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March 6, 2008
CONTACT: Jeannette Warnert, (559) 241-7514, jewarnert@ucdavis.edu
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources offers myriad online resources to the public
The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) offers a wide range of information free online. Agriculture, natural resources, gardening, youth development, nutrition, and family money management are among the topics accessible from the Division’s main portal Web site, http://ucanr.org. The Web site features a keyword search that easily steers users to the information they are seeking. Following is a sampling of Web resources available from ANR.
Carbon calculator helps Californians understand, reduce their climate impact
A new Web-based portal developed at the University of California, Berkeley, provides consumers with specific, personalized information they need to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases. Virtually everything we do results in the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide. The new portal, found at http://www.CoolCalifornia.org, is the only “carbon footprint calculator” that can be used to evaluate both direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases related to individual lifestyle choices. It provides localized emissions estimates for transportation, housing, food, goods and services, as well as resources that can help users make more climate-friendly choices. The calculator was designed by researchers at the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, in partnership with the California Air Resources Board, the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the California Energy Commission, and the independent, nonpartisan organization Next 10. Researchers expect the tool to play an important role in changing the way Californians think about, monitor and address their personal climate footprints. For more information, contact director of public affairs for the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources Cyril Manning, (510) 643-1722, cyril@berkeley.edu.
Three ways to manage urban and agricultural pests on UC IPM Web site
For every season, the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program offers year-round IPM programs to manage pests in 16 crops. Annual checklists promote pest management activities that are important during each crop season and integrate the management of many pests within that time period. The checklists are designed to be used with the UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines that provide "how to" details for carrying out the activities. Also supporting the year-round IPM programs are detailed monitoring instructions and record-keeping forms, pest identification pages, and photos of weed seedlings. The year-round programs and the pest management guidelines may be found under the agriculture and floriculture section of the UC IPM Web site at http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG. They are included under the specific crop. For more information, contact IPM senior writer Stephanie Klunk, (530) 754-6724, sjklunk@ucdavis.edu.
Want to visit a farm? Visit CalAgTour.org first
Budding “agritourists” need look no further than their office computer to find a California farm for their next trip. CalAgTour.org is an agricultural tourism Web site with information about more than 650 farms, ranches and wineries open to public visitors throughout the state. Agricultural and nature tourism allows travelers a chance to visit working farms and ranches and can include experiences such as picking their own fruit, visiting a petting zoo, touring a vineyard, buying fresh produce, riding horses or exploring a wildlife preserve. The site is operated by the University of California Small Farm Program, which also provides farmers with information about starting their own agritourism operations. “Research indicates agritourism can significantly increase the incomes of small- and medium-sized farms while preserving agricultural lands and promoting sustainable agricultural practices,” said Shermain Hardesty, director of the UC Small Farm Program. CalAgTour.org includes information about what activities are available at each farm site, as well as contact information and hours of operation. Interested tourists can browse through farm sites based on location, or they can search for a locale that provides the recreational, entertainment or educational experiences they’re seeking. Farmers interested in starting their own agritourism operations can find information, publications and links at http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/agritourism. For more information, contact the UC Small Farm Program at (530) 752-8136, sfcenter@ucdavis.edu. Tip by Small Farm Program communications coordinator Brenda Dawson, (530) 752-7849, bldawson@ucdavis.edu.
Free online sustainable agriculture courses for ag professionals
An online course on the basics of sustainable agriculture and what it means for farmers, ranchers and communities across the United States is offered free by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, according to the UC education coordinator who helped create it. Although designed primarily for Cooperative Extension and Natural Resource Conservation Service personnel, the coursework also is useful for other agricultural, natural resource and community-development professionals, according to David Chaney, education coordinator for the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) and UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI). “The best thing about the course is that it is interactive and is in a Web-based format that includes a variety of activities, real-life examples and extensive links to other Web sites that offer information, resources and assistance,” he said. “Participants are able to work even more effectively with clients, and develop research and extension programs that improve farming and ranching systems. A major advantage is that it is self-guided and self-paced so that students can complete it on their own schedule.” The course, titled “Sustainable Agriculture: Basic Principles and Concept,” can be accessed at the SARE National Continuing Education Program Web site at http://www.sare.org/coreinfo/ceprogram.htm. For more information, contact David Chaney, (530) 754-8551, dechaney@ucdavis.edu. Tip by SAREP senior public information representative Lyra Halprin, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu.
