California Ag Network

Category: Education

  • Sonoma County Ag Days Educates 5,000 Students About All Aspects of Agriculture

    Santa Rosa, Calif., (April 18, 2018) – As 5,000 students descended on the Sonoma County Fairgrounds and splashed through puddles on March 13 and 14, it was obvious they were all excited for a day out of the classroom.

    This year’s theme was the Year of Water and Soil, with an educational emphasis on these elements that are critical to agriculture. Resource agencies and organizations from throughout the county gathered to educate kids about ag and the importance of soil and water.
    For many, the most exciting part of the event is getting to see and touch all kinds of animals, including large livestock. Piglets and chicks are always a huge hit with the elementary school students.

    This year, Suzann Perry with Fallen Oak Llama Ranch brought two llamas, a one-and-a-half-year-old classic style llama named Indy and Shoshone a nine-year-old full Argentine, which she says is a rare breed in the U.S.

    Perry’s goal at Ag Days was to show students how llamas have several functions including packing and wool usage, that each one has their own personality and that llamas only spit to protect themselves. She said llamas are connected to agriculture as good livestock guardians to protect an entire herd from coyotes and other small predators and she finds that llama manure is a particularly good fertilizer.
    With students from all backgrounds coming to attend Ag Days, Sonoma County Farm Bureau hopes they will take their knowledge home and share it with family and friends.

    It takes a village to put on this event and educate so many children about where their food comes from. Thank you to all the volunteers who participated in the event and the sponsors who made the event possible.

    Written By: Rachel LaFranchi

     

  • Castanon’s 5th-Place Finish Leads Fresno State Soil Judging Team At Nationals

    Fresno, Calif., (April 17, 2018) – Fresno State senior Mark Castanon qualified for the International Soil Judging Contest in Rio de Janiero after finishing fifth overall among 88 individuals at the national competition. The Fresno State soil judging team placed 15th for its highest-ever team finish in the national competition.

    The National Collegiate Soils Contest was hosted by the University of Tennessee at Martin on March 22 and 23. Representatives from 22 of the nation’s most respected collegiate agriculture programs were tested in their ability to identify, evaluate, classify and describe soil profiles in individual and team competitions.

    Castanon will advance to the international contest from Aug. 7 to 11. The international competition is held every four years in conjunction with the World Congress of Soil Science meetings.

    The Fresno native was the top finisher from a university in the western United States with his combined score of 680 points, only 24 points behind winner Kelli Roush of Iowa State who scored 704 points.

    “Our team’s performance was a representation of all the hard work and dedication that we have put into making the soil judging team a reality at Fresno State,” Castanon said. “The team is thankful for all the support that we’ve received from our coaches, advisers and department staff to prepare us for these competitions with knowledge that will also be advantageous in our career paths.”

    Fresno State’s seven-person team also included plant science seniors Aldo Garcia (Shafter), Nancy Valdez (Wasco) and Ricardo Rodriguez-Baeza (Mendota); junior Georgina Reyes Solorio (Livingston); and freshmen Sandra Gaylord (Ivanhoe) and Vanessa Ramos (Porterville).

    To prepare for the event, the team members voluntarily met on Friday evenings and weekends to learn soil judging techniques and methodologies. The competition also exposed the plant science major students to southeastern soil conditions derived from wind-blown silt, coastal-plain sediment and fragipan layers.

    The University of Tennessee at Knoxville won the team contest with 2,566 points to edge Virginia Tech with 2,554 points.

    The event was sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Soil Science Society of America.

    Complete results are available at http://bit.ly/FS18-natl-soil-judging-results, and more event information is available at http://bit.ly/FS18-JC-natl-soil-contest-info.

    The third-year team is coached by Michael Sowers and Dr. Phil Smith. Plant science faculty Dr. Dave Goorahoo and professor emeritus Dr. Bruce Roberts serve as team advisers.

    “Mark and the team’s finish was a true testament to all their hard work since they were competing against the nation’s top students, many of whom are taking advanced soil science classes or are majoring in the field,” Sowers said. “The team’s future is bright with each year’s improvement and the addition of two freshmen who quickly understood the concepts without any formal classes.”

    Sowers works as a Cascade Earth Sciences senior soil scientist and was a former soil judging team instructor for Delaware Valley College that won a national group soil judging title in 2011 and was the northeast regional champion in 2008 and 2010.

