California Ag Network

Category: News

  • A Farm Bill for our future

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 16, 2017) – CDFA is in the midst of preparing California’s recommendations for the 2018 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is renewed every five years and serves as the policy guideline for food and farming in the United States. The legislation touches all of us in numerous ways, as this blog post and others to follow in a series will explain in greater detail.

    The Farm Bill is essential for agriculture in the present time, but it also plays a vital role in shaping our future.  It helps fund research and education programs; it supports the development of our rural communities; and, significantly, it serves as a guide for young and beginning farmers who will carry the torch of California agriculture.

    New and Beginning Farmers

    California’s agricultural future depends on our next generation of farmers and ranchers willing to take on the responsibility. It’s not an easy job.  The average age of farmers is trending upwards. Some estimates suggest that between now and 2018, there will be an 8 percent drop in the total number of farmers and ranchers. We need people to choose farming and ranching. The current Farm Bill has helped by providing:

    • $100 million for the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program to offer and develop education, training, mentoring and outreach programs.
    • Increased access to capital dollars to help new and beginning farmers start their operations with confidence.
    • Reduced rates on crop insurance premiums for the first 5 years of farming

    Research and Education

    As home to the world’s best universities and research facilities, California has always led the way in developing cutting-edge research to help our farms, our food and our families. Historically, support from the Farm Bill has allowed us to excel at innovation. For example, federal research dollars have helped:

    • Improve the environment through the adoption of climate smart agriculture technologies.
    • Fight the spread of pests and diseases by developing new eradication methods and resistant fruit and vegetable plants.
    • Fund nutritional research, leading to peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate the health benefits of fruits, vegetables and nuts.
    • Increase food safety training.
    • Quantify the benefits of on-farm climate-smart farming practices.

    Rural Development

    California’s rural communities are the backbone of our agricultural economy. They provide the ingenuity, perseverance and resources that allow California to thrive. The rural development title in the current Farm Bill helps support these communities by:

    • Providing over $150 million for water and waste water infrastructure and emergency relief.
    • Supporting rural business development and creating employment opportunities through small-business entrepreneurship programs and capital investment.
    • Expanding broadband connectivity to reach areas that lack adequate internet access.

    Ensuring the continued success of rural communities is vital to our success as a state. The Farm Bill helps build the foundation to keep these communities thriving for years to come.

    The future of California agriculture will undoubtedly face challenges, but it will also present substantial opportunity. The Farm Bill is there to help with both. California is ready to continue leading the way in agricultural innovation, quality and safety.

  • UC water institute announces 2017 grant recipients

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 16, 2017) – The UC California Institute for Water Resources (CIWR) has announced the recipients of six grants to address the most critical water issues in the state. For this program, the Institute leverages funds it receives from the Water Resources Research Act of 1964 through the Department of Interior.

    CIWR, which is part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, facilitates collaborative research and outreach on water issues across California’s academic institutions and with international, federal, state, regional, nonprofit, and campus communities.

    Small grants to support initial work will be dispersed to the following projects (click the headline for more information):

    One proposed solution for recharging overdrawn aquifers is flooding farmland during the rainy season. Optimizing agricultural groundwater banking for specific crops can be challenging. The goal of this project is to better understand how alfalfa, which is grown year-round, responds to winter flooding.

    Declining water levels can degrade or eliminate fish habitat during California’s summer season. Storing water off-channel during the rainy season can improve flow during the summer. The study is designed to gain a better understanding of the relationship between stream flow and habitat.

    Turfgrass is common in urban landscapes and provides valuable recreation areas and ecosystem services. This project will help determine the best irrigation strategies for common turfgrass species.

    The natural conditions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have been changed by habitat alteration and non-native predacious fish introduction. This project will examine the interplay between altered habitat and predatory fish, and how they impact native salmon populations.

    Sacramento State geology professor Amelia Vankeuren and graduate students collect samples at the American River.

    During the recent drought, California required that on-average urban water districts conserve 25 percent of their water. While some districts were successful, others failed to meet their target. This project will examine how variation in policy – pricing, messaging and penalties – and drought severity affected water conservation.

    As part of California’s groundwater management act, some basins were designated as high management priorities. This project will characterize groundwater using age, location and temperature. This information will be valuable for stakeholders creating a groundwater sustainability plan.

    Farmer Jim Morris on an alfalfa field being flooded for groundwater recharge.

