From the UC Blogosphere...

Software has the Silicon Valley, but ag technology isn't centered in one place

The Sacramento region may be an emerging agricultural technology hub, but creating just one hub for California agriculture may not be practical, said an article in the November 2011 issue of Comstock magazine.

“With a state a thousand miles long and ecosystems ranging from rain forests to arid deserts, and cropping patterns affiliated with all those things, you will not find a single location to do what needs to be done,” said Don Klingborg, who directs the advocacy and county partnerships effort at the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

That’s why the university has nine extension centers across the state — someone needs to make sure that the ideas that come out of campus labs will actually work in the field, the article noted.

“Once it has gone through that and you have done the fine-tuning, then it is time to do the transfer into the private sector,” Klingborg said.

A new generation of farmers emerges
Linda DuBois, Comstock

There are a significant number of younger Californians very interested in food, and that leads them to an interest in agriculture, said UC Davis professor Tom Tomich, director of the UC's Agriculture Sustainability Institute and of the statewide UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

To meet this demand, UC Davis launched a new bachelor’s degree program in sustainable agriculture and food systems.

“There’s a real emphasis on experiential learning because so many of the students don’t come from a farm background,” Tomich says.

Nurturing a new crop of farmers is imperative because California agriculture is crucial to the state’s economy and to the nation’s food security, says Craig McNamara, president of the California Board of Food and Agriculture.

California farms grow pumpkins for fun, not profit

California is the nation's No. 2 pumpkin producer, but the crop is unusual among the state's agricultural commodities, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times by Diana Marcum. Pumpkin farms tend to be small and most pumpkins are sold directly to consumers by farmers at roadside stands or U-pick operations. California pumpkins are more commonly used for jack-o'-lanterns than pie filling.

"Pumpkins are really different," said Tom Turini, a farm advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension in Fresno. "We're not trying to feed the world pumpkins. It's more about tradition, family. It's farmers just having a little fun."

Fungal Killer of Cypresses Originated in California
John Upton, New York Times

Last month, scientists from UC Berkeley and the National Research Council in Italy reported that they traced Seiridium, the fungus that causes cypress canker disease, back to Monterey cypresses in California. The fungus has caused a deadly epidemic in the world’s forests.

According to the article, Matteo Garbelotto, a forest pathologist at Berkeley and a member of the team of scientists, said that the problem began roughly a century ago when landowners started planting Monterey cypress trees in the California Central Valley and in Europe. Outside of their natural environment, they became weakened and more susceptible to infection. As the trees’ immune systems grew weaker, the fungus grew stronger, until it prevailed.

Blood Bugs at the Bohart

Wear your favorite insect costume. Show off your insect tattoo.When the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis hosts its...

Whack! Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum's education and outreach coordinator, takes aim at a mosquito pinata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Whack! Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum's education and outreach coordinator, takes aim at a mosquito pinata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the mosquito pinata, made by Brittany Nelms, that will be bashed Sunday, Oct. 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the mosquito pinata, made by Brittany Nelms, that will be bashed Sunday, Oct. 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

4-H members create Sutter County flag

Sutter County now has an official flag because of two Sutter County 4-H members, according to a story on Fox 40 News in Sacramento.

4-H'ers Francisco Ruiz and Franklin Tarke, both high school sophomores, were asked to bring along their county's flag for a presentation at a 4-H conference. That's when they learned Sutter County has never had a flag.

"People that had gone in the past had to either make a flag out of paper or not participate in the flag ceremony and we didn't really want to do that," said Tarke.

The duo designed three flags and conducted an online poll to select the 161-year-old county’s first flag. On Wednesday, the Sutter County Board of Supervisors proclaimed the 4-H'ers creation the county's official flag.

4-H members create Sutter County's first official flag.

Bugs at the Bohart

When the Bohart Museum Society throws a Halloween party, you can bet bugs will be there.In costume.Lynn Kimsey, director of...

UC Davis graduate student Emily Bzdyk came dressed as a butterfly. She creates insect jewelry sold at the Bohart.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis graduate student Emily Bzdyk came dressed as a butterfly. She creates insect jewelry sold at the Bohart. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Insect photographer Tom Roach of Lincoln came dressed as a bug. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Insect photographer Tom Roach of Lincoln came dressed as a bug. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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