    Smith is an area USDA-NRCS soil scientist and previously served as a consulting soil scientist in the private sector.

    Under their guidance, the team finished 20th nationally in 2017 and 18th in 2016.

    Castanon, Garcia, Valdez and Reyes Solorio competed at the national event both previous years, while Rodriguez-Baeza competed in 2017.

    Fresno State’s highest individual honor in 2017 was Jagdeep Basi (Sanger) who placed 40th overall.

    Plant science faculty, staff and students also support soil judging and evaluation by hosting high school FFA state contests each spring on its campus farm – an event that Reyes Solorio placed first in 2015 when she was a high school senior

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  • “Valley’s Gold” promotes Education through Agriculture

    Fresno, Calif., (April 16, 2018) – Created in 2013, through a partnership between FCFB and ValleyPBS, “Valley’s Gold” is a local television series that presents a behind-the-scenes look at the economic engine that drives the region, agriculture.

    Hosted by FCFB CEO Ryan Jacobsen, “Valley’s Gold” provides a window into understanding the people, places and crops of California’s agriculture industry and beyond.

    Currently in its fifth season of production, “Valley’s Gold” now provides an “Education through Agriculture” forum that fosters an awareness and understanding of the value of agriculture in our everyday lives.

    “Valley’s Gold Education through Agriculture” is an online resource that provides teachers, parents and students with educational videos, Free Standard Based curriculum, and resources needed to enhance their understanding and knowledge-base of California’s agriculture industry.

    “When students make the connection between agriculture and the clothes they wear or the food they eat, their imagination expands to create connections that inspire critical thinking and promote questions filled with excitement for learning about the world around them,” said Amy Osterberg, ValleyPBS Agriculture Outreach Coordinator and teacher.

    At www.valleypbs.org/valleysgoldedu/ anyone can access the educational tools and resources provided by ValleyPBS. In addition, all past “Valley’s Gold” episodes are available, allowing teachers to further educate their students about the region’s agricultural bounty.

    To learn more about “Valley’s Gold Education through Agriculture”, visit www.valleypbs.org/valleysgoldedu/, or contact Amy Osterberg at aosterberg@valleypbs.org.

     

  • Bayer Collaborates With UC Davis Venture Catalyst to Support Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship

    Davis, Calif., (April 3, 2018) – The University of California, Davis, announced today a strategic collaboration agreement with Bayer Crop Science to foster innovation and economic development in the Sacramento region by providing dedicated facility support for university-affiliated startups — particularly those in the areas of agriculture and food-related technologies.

    Located within Bayer’s West Sacramento Innovation Hub for Crop Science, the 3,000 square-foot CoLaborator is designed to house and foster innovative new ventures to transform modern agriculture. It consists of a flexible floor plan that has the capacity for eight to 10 researchers and provides basic equipment for ag-tech startups to quickly begin putting their ideas to the test.

    “Working with Bayer provides our campus entrepreneurs with another tremendous resource and further strengthens the growing regional innovation ecosystem,” said Dushyant Pathak, associate vice chancellor of Research and executive director of Venture Catalyst at UC Davis. “The value of this effort extends much further than addressing the need for appropriate facilities, it creates an opportunity for entrepreneurs to engage with other experts in and outside their field and build relationships critical for their success.”

    As part of the agreement, Bayer joins the university’s Distributed Research Incubation and Venture Engine (DRIVETM) network of startup incubators. The DRIVE netw03ork is part of a platform of resources offered by UC Davis Venture Catalyst to support the successful translation of research and new technologies emerging from the university into new commercial ventures. Venture Catalyst is part of the Technology Management and Corporate Relations division of the UC Davis Office of Research.

    “We are thrilled to be working with the University of California, Davis, to help grow new ventures with the possibility to transform modern agriculture,” said Jon Margolis, head of Research and Technologies Biologics at Bayer. “While we at Bayer are proud of the advances in our own laboratories, we recognize that the challenges today’s growers face will require an open innovation strategy that taps into the larger scientific community.”

    The University of California, Davis, announced today a strategic collaboration agreement with Bayer Crop Science to foster innovation and economic development in the Sacramento region by providing dedicated facility support for university-affiliated startups — particularly those in the areas of agriculture and food-related technologies.