Researchers provide wildfire risk assessment tool
Fire researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have built a set of interactive online tools to help homeowners, community leaders and researchers assess the risk of wildfire damage to their homes and communities. The Fire Information Engine Toolkit, found at http://firecenter.berkeley.edu/toolkit, was developed by researchers at the Center for Fire Research and Outreach, based at UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources. Users can find wildfire risk information for a specific address, and get a science-based assessment of their vulnerability to wildfire based upon the answers they provide on an online form. The toolkit provides immediate feedback that helps identify specific mitigation measures with the biggest payoff, based on each user’s circumstances. Local officials and decision makers can also download forms to complete a communitywide assessment on fire risk, and easily upload the results to a Web map. Such information could be used to plan education and risk reduction campaigns, the researchers said. "One of our goals with this project is to raise grassroots awareness of the fire risk of one's home or neighborhood among the public, since we are ultimately most concerned with the loss of lives and property in fire-prone areas," said Max Moritz, UC Berkeley cooperative extension wildland fire specialist and lead researcher for the fire toolkit project. For more information, contact Max Mortiz at (510) 642-7329, mmoritz@nature.berkeley.edu. Tip by Cyril Manning, (510) 643-1722, cyril@berkeley.edu
Cotton-planting forecasting tool
With unpredictable weather nationwide, it is especially important to know when to plant crops to produce the highest yield. If farmers delay planting, hoping for better weather, they risk losing time to produce a good crop. If they plant too early, they might get higher yields, but they risk cold weather damage to their crops and the cost of replanting. Cotton growers can use the planting forecast tool found on the UC integrated pest management Web site at http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/WEATHER to help California's San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley cotton growers determine suitable weather to plant cotton and avoid chilling injury to emerging cotton seedlings. The five-day heat unit forecast should be used with a grower's soil temperature measurements to ensure that conditions are suitable for rapid emergence. In 1997, UC IPM began posting the weather forecasts online each day during cotton-planting season. The observed lows for the morning (as reported for Fresno, Bakersfield and Chico) are used as the minimum temperatures for the first day of the period. The page is updated each day from about March 4 through May 7 every year. For more information, contact Stephanie Klunk, (530) 754-6724, sjklunk@ucdavis.edu.
More than 40 California counties have a University of California (UC) Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program staffed by UC-trained volunteer master gardeners who answer public inquiries and provide UC research-based information on all areas of plant health and gardening practices. This free service provides horticultural assistance to the public via telephone, plant clinics, demonstrations, talks, web sites, and the mass media covering vegetable gardening, trees, pesticides, recycling, soils, lawns, disease, insects, house plants, and related topics. Samples of insects, weeds and diseased plants may often be taken to the county office for diagnosis. The UC Statewide Master Gardener Program’s Web site includes links to county program Web sites. Connect to http://camastergardeners.ucdavis.edu and click on “Find Your Local Master Gardener,” then select the name of your county to find: directions to the office; the hot-line phone number; news about invasive pests, such as the light brown apple moth; pertinent information about gardening classes and clinics; newsletters; demonstration gardens, and more information specific to your locale. For more information contact UC Master Gardener academic coordinator Pam Geisel, (530)754-6000, pmelam@ucdavis.edu.
Find pests of garden and landscape plants in new database
The home and garden section of the UC integrated pest management Web site at http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/menu.homegarden.html has been revamped over the last year. Hundreds of pests and thousands of photographs have been added to the database. For the first time, users can find pest management information specific to a host plant. Included are more than 140 vegetable, fruit tree, lawn and turf, and ornamental plant species. The list includes more than 30 common garden flowers and 70 ornamental trees and shrubs. Choose a vegetable, fruit tree or ornamental species for a list of the common pests on that plant and review screens with identification and management information. Suggested management solutions include nonchemical methods such as biological control, resistant varieties or changes in cultural practices along with low toxicity pesticides. For more information, contact Stephanie Klunk, (530) 754-6724, sjklunk@ucdavis.edu.
UC Small Farm Program shares conference information online
Growers who missed the recent spate of farming conferences this winter can take heart: The University of California Small Farm Center's Web site – at http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu – has information tailored to the needs of small-scale farmers. One recent addition to the site is a Web page that showcases presentations from the Specialty Crops Conference in Davis – along with a newsletter recapping the two-day event (http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/conference). The Web site allows users to keep tabs on upcoming events, recent research and available publications pertinent to small-scale farming. Online topics of information include specialty crops, marketing, farm management, agritourism and food safety. For more information, contact the UC Small Farm Center, (530) 752-8136. Tip by Brenda Dawson, (530) 752-7849, bldawson@ucdavis.edu.
UC Davis Postharvest Center launches produce-handling video library
The Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center has joined the YouTube revolution by creating a free postharvest video library on its Web site, http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Pubs/video-library.shtml. Cataloged and divided into six categories, the Postharvest Video Library currently has numerous educational and training videos available in English, Spanish and French for large- and small-scale produce handlers and fresh-cut processors. Topics include harvest and postharvest handling systems, small-scale postharvest handling, transportation, produce food safety, and flowers and ornamentals. As they become available, more videos will be added to the library. For more information, contact executive director of the Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center James Gorney, jrgorney@ucdavis.edu, (530) 754-9270.
Pest advisers offered online course for ecological management
An online UC course is helping growers and pest management advisers who need information about increasingly stringent environmental regulations. "Ecological Pest Management" was developed by the UC Davis-based Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP). The course, developed by Chris Geiger, a professional entomologist, and David Chaney, UC Davis' Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI)/SAREP education coordinator, was created in consultation with an advisory committee of UC experts and grape pest control advisers. "Agricultural pest management is requiring more information-intensive strategies and techniques," Chaney said. "As environmental regulations become tighter and older pesticides are removed from the market or heavily restricted, many growers are modifying their production systems to include more ecologically based approaches to controlling pests." He noted that pest management professionals can play a key role in this transition process, providing clients with important information on the biology of pests and natural enemies, sampling programs, decision support tools, and knowledge of softer, less disruptive control materials to use when making their decisions. By making use of the latest educational technologies, the self-guided course offers a highly interactive educational experience. This flexibility complements educational programs offered by UC Cooperative Extension offices and other agencies. Online registration information is at http://sarep.ucdavis.edu/courses. Total credits approved for this course are from 6 to 11 Continuing Education (CE) units, depending on which units are completed and test scores. For more information, contact David Chaney, (530) 754-8551, dechaney@ucdavis.edu. Tip by Lyra Halprin, (530) 752-8664, lhalprin@ucdavis.edu.
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