California Ag Network

Category: Education

  • Gibson Farm Market Fall Festival To Showcase Student-Made Products

    Fresno, Calif. (October 19, 2017) – The Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market (5368 N. Chestnut Ave, Fresno) will host its Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21, and will showcase a variety of food and wine products made by Fresno State students and staff.

    The free, public event will feature a campus-grown pumpkin patch and free samples from its dairy, meat, fruit, vegetables, nut, horticulture and food processing units managed by the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State.

    “This Fall Festival is great because it allows our campus farm students to share their passion for agriculture directly with our loyal customers,” said Jeremy Lewis, farm market manager. “This event also showcases how Fresno State students create a wide assortment of fresh products on campus while gaining valuable experience for all sorts of agricultural careers. Besides the free samples, families can get great deals on Halloween pumpkins and fall season food items, while kids will enjoy many special promotions.”

    The Fresno State Winery will offer a free wine-tasting for its 2016 Touriga red wine between noon to 4 p.m. and will also sample its 2016 Barbera, 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2014 Merlot wines. The Gibson Farm Market is the only store in the Central Valley that sells all 12 wines available from the nation’s first bonded collegiate winery.

    A kid’s zone will be open for a free scavenger hunt, face painting, crafts, prizes, campus farm animals and a chance to take a picture on a tractor.

    Free Fresno State food samples will include the market’s popular raisins, pumpkin pie and Tahitian vanilla ice cream, sausage and beef snack sticks, raspberry tea, olive oil, chicken tortilla soup, cranberry sauce and other items.

    Patrons can also purchase BBQ tri-tip sandwiches prepared by the Fresno State meats lab and fall season items such as cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie-flavored almonds, pumpkin butter and pumpkin cookies.

    The horticulture nursery will also be offering a host of fall and winter vegetables plants at reduced prices.

    Patrons can also vote for their favorite pumpkins carved by each of the campus farm units.

    The Gibson Farm Market is the only place to buy all the products from the 1,000-acre University Agricultural Laboratory’s 22 enterprises that are managed by Fresno State staff and students. Proceeds from sales help fund programs for the Jordan College and its enterprises that mirror the diversity of the nation’s leading agricultural area.

    For more information, contact the Gibson Farm Market at 559.278.4511.

     

  • Almond Yield Monitoring Field Day, Oct. 13

    Join AGERpoint for an almond yield monitoring field day on Friday, October 13, 2017.  Growers are invited to view a live demonstration of how the combination of yield monitoring, mapping, geospatial technology can enable more accurate management decisions.  The event is free and will begin at 10 a.m. just off of Lerdo Hyw, 1 mile east of I-5 Buttonwillow, California.  For more information, email sales@agerpoint.com.

  • Fall Garden Workshop and Plant Giveaway, October 18

    Tulare, Calif., (October 11, 2017) – Tulare County Farm Bureau’s (TCFB) Education Committee will be hosting a FREE garden workshop at 4:00 p.m., on October 18, at the COS Farm for teachers with school gardens.

    The workshop will include a presentation from the COS horticulture department, useful garden curriculum, and an opportunity for participants to talk to horticulture experts about school gardens.

    The workshop will conclude with a plant giveaway of free flower and vegetable plants for schools.

    The workshop is limited to 20 teachers with a maximum of two representatives from each garden-site.

    Teachers who have received a school grant in the past 3 years have priority registration through Oct. 10. Teachers whom have not received a grant, but wish to attend will be placed on a waiting list and notified of space after Oct. 10.

    RSVP to TCFB Office, by October 13. Call (559) 732-8301, or email bfund@tulcofb.org.

  • All About Beef!

    Tulare, Calif., (October 11, 2017) – The California Foundation for Ag in the Classroom has added a number of resources on one of the state’s top commodities – beef.

    The “Beefing Up Math” Project was sponsored by the California Beef Council and includes five new math worksheets for students in grades 1 to 6.

    The worksheets require students to solve math facts for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and decimals.

    Once the math facts are completed, the students color the beef mural according to the key. The back side of the worksheet includes word problems related to cattle ranching, and measurement problems that require the “Beef Up Your Math” ruler. All worksheets are aligned to current California Education Standards.