    Located within Bayer’s West Sacramento Innovation Hub for Crop Science, the 3,000 square-foot CoLaborator is designed to house and foster innovative new ventures to transform modern agriculture. It consists of a flexible floor plan that has the capacity for eight to 10 researchers and provides basic equipment for ag-tech startups to quickly begin putting their ideas to the test.

    “Working with Bayer provides our campus entrepreneurs with another tremendous resource and further strengthens the growing regional innovation ecosystem,” said Dushyant Pathak, associate vice chancellor of Research and executive director of Venture Catalyst at UC Davis. “The value of this effort extends much further than addressing the need for appropriate facilities, it creates an opportunity for entrepreneurs to engage with other experts in and outside their field and build relationships critical for their success.”

    As part of the agreement, Bayer joins the university’s Distributed Research Incubation and Venture Engine (DRIVETM) network of startup incubators. The DRIVE network is part of a platform of resources offered by UC Davis Venture Catalyst to support the successful translation of research and new technologies emerging from the university into new commercial ventures. Venture Catalyst is part of the Technology Management and Corporate Relations division of the UC Davis Office of Research.

    “We are thrilled to be working with the University of California, Davis, to help grow new ventures with the possibility to transform modern agriculture,” said Jon Margolis, head of Research and Technologies Biologics at Bayer. “While we at Bayer are proud of the advances in our own laboratories, we recognize that the challenges today’s growers face will require an open innovation strategy that taps into the larger scientific community.”

  • The CA State Fair Competitions are for Everyone! Which competition is right for you?

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 20, 2018) – The CA State Fair, July 13th-29th is looking for Golden State residents with hidden talents! Whether a budding artist or a seasoned baker, there is a category designed for any hobbyist or enthusiasts in the California State Fair Competitions.

    The competitions which are open are:

    • Photography
    • Student Showcase
    • Fine Arts
    • Crafts
    • Canning and Baking
    • Youth Canning and Baking

    Up next are the animal and livestock competitions. These competitions are always a highlight at the CA State Fair. Hundreds of exhibitors are given the opportunity to showcase their hard work and what they have learned through their livestock and animal projects. The competitionsthat will be opening in April include:

    • Junior Livestock
    • Open Livestock
    • Fur and Feathers
    • The County Fair Best of Show

    In the professional competition categories, Commercial Cheese and Commercial Craft Beer will be open on April 2. The guideslines for the competitions are posted here.

    For the Commercial Cheese competition, awards will be given to the top finishers in each division and class, such as: Soft Cheese, Hard Cheese and California Original. The California State Fair will award Best of California and Best of Show for cow milk and other milk types which include goat and sheep. The Best of Show and category winners are featured in the Best of California Magazine and showcased at the CA State Fair.

    For the Commercial Craft Beer, the third largest in the country, the CA State Fair awards top honors for categories in Lager, Wheat, Belgium Ale, and Stouts among others. The Best of Show and Brewery of the year are recognized at the annual, high profile press event on the steps of the State Capitol. In addition, selected commercial beer winners are invited to pour at the exclusive Best of California Tasting event at Cal Expo on June 21st.

    The CA State Fair Competitions showcase the best of the best! All California residents are encouraged to enter. Don’t miss a moment at the 2018 CA State Fair, July 13th-29th!

  • Peach Blossom Festival Brings 5,000 Youth To Fresno State Campus

    Fresno, Calif., (March 14, 2018) – About 5,000 children representing nearly 145 elementary schools from the San Joaquin Valley will participate in the 60th annual Peach Blossom Festival of Oral Interpretation on Thursday and Friday, March 8 and 9, in various locations on the Fresno State campus.

    The festival, which attracts schools from Livingston to Delano, was created to help young people gain knowledge and appreciation of literature through oral interpretation and performance. The event also gives children an opportunity to visit a University campus.

    The festival begins at 9:30 a.m. Thursday and at 10 a.m. Friday. Check-in will be held in the lobby of the John Wright Theatre in the Speech Arts building (only teachers can check in their students). A full schedule and a list of participating schools is available on the Peach Blossom Festival website.

    The event is hosted by the Department of Communication in the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State.

    Parking is $3 for daily permits, available at dispensers located at parking lot entrances. Permits are valid in any green parking lot.

    For more information, contact Marcie Lierly, festival director, at 559.278.4419 or mlierly@csufresno.edu or visit www.peachblossomfestival.com.