     

     

  • Tricolored Blackbird Nesting Season Approaching

    Modesto, Calif., (March 16, 2017) – As fields begin to dry out from this wet winter and you prepare your harvest equipment, or schedule your custom harvester, to harvest your winter forage, the Tricolored Blackbird is also looking for a good place to nest. Hopefully with such a wet winter, the wetlands that the birds naturally prefer will appeal to them and many will choose to nest there instead of in our fields. However, it remains likely that some will still choose to nest in forage fields as they have for some time.

    When that happens there is help to recover some of the losses from delayed harvest. If you have been following my articles on the Blackbird you know that it is a candidate for listing under the California Endangered Species Act, and that as a candidate, it has the full protection of a listed species. Recognizing the potential conflict, Western United Dairymen (WUD) has been involved in this issue for well over a decade. Several years back WUD partnered with California Farm Bureau, Dairy Cares, Sustainable Conservation, and Audubon of California to secure a grant from USDA-NRCS to help compensate farmers who decide to delay harvest due to nesting Tricolors. The grant would make payments for the lost feed value from the area where the birds nest. To take advantage of this funding, contact your local NRCS office for more information.

    Farm Bureau, working with the groups mentioned above, has once again worked to develop protections for farmers who delay harvest and follow the advice of a qualified biologist in allowing for an area to not be harvested until the birds have fledged. Farmers that follow that advice, and inform the Department of Fish and Wildlife, are eligible for that protection. This is important because penalties for harming the birds are significant and are best to be avoided.

    The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as Audubon of California will be out once again scouting areas where the birds have nested in the past looking for colonies this year. If you have any questions on this issue please give me a call at the WUD office. If you believe you might have Tricolors nesting your forage fields, you should contact NRCS to have their biologist provide a confidential assessment.

  • Kings County Farm Day – Unique Field Trip Brings Agriculture To Life For Local Third Graders

    Hanford, Calif., (March 15, 2017) – Kings County Farm Bureau is busy preparing for the annual event that best exemplifies what Farm Bureau is all about: Farm Day. Now in its 13th year, Kings County Farm Day will bring together 2,373 third graders and 108 teachers from 32 schools for a unique field trip. With the help of 24 businesses, 12 equipment operators and 26 animal presenters, students from across the county will have the opportunity to learn about the many facets of agriculture through interactive exhibits and hands-on experiences.

    Farm Day, which will take place next Thursday, March 16 at the Kings Fairgrounds, is a collaborative effort on the part of Kings County Farm Bureau (KCFB), the Kings County Office of Education and the Kings Fair. Farm Day strives to teach the next generation of consumers about the positive contributions farming makes to the community and the local economy.

    Volunteers will guide students through a number of exhibits that allow them to climb on tractors, pet a variety of farm animals and learn the process of how food gets from the farm to the fork.

    The goal of Farm Day, which requires hundreds of man hours to plan and execute each year, is to spark an interest in agriculture – the Valley’s dominant industry – at a young age for the next generation of consumers. As educational as it is fun, Farm Day teaches children valuable lessons about where food comes from, and demonstrates that it is not grown in the grocery store.

    “Farm Day provides us with a special opportunity to teach local students about the importance of living in a farming community,” said Farm Day Chairman Brian Bergman. “Our goal is for every child who attends Farm Day to gain an increased awareness of the positive contributions that agriculture makes not only to our local community and our economy, but to the world.”

    Farm Day will take place on Thursday, March 16, from 9 a.m. – noon at Kings Fairgrounds in Hanford, and is a very visual event that offers great opportunities for photos and video. It is requested that media planning to attend please call Kings County Farm Bureau at (559) 584-3557 or email dusty.ference@kcfb.org in advance so that we may assist you with coordinating interviews. On the day of the event, call Dusty Ference at (559) 303-1885.

  • Fresno County Farm & Nutrition Day is March 17

    Fresno, Calif., (March 15, 2017) – More than 4,000 third-grade students, teachers and chaperones from throughout Fresno County will participate in the 12th annual Farm & Nutrition Day at the Big Fresno Fairgrounds, located at Butler and Chance avenues, on Friday, March 17, from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

    The one-day, interactive educational experience is sponsored by Fresno County Farm Bureau and The Big Fresno Fair.  Attendees will have the opportunity to take part in more than 50 demonstrations and booths, which focus on how food is produced, the diversity of Fresno County agriculture and nutritional information.  Participants will learn about the abundant agricultural industry in Fresno County, agricultural career opportunities and how to make healthy food choices.

