 2008.
“Using UC crop budgets, wine grapes are netting only $80 per acre compared to almonds at $200, walnuts at $1,070, pistachios at $860 and pomegranates at $620,” writes Cline.
“The supply of inexpensive wines from other countries acts as a ceiling on prices for wine grape growers,” Lapsley is quoted saying regarding San Joaquin Valley wine grapes.
Based on population/demographic trends and the falling wine consumption in Italy, France, Spain and Argentina, Dan Sumner, director of the University of California Agricultural Issues Center, expects world wine demand to decline despite projected consumption increases in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.
“World wine markets may still expand as incomes grow gradually in traditional markets and wine consumption is introduced in places with rapid population and income growth,” Sumner is quoted as saying.
UC Master Gardeners study 'no-dig' techniques
Even if you can't push a spade in the ground, you can grow your own vegetables using unusual techniques that are under investigation by UC Master Gardeners in Santa Clara County, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.Master Gardeners Joe Gallegos and Abby Goddard are experimenting with plantings of chilies in straw bales and directly in bags of potting soil. Although straw bales show promise, they didn't produce a robust crop in the Santa Clara County test. The mostly stunted plants pale in comparison to chili plants that are growing in the ground, wrote the article's author, Laramie Treviño, who is also a Master Gardener.
The potting soil bag idea met with greater success. The Master Gardeners suggest gardeners lay the bag flat on the ground, slit it down the middle on top and poke holes in the sides for drainage, add seeds or transplants and water.
"Camouflaging the soil bags with straw mulch can improve the appearance of bag planting," Treviño wrote. "At the time of planting and every few weeks, some gardeners add a few tablespoons of fertilizer to growing plants."
A bag of potting soil slit open on the top can be a garden bed.
Draft Healthy Families & Communities plan posted for review
The draft strategic plan for the Healthy Families and Communities Strategic Initiative is posted on the HFC website http://ucanr.org/sites/HFC/ and can be directly accessed at http://ucanr.org/sites/HFC/files/41677.pdf.
Academic staff associated with the HFC initiative should review the draft plan before the HFC Strategic Initiative Conference, which will be held Aug. 24 - 26 at the UC Davis Conference Center.
Three major issues are presented for further review, development, and refinement:
· Issue 1: Promoting Healthy Behaviors for Childhood Obesity Prevention
· Issue 2: Youth Science Literacy
· Issue 3: Promoting Positive Youth Development
Conference participants will discuss and further develop this strategic plan, which will guide activities for the HFC initiative for the next five years.
There is no fee to attend the conference and funds are available to assist with travel, but your account will be charged if you register and don’t show up. Conference program details and registration are at http://ucanr.org/sites/hfcconference/.
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
Feds to suggest Americans eat more plants
New dietary guidelines from USDA and Health and Human Services will recommend even greater reliance on plant-based foods, according to an article in US News & World Report.Every five years, USDA and HHS revise the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; the 2010 version is in development and expected to be released this fall. According to the advisory committee's preliminary report, the new guidelines will encourage Americans to shift food intake patterns to a diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
US News said fruits, vegetables, seeds, beans and nuts get a green light for good reason, but acknowledged that eating more isn't always easy. One approach covered in the article is growing your own.
UC Davis food biochemist Diane Barrett told reporter Megan Johnson that store-bought fruit and vegetables are likely to have traveled many miles over several days. The long journey from farm to table may have allowed nutrients to degrade.
Coordinator of the UC Davis Student Farm, Raoul Adamchak, was also quoted in the US News article. He noted that supermarket tomatoes are frequently picked green - before flavor is fully developed - to help them withstand transport. Also, growers who ship their produce cross-country may favor certain varieties over others not for their taste, but because they travel well.
Homegrown tomatoes can be fully ripened on the vine.