UC Blog
UCCE's Kent Brittan outlines 4-H swine flu precautions
The farm animals taking part in the Yolo County 4-H Spring Fair this weekend will be monitored for symptoms of flu and other diseases, according to UC Cooperative Exension director Kent Brittan. Brittan's comments were in an unbylined article in yesterday's Woodland Daily Democrat..
"All animals will be checked by a veterinarian upon arrival at the fairgrounds. Only animals that pass these health checks are allowed to be shown at the fair," Brittan was quoted. Brittan also said in the article that animals will be kept at a safe distance and will have no direct contact with visitors.
Health monitoring is of particular importance this spring because of a worldwide swine flu scare, which has been reported on extensively by the news media. Swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs. When the flu spreads person to person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight, because people have no natural immunity.
According to media reports, such as this one from CNN.com, the World Health Organization is warning of widespread human infection from the swine flu outbreak that originated in Mexico.
The story in the Woodland paper also quoted UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialist Martin Smith as saying that "biosecurity is a priority in UC ANR."
"Because backyard flocks and herds serve as potential vectors of disease, and fairs and exhibitions where 4-H youth show animals represent potential bio-security risks, education outreach efforts that include practical strategies for 4-H have been developed and implemented," Smith is quoted.
Swine in repose.
UCCE remembered in story about varmints
Santa Rosa Press Democrat writer Meg McConahy opened a a story about varmint infestations with a cute, if maybe exaggerated, lead. "If you thought flood, fire and mold were the largest threats to your house," she wrote, "you probably have yet to face the menace of a pregnant raccoon."
The lead foreshadowed an anecdote in the story in which a raccoon ultimately led homeowners to hire a crane lift and punch a hole in their roof to get rid of an unwelcome guest. Fortunately, most critter infestations are more easily remedied. On way to face the problem is by downloading information from the UC ANR publications catalog; the URL to the site was published in a sidebar that appeared with the article.
Homeowners may want to research ways to protect their homes from wildlife infestation. Proactive pest exclusion is probably the best way to control the problem. After an animal has set up housekeeping, eradication is more complicated and costly.
Deer, gophers, moles, voles and rabbits are among the animals that can burrow and eat their way through landscapes; raccoons, opossums, squirrels, skunks, coyotes, foxes, bats and rats can cause thousands of dollars of damage to ductwork, insulation and Sheetrock, the story said.
Opossum mom and babies.
Agriculture scientists positive about grazing
The Modesto Bee ran a story over the weekend with a headline that proclaims, "Experts positive about effect of grazing on land." It is remarkable, in my opinion, because scientists are so rarely "positive" about anything and are very adept at using conditional wording, such as seemingly, may be, could be, almost, nearly, etc.
On the other hand, the headline writer may have been using the meaning of "positive" as merely the opposite of "negative."
The story was based on reporter John Holland's take on a recent Tuolumne County Resource Conservation District seminar, in which participants learned that grazing enhances the foothill environment by controlling wildfire fuel and keeping imported grasses from overwhelming the native species. Cattle grazing also preserves open space.
"These are all privately owned landscapes that you are all managing for the greater good of everyone else," the reporter quoted UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Scott Oneto.
According to the article, experts at the meeting said perennial native plants can thrive on grazed land because the cattle thin out the annual European grasses that have dominated the landscape since the 1800s. This improves habitat for squirrels and other small wildlife that sustain bobcats, golden eagles and other predators. Cattle, the story said, have taken on a role similar to that of buffalo on the Great Plains.
4-H summer camp for military kids continues in '09
A news release about UC Cooperative Extension's involvement this year in "Operation: Military Kids" was picked up by the News Blaze, a northern California community newspaper. The story said UCCE's 4-H Youth Development program has teamed up with the Operation: Military Kids once again this summer to host camps throughout California for the children of military men and women deployed all over the world.
Operation: Military Kids was launched in April 2005. Since its inception, OMK has touched 88,000 military children. The summer camp is just one part of a support system for military youth. Camp participants are enrolled in 4-H and local 4-H clubs are encouraged to reach out to the military youth to get them involved in activities year round. For more on 4-H Operation: Military Kids, see the 2005 news release and the OMK Web site.
"As a token to some of our nation's most patriotic citizens -- the children of military members -- we want to offer camping opportunities that bring military kids with local youth from their communities together for a fun filled week of activities that will build leadership, coping and youth development skills," the story quotes Chanda Gonzales, the UCCE 4-H military liaison.
"We want to help military youth know that the 4-H Youth Development program and local community partners appreciate them," Gonzales said.
A patriotic craft made at summer camp.
More green news to close out Earth Week
Changing the way people look at food was one of the goals of this month's Symposium On Sustainable Agriculture at UC Davis, an event covered by Sacramento ABC affiliate News 10. The report included an interview with conference participant Lia Huber of the Nourish Network. Huber pointed out that people interact with food at least three times a day.
"People in our rushed society try to get through meals as quickly as possible. When we garden, or go to a farmers market, we have these personal interactions with the land and people who are producing our food. There are ways to connect with food to make the experience much richer," Huber said.
The television report also included an interview with Margaret Llyod, a UC Davis graduate student who was named one of three "White House Farmers" by whitehousefarmer.com. Llyod maintains a garden at UC Davis that provides free greens to anyone who brings a salad bowl. In order to eat fresher food, she said, it must be grown where we work and live.
"There is a great sense of pride when you've grown something yourself. It begins to have a domino effect in your life...how we make our food choices and how we nourish ourselves," Lloyd told the reporter.
Lloyd was among 111 "nominees" to be "White House Farmer." The Web site tallied 56,000 votes during February polling.
The White House farmer project was one of several movements launched by grass roots groups to encourage the new administration to make changes in how food is grown and distributed in the U.S.
In March, a 1,100-square-foot vegetable garden was established on the White House south lawn.
"People were so excited about our First Family growing a White House farm," Lloyd said in the News 10 story. "Within a day (of my nomination), the media was interested. It spoke loudly to people and they were very interested in a White House farm."
The senior public information representative for UC's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, Lyra Halprin, said she isn't sure that the people's-choice honor means anything specific, "but I'm sure it contributed to the excitement and buildup and pressure to really do this."
Margaret Lloyd waters the Salad Bowl Garden at UC Davis.