    Find a worksheet right for your class at:

    http://www.learnaboutag.org/resources/

  • Cal Poly Dairy Judging Team Takes First Place at National Competition

    San Luis Obispo, Calif., (October 3, 2017) – The Cal Poly Dairy Judging Team won first place in oral reasons and fourth place overall in the All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

    Fourteen teams representing the top dairy and animal science college programs throughout the nation, including universities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia and Indiana, competed in the All-American Dairy Show Youth Judging Contest on Sept. 18.

    Four of the Cal Poly team’s 16 members competed: dairy science juniors Elise Regusci and Elisabeth Regusci, both of Modesto, California; animal science major Hannah Neer of Bishop, California; and dairy science major Alexandra Gambonini of Petaluma, California. Those same students will compete in the largest national competition of its kind at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin on Oct. 2.

    Contestants judged 10 classes of cattle then gave oral reasons on four or five of the classes depending on their division. The top five individuals and teams were recognized in each division for specific breed performance, oral reasons and overall results.

    The team’s individual placings included: Gambonini, first in Guernseys and fourth in Ayrshires, third in reasons and third overall; Elisabeth Regusci, fourth in reasons; Elise Regusci, fourth in Jerseys. The team placed first in Jerseys and second in Guernseys.

    Cal Poly’s dairy cattle judging team is coached by dairy science Lecturer Rich Silacci and assisted by retired Professor Stan Henderson.

    “The team’s accomplishments at this competitive event are a testament to the students’ extremely strong work ethic, dedication and collaboration,” Silacci said. “I am very proud of what they have achieved and look forward to their performance at the World Dairy Expo.”

    About the All-American Dairy Show
    The 54th All-American Dairy Show was held Sept. 17-21 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It featured 23 shows in six days, the nation’s only all-dairy antiques show, nearly 2,000 animals and more than 1,000 exhibitors from across the nation. For more information, visit www.allamerican.pa.gov.

  • “Imagine this… Story Writing Contest” now accepting entries for 2017 contest!

    Sacramento, Calif., (September 25, 2017) – The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom is now accepting submissions for the 2017 “Imagine this… Story Writing Contest.” Third to eighth grade educators are invited to submit their students’ work to be entered to win awards including being published into a story book, a medal, an e-reader, and an all-expenses-paid trip to Sacramento for the awards ceremony during California Ag Day.

    The “Imagine this… Story Writing Contest” is one of the longest running programs administered by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. For more than 20 years, students have explored numerous agricultural themes to craft their narrative stories. Students are encouraged to write about whatever agricultural theme excites them. Over the years, stories have ranged from superhero apples to futuristic farms to talking animals.

    “Agriculture is everywhere! From the food we eat to the clothes we wear, agriculture is a part of our life every day. Not only is it important to teach about agriculture-it’s essential!” explained Judy Culbertson executive director of California Agriculture in the Classroom.

    Stories are judged and awarded regionally and then the six “Imagine this… Story Writing Contest” state winners are chosen. High school art students in Northern California illustrate the state winning stories. Working in teams, the artists express their personality through their own style. Drawings, paintings, digital art, and Claymation can be seen throughout past editions.

    The annual deadline is Wednesday, November 1. Teachers are to submit the top 5 stories from each class. More information about the contest can be found at LearnAboutAg.org/imaginethis.

    Source: California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom

  • Advances in Prune Production Meeting, Sept. 26

    Want to learn about the recent advances in prune research and how they impact your prune management practices? Attend the UC Cooperative Extension’s upcoming meeting on Tuesday, September 26th at the Ord Bend Community Hall (3241 CA-45, Glenn, CA) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meeting will feature UC Davis Plant Pathologist Themis Michailides, who will talk about cytospora canker; UC Davis Plant Pathologist Bob Johnson, who will talk about wood rot fungi; and UCCE Farm Advisor Emeritus Rich Buchner, who will talk about his prune rootstock trial research. The meeting will follow with a Question and Answer session to help growers and PCAs plan to apply research results ahead of the pruning season. Registration is $25 online here or for $35 at the door, and includes lunch.

