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LinkedInPosts Tagged: Ventura County
Many agricultural issues can be resolved with UC Cooperative Extension
At the event, UCCE advisors talked about the status of ag industry in Ventura County, where total farm production is nearly $2 billion annually. Strawberries, the county's leading crop since the early 2000s, are valued at $690 million. However, production is threatened by dwindling water supplies.
"We can't avoid this topic," said Oleg Daugovish, UCCE advisor.
UCCE advisor Ben Faber also discussed the water situation. The average annual rainfall in Oxnard was 17 inches between 2003 and 2008.
"We're living in an environment that rarely sees the average rainfall," Faber said.
Faber's work includes showing growers how using too much or too little water is more likely to cause plant disease and demonstrating new ways of measuring the water content in soil, the article said. One solution to water woes is using recycled water in nurseries. The practice saves 14 to 42 percent of water.
UCCE advisor Jim Downer talked about the movement of exotic pests that are a potential challenge to agriculture. California is particularly vulnerable to these pests because of its vast and varying geography and climate, he said.
Ventura County's top 10 ag commodities were on dispaly in a Model T truck at the UC Cooperative Extension Celebration of Science and Service.
Youth-led 4-H project to impact community health
The California 4-H Youth Development Program awarded six counties with $1,000 grants to implement healthy living projects within their communities. The grant proposals were written by 4-H teens, and successful projects may involve 4-H members as young as 5 years old.
The Ventura County 4-H All Stars, youth leaders within the California 4-H YDP, received funds to build a walking trail at Ormond Beach, south of Hueneme Road in Oxnard. Ormond Beach is the largest continuous wetland in California and is an EPA superfund site — a former hazardous waste site that has undergone extensive clean-up in order to be re-established for safe and productive use.
In addition to providing a safe place for physical activity and observing nature, the trail will feature educational displays highlighting information about bird species and ideas for including flexibility and strength development in daily exercise. “We want to relate the featured exercises to the movements of the diverse birds that live in the wetlands. For example, the blue heron stands on one leg. When visitors learn about the Blue Heron, they will also stand on one leg, strengthening their abdominal muscles and improving their balance,” said Dayle Morris, one of the 4-H members leading the project. The Ventura County 4-H members hope to inspire others in their community to get active and practice healthy habits.
Ventura County 4-H also will be partnering the City of Oxnard and the Ventura County Master Gardener Program to make their dream a reality. The new walking trail will be used by a variety of nature-loving visitors, including children participating in the Ormond Wetlands Outdoor Classroom Program. The trail will open to the public in November.
"We commend the 2011 4-H Healthy Living Grant recipients for their creative solutions to solve real health needs in their communities. 4-H youth are the catalyst for a living, breathing, culture-changing revolution for doing the right thing, breaking through obstacles, and pushing our country forward by making a measurable difference right where they live,” said Sharon Junge, director of the California 4-H YDP. This is the first year 4-H has offered Healthy Living Grants.
The 4-H Healthy Living Grant Program supports youth-directed healthy living projects that address physical, social or emotional health needs in California communities. Current 4-H members are encouraged to apply for funding, lead a project and partner with one or more adults throughout the process. The proposed healthy living project must be implemented with a focus on service-learning, leadership or youth-adult partnerships. Applications are due January 15 annually. Visit http://www.ca4h.org/Projects/HealthyL... for more details.
This story is contributed by a member of the Ventura community and is neither endorsed nor affiliated with Ventura County Star
Enfield appointed to lead UCCE in Ventura County
Richard Enfield will add oversight for UCCE in Ventura County to his county director responsibilities for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
“I look forward to the challenge of serving as County Director and working with the outstanding people of Ventura County UCCE,” said Enfield.
Rose Hayden-Smith will turn over the Ventura County director responsibilities to Enfield, effective April 1.
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
Op-ed outlines board's reasoning for farm sale
An op-ed written by members of the Hansen Trust Advisory Board appeared in the Sunday Ventura County Star with details about the board's reasoning for recommending that the University of California sell the Faulkner Farm in Santa Paula.John Krist, Chris Sayer and Edgar Terry wrote that the historic Faulkner Farm, which now operates as the Hansen Agricultural Center, did not provide the boon for agriculture that was expected when the facility was acquired by the trust 13 years ago.
On the contrary, "ownership of the property has saddled the organization with crippling financial and logistical burdens," the authors wrote.
The op-ed says Thelma Hansen's objective when she bequeathed much of her estate to the University of California in 1990 was to support and maintain University research and extension activities and related facilities in Ventura County.
However, a large share of the Hansen Trust's annual budget has been devoted to maintaining the Faulkner Farm's historic structures and grounds. Only 10 percent of the trust’s annual budget of approximately $1 million is now available for direct support of activities benefiting local agriculture.
The Hansen Agricultural Center entrance.
Hansen Trust board advises UC to sell the farm
The Hansen Trust advisory board has recommended that UC sell the historic Faulkner Farm in Santa Paula because it has become too expensive to maintain, according to a article in today's Ventura County Star.The farm now houses the UC Hansen Agricultural Center, named for Ms. Thelma Hansen. She left almost all of her family's estate -- nearly $12 million -- to the University of California when she passed away in 1993 to benefit and sustain local agriculture through research and education. In 1997, funds from the trust were used to purchase the 27-acre Faulkner Farm.
The stately Faulkner House, built in 1894 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the facility's centerpiece. Designed in the Queen Ann style, the house has a basement, two main living floors and a finished room in the tower. A large red barn on the Faulkner property was built in 1886.
John Krist, a member of the Hansen Trust advisory board and chief executive officer of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, said the trust has not been able to carry out its mission with Faulkner Farm, according to the article. Only 10 percent of the trust’s $1 million annual budget now directly supports education and research, he said.
An aerial view of the Faulkner Farm.