     

  • Farm Tours Teach Children About Fresh Food at the California State Fair Farm!

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 14, 2018) – The California State Fair Kaiser Permanente Farm does more than grow food; it grows knowledge and enriches the lives of area youth and even peaks the students’ interest to pursue careers in California’s number one industry: Agriculture. School tours at The Farm teach K-6th graders about California fresh produce at the 3.5 acre working farm. Schools from all over the region are welcome to tour the farm.

    K-6 grade students get a unique, hands-on experience in a living classroom that shows them first-hand where their food comes from. Students will see actual crops including a functioning greenhouse. They will participate in five learning stations: Grow it- explore seeds; See it- see what the seeds turn into; Save it- the newest methods for growing plants; Plant it-  plant seeds; and Taste it-  taste the foods grown on The Farm.

    The CA State Fair Farm grows over 90 varieties of fruits and vegetables all year long from cotton, kiwi, squash, eggplant, chili peppers, corn and melons to pumpkins. Nearly 4,000 students experience what it takes to plant, maintain and manage a farm during Spring/Fall Farm Tours. The California State Fair Farm is a working farm that produces tons of produce which is donated to the Sacramento Food Bank. In 2017, more than 16,000 pounds of produce was donated.

    The California State Fair Kaiser Permanente Farm Tours are offered for six weeks in the spring and fall. The spring farm tours at Cal Expo are Monday thru Thursday starting April 9th and wrap up May 17th. The fall tours will begin on September 10th and will conclude October 18th. Schools are encouraged to book tours for both spring and fall now before all of the slots are taken.

    There is a nominal fee of $7 per student for the tour. Included in the fee is a tour through the Forest Center, an area that features 40 native species of trees. Experts from the Forest Foundation allow the children to get close to nature while learning about the benefits of a healthy sustainable forest. Also during the farm tour, students can milk “Cali”, a mechanical cow donated by the California Milk Advisory Board!

    Reservations are going on now at http://www.castatefair.org/farmtours/.

    For more information about The California State Fair Kaiser Permanente Farm School Tours and to schedule an interview with a classroom tour, contact:
    Media Director, Darla Givens, 916-263-3108.

  • High School Students Who Worked with UC Mentors Big Winners In Ag Science Fair

    Davis, Calif., (March 12, 2018) – Nine Woodlake High School students took part in the UC Davis Agriscience fair research project competition, held at the campus March 2-3. Several who worked with UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center scientists took home winning ribbons.

    “We are very proud that we played a part in making these students winners,” said Beth Grafton-Cardwell, Lindcove director.

    Lindcove has been conducting an ag science ‘experience research’ day for Woodlake High School ag academy students the past three years. Last September, the students participated in a research project on citricola scale taught by Grafton-Cardwell. Students learned about experimental design, studied the life cycle of the insect using microscopes, collected leaves from a research plot, evaluated the survival of the scales exposed to different treatments, and plotted their data.

    “This was a great opportunity for students to see how science applies to agriculture and to talk about careers in agricultural science,” Grafton-Cardwell said.

    The Woodlake winners who were part of the program were Kirsten Killian and Nate Reeves. Kirsten was mentored by Lindcove staff research associate Therese Kapaun. Kirsten won first place in plant systems and fifth place overall. Nate Reeves took fifth place in plant systems. In addition, Woodlake High School won the overall novice Division 1 team award.

    The students’ teachers are Jason Ferreira, agriculture academy instructor, and teaching assistants Joshua Reger, Joel Leonard and Stephanie Doria.

  • Urban Farming Workshops Start Soon in Sacramento and San Diego

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 12, 2018) – Are you an urban farmer in the Sacramento or San Diego region? Are you a gardener thinking of selling some of your produce to neighbors, restaurants or at a farmers’ market? Are you part of a non-profit organization growing and distributing food in your community? If so, you are invited to join other urban farmers at one or more of four low-cost full-day workshops starting soon in both the Sacramento and San Diego regions, offered by UC Cooperative Extension and local partners.

    Learn more about the workshops, as well as the 2017 workshop series’ held in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area regions, at ucanr.edu/sites/UrbanAg/Urban_Ag_Workshops.