    More than 100 volunteers will assist at the event.  Several businesses and individuals are financially assisting with school transportation and other costs.

    For more information, or to schedule an interview, contact the Farm Bureau at 559-237-0263 or info@fcfb.org.

    Fresno County is one of the nation’s top agricultural counties, producing more than 400 commercial crops annually, totaling more than $6.61 billion in gross production value in 2015. The 4,000 participants at the 2017 Farm & Nutrition Day are from 38 different schools located in 15 school districts from across Fresno County. Please see the complete list below.

    Participants:

    Districts Schools
    Burrel Union Elementary Burrel Union
    Caruthers Unified Caruthers
    Central Unified Biola-Pershing
    Clovis Unified Fort Washington, Tarpey
    Fresno Unified Ayer, Easterby, Kirk, Lane, Leavenworth, Olmos, Williams, Wolters
    Kerman Unified Goldenrod, Kerman-Floyd
    Kings Canyon Unified Alta, Jefferson, McCord
    Kingsburg Elementary Central Valley Home School
    Laton Unified Laton
    Pacific Union Elementary Pacific Union
    Parlier Unified Cesar E. Chavez, S. Ben Benavidez, John C. Martinez
    Charter Schools Alvina, Inspire, W.E.B. DuBois
    Sanger Unified Del Rey, Lone Star, Jackson, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lone Star, Quail Lake Environmental Charter
    Selma Unified Eric White, Indianola, James Garfield
    Washington Unified American Union Elementary

     

  • Los Banos Farmer is Newly Elected Chair of San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority

    Los Banos, Calif., (March 15, 2017) – Cannon Michael, a 6th generation California farmer is the newly elected chairman of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (Authority). Michael is president of Bowles Farming Company, a family owned and operated farming company headquartered in Los Banos.

    Bowles Farming Company is an 11,000 acre organic and conventional farm growing fresh market and processing tomatoes, field crops including corn, melons, carrots and onions, alfalfa for local dairies and other commodities such as durum wheat for bread, pima cotton, pistachios and almonds. Other activities include managing wetlands and habitat restoration on the family farm.

    In accepting the new position, Michael said, “It is an enormous responsibility to lead the Authority. I look forward to working with the board and the 100 dedicated employees who make up the Authority family, working to make sure it’s members have access to reliable water supplies that serve communities, wetlands and are used to grow the food and fiber crops for much of the nation.”

    Cannon Michael replaces Mike Stearns who has served as the Authority chairman for the past two decades.

    Stearns said, “It has been a great honor to serve our diverse member agencies that are bound together by the facilities that the Authority operates. We have faced many challenges and changing dynamics over the past two decades to deliver water to 1.2 million acres of farmland, 300,000 acres of wildlife refuges and wetlands and 2 million people.

    “Cannon is an outstanding farmer and leader. He is the right person to take the Authority into the next generation. Future water management challenges will require a balanced approach to meet the needs of California’s farms, its people and the environment,” he said.

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (March 14, 2017) – Temperatures warmed up last week between 10 and 20 degrees, with a drier pattern taking hold over much of the State. Rainfall was largely confined to the northern one third of the State, with generally light rains falling along the central/northern valley, central/northern coast, and snow into the central/northern Sierras on Monday through Wednesday.

    Mountain snowpack decreased for the first time since last fall. Although snow showers fell on the central/northern Sierras early in the week with up to three inches of new snow accumulation, warm temperatures helped produce an overall decrease in snowpack by about one to two feet. Very heavy snowpacks continued in the mountains, with Lodgepole in the southern Sierras still reported over four feet of snow on the ground. Deeper snowcover was seen in the central and northern Sierras.

    Temperature highs were in the 40s to 60s in the mountains, 60s to 70s in the valley and along the coast, and 70s to 90s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 20s to 40s in the mountains, 30s to 50s in the valley, 30s to 60s in the desert, and 40s to 50s along the coast.

    Alfalfa broke dormancy but growth was slow. Alfalfa fields continued to be sprayed for weeds. Growers started preparing ground for the upcoming cotton season by tilling, making furrows, and applying herbicides.

