Posts Tagged: Merced
UCCE's Maxwell Norton loves agriculture
The Merced Sun-Star today ran a front-page feature about UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Maxwell Norton and his passion for the agricultural industry in Merced County.
The article is part of a weekly Sun-Star series, Merced Matters, which features "ordinary people doing extraordinary things, extraordinary people doing ordinary things, and a lot in between."
Perhaps because Norton's profile appears on Valentine's Day, writer Carol Reiter made the article something of a love story. It says that Norton:
- Loves agriculture
- Loves science
- Loves growers who farm the land in Merced
- Wants others to love the Valley as much as he does
And one of the experts asked to comment on the farm advisor said, "I love working with him."
In addition to traditional farm advisor duties, Norton has taken on a number of tasks designed to support and promote the agricultural industry in Merced County.
He was the founding director of Central Valley Farmland Trust, which as of June 2010 completed 15 agricultural conservation easements and protected 2,745 acres of working farm and ranch land in the northern San Joaquin Valley.
Norton planned a Merced County "blossom trail," which allows residents to tour country roads and enjoy the orchards when they are in bloom.
In 2010 he joined with a group of local agriculturalists to prepare a series of recordings that visitors can listen to in their cars while driving the historic roadway that connects the valley floor to Yosemite National Park. MP3 files can be downloaded from the Country Ventures website.
The recordings including information on points of historical interest, types of agricultural crops being grown, signs of early Native American residents, wildlife and geological features.
Maxwell Norton.
Feeding My Interest in Science
Posted by Luana Xiong, 14, Merced County, CA, on October 5, 2010 at 10:37 AM
My name is Luana Xiong. I am 14 years old and part of Merced County 4-H in California. I have been in 4-H for five years. Some of the projects I do in 4-H include photography and arts and crafts, but the one part of 4-H that I absolutely love is science.
National Youth Science Day has become an important aspect of 4-H. It has created so many opportunities for youth to learn about science and learn about 4-H. I have had the enjoyment of experiencing National Youth Science Day for the past two years. I have led and conducted both experiments each year. My goal out of leading these experiments was to pass my knowledge to others. This year I do not plan on taking the lead in the experiment 4-H2O, but I do plan on participating this year and learning more. My county plans on holding the event during National 4-H week.
I am interested because I love science and getting to learn anything about science is a great opportunity for me because I want to go into a science career. I want to become a cardiovascular surgeon so that I can help people. I chose this career because I have an interest in hearts and how they work. It fascinates me very much. I also want to be a doctor because of my culture. I am Hmong and the elderly Hmong people don’t really understand science or medical problems. I want to be the person who understands the culture, but also the science that is involved when they are sick.
Science is complicated and easy to understand at the same time, but it is also there to explain events. I think science is very important for youth to learn about because they should know that it affects them every single day and that they also affect science. Science is what keeps our feet to the ground and creates the possible discoveries for cures.
I just happen to love science a lot. My brain seems to always be starving for knowledge.
/span>UC farm advisor speaks up for local tourism
Maxwell Norton, a Merced County UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor and acting director of UCCE in Mariposa County, provided extensive information to a Merced Sun-Star reporter about efforts to encourage tourism in Merced County and educate visitors about local agricultural roots.
About a year ago, a group of agriculturists got together and starting brainstorming on ways to increase ag tourism, Norton told reporter Carol Reiter. The group formed "Country Ventures" and decided on two goals: To bring more visitor-related dollars into the county and to increase people's knowledge of agriculture.
"We decided it would be good to have an audio tour for Highway 140 from Merced to Mariposa," Norton was quoted. "The highway is so heavily used. That was the logical place to start."
The group prepared a series of recordings that visitors can listen to in their cars while driving the historic roadway that connects the valley floor to Yosemite National Park. MP3 files can be downloaded from the Country Ventures' website. In addition, the recordings are being compiled on CDs to be distributed at the California Visitor Center in Merced.
The recordings include information on:
- Points of historical interest, like the highest grave marker in California
- Types of agricultural crops being grown, including almonds, peaches, and pistachios
- History of local communities, such as Planada, which was laid out like Paris, France
- Signs of early Native American residents, like pictographs
- Wildlife and wildlife habitat, including vernal pools
- Geological features
- Gold Rush history
"Our target audience is people from other states and other countries," the article quoted Norton. "We want people to realize the San Joaquin Valley has a lot to offer in itself. It's not just a place to get through on your way to Yosemite."
Norton is one of two narrators on the audio recordings.
Maxwell Norton.