    If you’re growing more food, herbs, flowers or fiber than your family or organization consumes, and if you are selling or otherwise distributing the excess, and if you are growing in or at the edge of a city or town, then you are one of an increasing number of urban farmers. Urban farms are often very small scale, commercially marginal and operated by beginning farmers. They can be operated by individuals, families, non-profit organizations, schools or colleges, or by other groups. Research shows that successful urban farms can bring social, health, environmental and economic benefits to local communities, including improved access to healthful food.

    A UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) team recently assessed the needs of urban farmers around the state, and found that they struggle with production, business, and marketing challenges, many of which are specific to the urban context of their farms. Additionally, many urban farmers are unaware of agricultural regulations, city zoning and permitting rules, food safety, soil quality issues and pest quarantines.

    To help new urban farmers get started effectively, and to help more experienced urban farmers improve their skills and profitability, the UCCE team is offering a series of four urban agriculture workshops in each of the Sacramento and San Diego regions. These communities have recently put policies in place to encourage urban farming, and many residents are getting involved. The workshops will be held at urban farm sites and will include farm tours and discussions with local urban farmers sharing challenges and success stories.

    The 2018 workshop series starts March 16 in the Sacramento area and March 23 in the San Diego area.

    Workshop #1 will cover urban farming legal basics, including types of urban farm enterprises, zoning issues, soil testing, required permits and licenses, and an introduction to key local resources such as the Agricultural Commissioner and UCCE staff.

    Workshop #2 will cover marketing and business management for urban farms, including business planning, record keeping, market channel options, and an introduction to labor laws and risk management.

    Workshop #3 will be about production considerations for urban farmers, focusing on water management, integrated pest management (IPM), and soil contamination/soil improvement.

    Workshop #4 will cover pre- and post-harvest food safety practices, using CDFA’s Small Farm Food Safety Guidelines.

    Cost: Each workshop is $20 for a full day of expert speakers, participatory exercises, lunch and refreshments. Each workshop will be a one-day event. Urban farmers and future farmers, and others who are interested can take one, several, or all four of these workshops.

    Registration is open. Space is limited, so please sign up early.

    San Diego registration: http://ucanr.edu/sdurbanag2018

    Sacramento registration: http://ucanr.edu/sacurbanag2018

    More UC ANR urban farming resources: ucanr.edu/sites/UrbanAg/

    For more information:

    San Diego Series: Mary Redlin, Southern California Coordinator, mvredlin@ucanr.edu, (562) 900-3041

    Sacramento Series: Penny Leff, Northern California Coordinator, paleff@ucanr.edu, (530) 752-5208

  • Young California Farmers, Ranchers Earn Recognition

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 7, 2018) – Service to community and Farm Bureau earned awards for participants in the California Young Farmers and Ranchers program, and a student from Fresno State University won the national Collegiate Discussion Meet, during the annual American Farm Bureau Federation YF&R conference in Reno.

    California Young Farmers and Ranchers earned three national awards related to food donations through the Harvest for All program—a partnership with Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

    California earned first place in the number of volunteer hours donated, at more than 10,000 hours; placed second in the number of pounds of food donated, at 15 million pounds; and was among three national winners of the Most Innovative Award. That honor was awarded to California for a food donation partnership between the Kern County YF&R Committee and the Kern County Fair, which led to the collection of 100,000 pounds of meat and 54,120 pounds of other food. Each award included a monetary prize from sponsor Nationwide®.

    Tim Truax of Turlock, who majors in agricultural education at Fresno State, emerged as the winner of the national Collegiate Discussion Meet, which simulates a committee meeting with active participation and discussion. As national winner, Truax earned a $2,200 prize sponsored by the CSH Foundation.

    The California YF&R Committee also distributed statewide awards during the Reno conference.

    San Joaquin Farm Bureau member Katie Veenstra of Escalon received the Star YF&R Award, which recognizes an outstanding young farmer or rancher in California who goes above and beyond in service to agriculture.

    The Kern County YF&R Committee earned the YF&R Committee of the Year Award for its activities during 2017. Composed of 50 members, the committee volunteered at many Farm Bureau and agricultural events. It raised money for people in need, such as for local food banks and the homeless, spent volunteer hours gleaning and developed the partnership with the Kern County Fair for food donations.

    The Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers program works with active agriculturists between the ages of 18 and 35 who are involved in production, business and many other areas of agriculture. For more information, see www.cfbf.com/young-farmers-ranchers.