    Pruning, discing, weed control, and pre-bloom spraying continued. Olive groves were pruned. Herbicides were applied to some vineyards to combat the increase in weeds after an exceptionally wet winter. Early varieties of stone fruit, including cherries, apricots, and plums, were blooming in the San Joaquin Valley. Harvest of Cara Cara and Navel oranges, lemons, and mandarins continued. Fungicide applications were made to some citrus orchards. Recent rains impacted the overall quality of the citrus. Orange groves were hedge-rowed and skirted.  A few seedless tangerine groves were netted to prevent cross pollination during the pending bloom.

    As field conditions permitted, walnut and pistachio orchard pruning resumed. Almond bloom was progressing up the state with some areas nearing completion. Fungicides were applied in some almond orchards.

    In Colusa County, harvest began on asparagus.  In San Joaquin County, sunshine and warm weather allowed farmers and growers back into the fields.  In Fresno County, spring carrots were harvested and beds were prepared for summer carrots.  Winter crops of broccoli, cabbages, and cauliflower were harvested and sold in local markets.  Garlic and onions around the county were growing well and had herbicides applied.  Growers planted tomatoes and prepared fields for eggplant.  In Tulare County, squash was planted in hot tunnels.  New fields were prepared for spring planting.  Previously planted onions continued to progress well.

    Warming spring conditions and plentiful precipitation promoted lush forb and grass development. Non-irrigated pasture and rangeland continued to improve with much of the state’s range reported to be in excellent to fair condition. Supplemental feeding of livestock continued to diminish as range conditions improved. Calving was ongoing in Shasta County. Bees were active in almond and early stone fruit orchards. Lambing season in Fresno County was underway. Sheep grazed stubble fields, idle cropland and dormant alfalfa.

  • Groverman Ranch: Veterinarian Keeps Family Property in Ag for 100 Years

     

    Dr. Fred Groverman and his wife Lynge stand on a hill overlooking the family ranch in Petaluma. It’s lambing season at the farm and Groverman had more than 60 lambs at the end of February.

    Petaluma, Calif., (March 14, 2017) – Throughout Sonoma County, the name Groverman is synonymous with a veterinarian who has dedicated his life to the county’s agricultural community. Dr. Fred Groverman, 83, has spent a lifetime as a beloved large and small animal veterinarian but also as a shepherd of his Shropshire flock which he raises on a 50 acre farm that’s been in his family since the early 1900’s.

     

    Groverman’s grandfather emigrated from Germany in the 1800’s and lived in San Francisco before the family relocated to Petaluma. They lived off Liberty Road for a few years before moving to Corona Road in 1908, directly across from what would become the family’s ranch over the next few years. The Grovermans then moved onto their current property which they rented for a couple of years before buying in the 1910’s. The family paid off the property in the 1940’s.

    Like most farms that have been in the family for 100 years, Groverman’s family ranch has changed and evolved over time.

    In the early part of the 1900’s, the family had more than 8,000 chickens. The chickens lived in colony houses which the Grovemans described as free range, a term not used at the time. Groverman’s father, Bernard, primarily sold eggs and hatching eggs.

    While raising the chickens, the family of four (Bernard and his wife Ida, who was from the Petersen farming family in Roblar, had two children: Fred and his older sister Elsa) stayed diversified also raising veal, hay, horses, chickens for meat, milk cows and growing vegetables.

    Groverman started milking the family’s three to five dairy cows at nine years old, and continued to milk by hand for another nine years. The family sold cream to the Petaluma Cooperative Creamery.

    In the 1940’s, the family transitioned from raising chickens to turkeys for meat production. The family usually kept around 1,250 turkeys, but Groverman remembers the turkeys peaking at more than 2,500 at one point in time.

    Rewind a decade to 1934 when Groverman was only six months old and his father made a decision that would shape the rest of his life. Bernard Groverman purchased a handful of Shropshire sheep, a wooly meat breed of sheep developed in England.

    Fred Groverman is still raising Shropshires, and has a flock of more than 150 sheep. He said he has the oldest production flock in the world. He has gained national recognition for his herd, culminating in a prestigious 2011 invitation to judge the National Shropshire Show in the U.K.

    Over the years, Groverman has worked hard to maintain the purebred status of his flock, and in 1992 he stopped buying outside rams and only using rams bred on the farm with two exceptions: he imported semen in 2002 from New Zealand and in 2008 from the U.K.