  • Advances in Prune Production Research Meeting, Sept. 26

    Glenn, Calif., (September 22, 2017) – Want to learn about the recent advances in prune research and how they impact your prune management practices? Attend the UC Cooperative Extension’s upcoming meeting on Tuesday, September 26th at the Ord Bend Community Hall (3241 CA-45, Glenn, CA) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meeting will feature UC Davis Plant Pathologist Themis Michailides, who will talk about cytospora canker; UC Davis Plant Pathologist Bob Johnson, who will talk about wood rot fungi; and UCCE Farm Advisor Emeritus Rich Buchner, who will talk about his prune rootstock trial research. The meeting will follow with a Question and Answer session to help growers and PCAs plan to apply research results ahead of the pruning season. Registration is $25 online (sacvalleyorchards.com/events/) and $35 at the door, and includes lunch.

  • Blue Jacket Program Returns this Fall

    Tulare, Calif., (September 21, 2017) – The Tulare County Farm Bureau’s Education and Scholarship fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable trust, is excited to announce the return of the Blue Jacket Bonanza program. The program is made possible through generous donations to the Farm Bureau’s education and scholarship fund.

    NOTE:   Packets will be mailed to the Ag Departments this week!

    Applications will be online at www.tulcofb.org as well.

    The Blue Jacket Bonanza program was developed to provide freshmen and sophomore students involved in FFA, who do not have the financial means, a chance to earn their own blue jacket. To be granted a jacket a student will be required to complete an application process which entails a written essay, personal interview and community service.

    Applications for Blue Jacket Bonanza will be mailed in the next month, and must be returned to Tulare County Farm Bureau by 5:00 pm on Friday, October 13, 2017, postmarked applications received after the deadline may not be considered. Applications may be mailed to PO Box 748, Visalia, CA, 93279 faxed to 559-732-7029 or dropped off at 737 N. Ben Maddox Way in Visalia. Interviews will be conducted in November at the TCFB office.

    For more information about the program contact us at the Tulare County Farm Bureau at 732-8301.  Applications may be found online at www.tulcofb.org. 

     

  • Cal Poly Named Best in the West by U.S. News for 25th Straight Year

    San Luis Obispo, Calif., (September 20, 2017) – For the 25th consecutive year, Cal Poly has been named the best public, master’s-level university in the West by U.S. News & World Report’s annual America’s Best Colleges guidebook.

    The 2018 guidebook lists Cal Poly in 11th place overall in the West for regional universities.

    The Western regional list includes 141 public and private institutions in 15 states that provide “a full range of undergraduate and master’s-level programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.” (Universities that grant doctoral degrees, such as those in the University of California system, are listed in a separate category.)

    “We are honored that U.S. News has now recognized the value of a Cal Poly education for a quarter of a century,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said. “This impressive distinction would not be possible without our talented and dedicated faculty and staff, who provide the foundation for our students’ successful Learn by Doing experience, along with our crucial industry partnerships and continued support from our generous alumni and friends.”

    Cal Poly’s College of Engineering ranked No. 7 on the list of best engineering master’s/bachelor’s programs in the nation, in a tie with Bucknell University of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Among specialty programs, the college’s computer engineering program was ranked No. 2 nationwide; civil engineering tied for second; and aerospace, electrical and mechanical engineering each ranked third.

    Cal Poly also ranked sixth in the West for most veteran-friendly universities — a listing that shows military vets and active-duty service members which top-ranked schools offer benefits that can help them make pursuing a college education more affordable. Cal Poly is also the top-ranked public university in this category.

    The U.S. News rankings methodology focuses on academic excellence, with schools evaluated on hundreds of data points and up to 15 measures of academic quality. Overall, the rankings emphasize student outcomes — such as graduation and freshman retention rates — which carry the most weight at 30 percent.

    For more on Cal Poly’s ranking, visit: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/cal-poly-1143.

    Contact: Matt Lazier
    805-756-7109; mlazier@calpoly.edu