From the UC Blogosphere...

A Flying Cucumber (Beetle)

You usually see them crawling around, but never about to fly.The Western spotted cucumber beetles (Diabrotica...

Spotted cucumber beetles crawls along a tangerine leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spotted cucumber beetles crawls along a tangerine leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Antennae twitching rapidly, the spotted cucumber beetle looks around. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Antennae twitching rapidly, the spotted cucumber beetle looks around. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spotted cucumber beetle lands, and then opens its wing covers preparing for flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spotted cucumber beetle lands, and then opens its wing covers preparing for flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

California olive oil trade rivals Europe

California producers have mounted a major effort to bring back the domestic olive oil industry, planting thousands of acres, building mills and producing oils that are fresher, purer and cheaper than all but the finest imports, said a New York Times News Service article by Julia Moskin.

In fact, the article noted, a recent study by the Olive Center at UC Davis found that 69 percent of imported extra-virgin olive oils bought off the shelves of California supermarkets failed to meet international standards. European producers, however, said that testing supermarket products proves nothing about the relative quality of imported and domestic oils.

“You can’t decide that all imported oils are suspect and dismiss thousands of years of craftsmanship,” scoffed an American expert who farms olives in Tuscany. Critics also question the cultivation and production methods used in California.

UC Cooperative Extension olive oil expert Paul Vossen, who has worked with virtually every olive grower in the state, called that idea “a bunch of baloney.” He said high-density planting currently works only with certain varieties — arbequina and arbosana from Spain, and koroneiki from Greece — but for those, the practice is no different from other kinds of farming.

Early rain complicates walnut harvest
Tim Hearden, Capital Press

Nearly a week's worth of early-season rain in Northern California brought the normally robust harvest of middle and late walnut varieties to a stop. More than half the state's estimated 485,000-ton walnut crop consists of later varieties, many of which got caught in the rain

With growers fearing they might be hit with unfavorable weather during their harvest, some applied etheryl to induce hull split early, said UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Rick Buchner. Whether or not that was beneficial is "a matter of some debate."

"Some guys were happy to get the husk open because the nut is going to dry faster," he said. "Even if it's laying on the ground, it's drying. That could be an advantage."

What's That Buzz?

Things are buzzing over at the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Science on the University of California, Davis campus. The RMI...

Honey bee nectaring lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee nectaring lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee observation hives loaned by Brian Fishback of Wilton will enable folks to see a retinue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Bee observation hives loaned by Brian Fishback of Wilton will enable folks to see a retinue. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fingers dipping in a honeycomb at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey).

Fingers dipping in a honeycomb at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey).

UC farm advisor wins the 'California Peace Prize'

The California Wellness Foundation has named UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Manuel Jimenez one of three 2011 recipients of the California Peace Prize. The announcement news release said Jimenez uses his passion for growing plants to prevent violence by putting youth to work creating community gardens in Woodlake.

The California Wellness Foundation will honor these three community leaders at its 19th annual California Peace Prize ceremony in San Francisco Nov. 17. In recognition of their efforts to prevent violence and promote peace, the honorees will each receive a cash award of $25,000.

In 1993, Jimenez, together with his wife, Olga, founded Woodlake Pride, a volunteer organization that puts youth to work in innovative beautification projects throughout the community.

"We get kids involved in doing something positive," Jimenez said. "Our goal is to plant gardens, grow kids and grow a community."

Targeting Lygus Bugs

If you've ever grown strawberries, you're probably familiar with what the lygus bug does. This major agricultural pest is...

Lygus bug (Lygus hesperus) is a major agricultural pest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Lygus bug (Lygus hesperus) is a major agricultural pest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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