    In 1951, three weeks after Groverman had started his first semester at UC Davis, Bernard Groverman passed away leaving the burden of the family ranch on Ida. Groverman came back from school and helped his mother take care of the ranch, selling all the turkeys and helping with lambing – a skill that would become very beneficial for his career.

    Groverman went back to Davis the following year and got a place in the veterinary school with only two and a half years of pre-vet experience. Some of this he attributed to his exemplary work with the school’s sheep flock, but he admits that he was also lucky and fortunate. Groverman said everything just fell into place after that.

    In 1958, Bill Kortum, who had graduated four years prior, asked Groverman to join his practice. They worked together to build a veterinary hospital in Cotati, quite literally helping build the building. The hospital continued to grow, and those who have heard of Groverman know his career continued to be a success for years to come.

    As a successful vet, he also became a community fixture. He was a 4-H leader for more than 48 years and has served on the 4-H Foundation board since 1982; he was on the Sonoma County Fair Board for 10 years and involved as a vet for 30. He first became involved with Farm Bureau in the early 50’s when he served as a founding member of the Young Farmers and Ranchers and was inducted into the Farm Bureau Hall of Fame in 2006. He has received numerous awards over the years including two lifetime achievement awards for his work in agriculture from the Sonoma County Harvest Fair and the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce. This is only the tip of Groverman’s involvement; a full list could form an entire article in its own right.

    “Meanwhile,” said Groverman, “I was always taking care of the sheep.”

    Pat, Groverman’s wife of 54 years, passed away in 2012. Groverman has since remarried, and his second wife Lynge, who had worked for Groverman in the 60’s, lives on the Petaluma property with him and shares in the daily tasks that come with raising sheep.

    Lynge is entrenched in the history of the Groverman Family’s ranch, able to talk about the history of the property as if she’s lived there her whole life. “What amazes me,” said Lynge, “is that in the 40’s, the property was paid for, and the four person family was raising their own food and supporting themselves without an outside job.”

    Together, the couple is working on what will become of the property in years to come.

    They are positive that they want to land to stay in agriculture. They also have a dream that the property could be used to help educate the next generation about agriculture. They are exploring different options and seeking to partner with an organization that has similar ideas about how the property can benefit the community going forward.

     

  • New CAWG Director of Gov’t Relations Addresses Grape Industry Challenges

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    The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) recently announced Michael Miiller as their new Director of Government Relations. Michael has many years of experience working with legislature and he has already hit the ground running advocating on behalf of growers in his new position, especially with the CAWG day at Capitol Hill coming up on March 15. Watch this video and read more about how CAWG is working to overcome legislative and regulatory challenges impacting the California grape industry in American Vineyard Magazine.

    Sponsored By:

  • Fine Feathered Friends Forever

    Dixon, Calif., (March 13, 2017) – Forget BFF (Best Friends Forever).

    For Solano County 4-H’er Jarred Burkett, it’s also FFFF (Fine Feathered Friends Forever).

    Jarred, 10, a member of the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club in Vallejo raises free-range chickens at his American Canyon home — not for showing at fairs or selling at junior livestock auctions, but as pets. The self-described “Chicken Dude” is as proud, protective and possessive of his poultry as the owner of the best-of-show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

    Jarred Burkett holds Twilight and Frostbite, chocolate red cochin bantams. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

    He and Frostbite, his chocolate red cochin bantam, born April 1, 2016, are good buddies, just like the iconic TV stars Lassie and Timmy. In this case, it’s not about “a boy and a dog” but “a boy and his chicken.”

    At the recent Solano County 4-H Presentation Day, held at the Tremont Elementary School, Dixon, Jarred eagerly talked about Frostbite in his presentation that won a blue seal (“very good”) award. The origin of the name? “She was the whitest chick and she always pecked.”

    “He loves his chickens,” says his mother, Mary Ann Burkett, a co-community leader of the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club and the Vallejo-Benicia representative to the Solano County 4-H Leaders’ Council. “He climbs The Hill behind our house, where the chickens are. I’d say he spends about two hours a day, total, with them. He hangs out with them, collects the eggs (about 8 to 10 a day) and cleans the pens.”

    Mom Mary Ann, dad Rick and their three children, Jessica, 16, Jordan, 12, and Jarred, live in a residential area that allows backyard chickens. The benefits, the family agrees, include not only positive learning experiences, but companionship, fresh eggs, and a bug-free environment.

    There are no bugs at the Burkett property, thanks to their flock of 11 chickens.

