From the UC Blogosphere...

Chandler strawberries get attention

UC strawberry varieties — Chandler in particular — was the topic of a Los Angeles Times article by David Karp.

According to the article, Chandler was introduced in 1983 and was dominant in Southern California production in the late '80s and early '90s, before being surpassed by other varieties. Chandler was bred by Victor Voth and Royce Bringhurst of the University of California.

This year, a well-known strawberry grower among Southern California farmers markets has resumed growing the Chandler variety. Harry's Berries otherwise grows Gaviota and Seascape varieties, both also developed by the UC strawberry breeding program, but will be bringing Chandler berries to markets this year.

4-H Million Trees Project shelters Pacifica Gardens with natives and fruit trees
The Pacifica Tribune

4-H volunteers continue to plant trees for the 4-H Million Trees program, which was started in Pacifica by 4-H member Laura Webber. Reporter Jane Northrop covered 4-H volunteers planting hedge trees at Pacifica Gardens recently.

So far, the paper reports, the program has seen at least 41,000 children plant 350,000 trees.

The program has spurred many 4-H members to propose tree-planting projects at nearby schools, parks and neighborhoods. One of the teens who wrote a grant proposal for another tree-planting event explained why she took on the project.

"I basically wanted to write the grant because I thought it would be a great experience for me and I wanted to help in more ways than just showing up to the plantings. I also wanted to really push myself to do something that I had never done before," said Julia Hurley, a Pacifica 4-H member and eighth-grader.

Fresno farm meeting attracts Asian growers
Fresno Bee

Reporter Robert Rodriguez covered a meeting of Southeast Asian farmers in Fresno, where one of the primary topics was government regulations.

Richard Molinar, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Fresno, has helped Southeast Asian farmers comply with regulations. At the meeting, he urged farmers to spread the word about how to follow government regulations and who can help.

"Part of this is your responsibility to find out what you need to do," he said. "This not an insurmountable problem."

The meeting was presented by the National Hmong American Farmers, and USDA's Joe Leonard, Jr., was the keynote speaker.

Bee Swarm!

Bee swarms are absolutely fascinating.Several years ago, when bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey was teaching a queen-...

Honey bee swarm in the North Hall/Dutton Hall complex at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee swarm in the North Hall/Dutton Hall complex at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Eye gnats still annoying San Diego County residents

Researchers, farmers, community members and county officials gathered in Escondido yesterday to discuss clouds of eye gnats that have been plaguing residents of south Escondido and Jacumba for the last few years, reported Gary Warth in the North (San Diego County) Times.

UC Cooperative Extension advisor James Bethke, a nursery and floriculture expert, moderated the San Diego County Eye Gnat Research and Education Symposium.

"We don't need to have crop-dusters flying over Escondido to deal with this situation," Bethke said. 

However, he conceded, there still is much researchers do not know about the eye gnat.

"I was very amazed to learn that almost nobody is researching this," Bethke said.

UCCE research associate Bryan Vander also spoke at the symposium. He said people have been trying to fight gnats since at least 1932, when a researcher in the Coachella Valley made an 8-foot-tall trap for $76 that reportedly caught 109,777 gnats a day.

Vander said UCCE researchers have designed a smaller, less-expensive trap that has proven effective against eye gnats. A plastic bottle is filled with a mixture of raw eggs and water that has been left till it emits a "pungent smell." Complete instructions are posted online.

UC researchers developed an eye gnat trap anyone can make at home.

Ladies (and Men) in Red

Two ladybugs, aka lady beetles, circled their little house, a 1.5-inch plastic container punctured with air holes. Up. Down....

Ladybug devouring an aphid on a rose bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ladybug devouring an aphid on a rose bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Lean-N-Green Day, Farm & Nutrition Day mark National Nutrition Month

UC Cooperative Extension took part in the annual Lean-N-Green Day at Grand Oaks Elementary School in Shasta Lake this week, reported Joe Szydiowski in the Redding Record-Searchlight.

UCCE nutrition educator Lori Coker helped children play the "Sugar Cube Game," in which students raced to amass white sugar blocks to reach the amount in a bottle of soda. An 11-year-old participant told the reporter she would be telling her family about the surprising amount of sugar in their favorite drinks.

Farm & Nutrition Day Planned for March 23 at Fresno Fairgrounds
California Ag Network

Fresno County third-graders will convene at the Fresno Fairgrounds March 23 for an agricultural and food-related field trip organized by the Fresno County Farm Bureau. A focus of the event is learning the importance of making healthy food choices, much of which is provided by Fresno County's bounty of diversified crops and products.

UC Cooperative Extension nutrition educators will present a play that helps the children recognize "MyPlate" as a guide to healthy eating and uses a "Strong-O-Meter" to encourage active play. In addition, the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center staff and UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors will staff booths teaching children about farming and gardening.

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