    “The 4-H Poultry Project provides youth a fun and hands-on learning experience that develops life skills; as well the opportunity to learn about caring for and raising chickens responsibly and humanely,” said Solano County 4-H Representative Valerie Williams. “Although it should not be their only source of food, chickens will snack on weeds, vegetable trimmings, as well as eat insects in your garden, making them great recyclers!”

    “Chickens,” Williams said, “can make great pets, although not all communities allow backyard chickens.  If you decide to raise chickens, you should first review local ordinances.”

    The Burketts, who home-school their youngsters, have also found a way to encourage both reading and physical education. That involves climbing The Hill and tending to the flock. Jarred pulls up a chair and reads to his chickens.

    When he or his sisters feel a little sad, a hike up the hill to be with the chickens is all it takes. “Therapy,” says mom.

    Frostbite clings to Jarred, and Jarred to her, especially after the bantam’s near-death experience in January with a hawk. Jordan helped rescue her. Now one of their dogs alerts the flock to pending danger and the chickens run for cover.

    Chickens transported in crates? No, in a buggy at the Solano County 4-H Presentation Day. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

    As a 4-H’er, Jarred shows Frostbite at 4-H events; at the Solano County Fair’s Youth Ag Day; and at other special events, but not for competition at county fairs. She’s a pet. For Jarred, that means he won’t leave his pet there alone, especially in a cage. Besides, her wings are clipped (a disqualification).

    Another chicken enthusiast is Jarred’s sister, Jordan, who owns Frostbite’s mother, Twilight. Known as “The Chicken Whisperer,” Jordan communicated with her chicken during her gold-award talk on “Fowl Language, How Chickens Communicate” at the Solano County 4-H Presentation Day. Twilight “talked” and Jordan “deciphered.”

    “Buh dup” is a general greeting that means “Hello, how are you? What’s up?” Jordan says, while “Doh, doh, doh” is a call heard when the flock is roosting at night, and with broody hens saying “It’s okay” to her chicks. “Bwah, bwah, bwah, bwah” is a loud deliberate noise, saying “I’m going to lay an egg.” Then when she does, it’s “Bah-Gaw-Gawk, Bah-Gaw-Gawk, Bah-Gaw-Gawk,” a sound starting low and reaching a crescendo.

    Poultry does have its rewards. Last year Jarred’s record book was named the county winner in poultry. The third-year 4-H’er also takes three other projects: remote control projects, recordkeeping and paper quilling. When he’s not involved with his chickens or studying, he’s hanging out with his friends and family or playing video games, hiking and bicycling.

    Jarred also takes Frostbite, cradled in his arms, when the Burketts shop at the Tractor Supply Co., American Canyon. Now their new mode of transportation is a “pet buggy,” a gift from a friend. In fact, Jarred and Jordan wheeled their chickens around the playground in the mesh-covered buggy at the Solano County 4-H Presentation Day. The buggy, resembling a baby buggy (yes, passersby do a double take), not only keeps them safe, they said, but soothes them.

    Mary Ann Burkett is sold on 4-H. “If it weren’t for his love of chickens, Jarred would probably never do Presentation Day,” she said, adding “4-H brings youth out of their shells, or out of their comfort zone. Kids tend to be more outgoing when they enroll in 4-H.”

    Seven of Solano County’s 11 4-H clubs offer poultry projects: Elmira 4-H Club, Pleasants Valley 4-H Club, and Vaca Valley 4-H Club, all of Vacaville; Roving Clovers 4-H Club and Tremont 4- Club, both of Dixon; Sherwood Forest 4-H Club, Vallejo-Benicia; and the Rio Vista 4-H Club.

    Tremont offers their poultry projects countywide, so youth in any Solano County 4-H may enroll, Williams said. Tremont offers poultry projects to two age groups: primary members, 5 to 8 years old, and all other members,  9 to 19 years old.

    The Solano County 4-H Youth Development Program, part of the UC Cooperative Extension Program, follows the motto, “Making the Best Better.” 4-H, which stands for head, heart, health and hands, is open to youths ages 5 to 19.  In age-appropriate projects, they learn skills through hands-on learning in projects ranging from arts and crafts, computers and leadership to dog care, poultry, rabbits and woodworking. They develop skills they would otherwise not attain at home or in public or private schools. For more information, contact 4-H Youth Development program representative Valerie Williams at vawilliams@ucanr.edu.