California Ag Network

Tag: UC Cooperative Extension

  • September Orchard Tasks – Pistachios

    Pistachio harvest ended earlier than usual this year, but growers should not stop irrigating their orchards just yet. The early finish creates a longer post-harvest period before trees enter dormancy, making proper irrigation especially important.

    Research by Daniele Zaccaria, Mae Culumber and Anderson Safre of the University of California Cooperative Extension indicates that pistachio trees continue using water after the nuts have been removed. Although harvest is complete, evapotranspiration—the loss of water from the soil and through the trees’ leaves—continues until the trees become dormant.

    Because the post-harvest season will be longer this year, growers should continue monitoring their orchards’ water needs. Stopping irrigation too soon could place unnecessary stress on trees as they prepare for next season.

    However, the researchers suggest growers may be able to conserve water through carefully timed deficit irrigation. This practice involves applying less water than the orchard would normally use during selected periods. When managed properly, deficit irrigation may reduce water use by about 20% with little to no effect on the following year’s harvest.

    The key is timing. Growers should consider orchard conditions, soil moisture and the trees’ water needs before reducing irrigation. An early harvest does not mean water use has ended, and post-harvest management can play an important role in supporting the next crop.

    Read more about the research in the September issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • September Orchard Tasks – Almonds

    Although almond harvest may be wrapping up, the work needed to prepare orchards for next season has already begun. Post-harvest priorities include monitoring for disease, irrigating trees, pruning and managing pests.

    Brent Holtz with the University of California Cooperative Extension advises growers to watch for red leaf blotch and rust. Bright orange spots on leaves may indicate red leaf blotch, while orange and black spores can be signs of rust. This year’s warm March appears to have increased the severity of rust, making it important to avoid irrigation practices that keep orchards humid for extended periods.

    However, growers should not stop irrigating altogether. Water should be applied as soon as the harvested nuts are removed from the orchard floor. Dr. David Goldhamer, emeritus irrigation specialist with UC Davis, says almond trees can use up to 11 acre-inches of water after harvest if their leaves remain active. Proper post-harvest irrigation can also help move salt below the trees’ root zone.

    Growers can also begin pruning mature orchards immediately after harvest instead of waiting until dormancy. Pruning early gives wounds time to heal before rainfall, reducing the risk of fungal diseases. While studies indicate pruning does not significantly improve almond yields, it remains necessary to provide enough space for orchard equipment to pass between trees.

    Fall is also a good time to manage gophers, ground squirrels and mice. Baiting or fumigation can help control ground squirrels before they enter hibernation. Growers should also look for pieces of almond shells left in tree crotches, which may indicate mouse activity.

    For more information about post-harvest almond orchard management, read the full article in the September issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • California Agritourism Summit

    This year’s UC Cooperative Extension California Agritourism Summit will be held September 23-25 in Paso Robles, CA. The summit brings together leaders, experts, and practitioners to connect, learn, and engage. This is an opportunity for you to connect colleagues from across the state to learn from each other, share your work, and discuss how to meet this exciting ear for growth.

    Through panel discussions, breakout sessions, and farm tours, participants will gain practical tools and inspiration to strengthen agritourism in California.

    California Agritourism Summit 2026 Flyer

    Visit the Program page to view more information. Registration is Open.

  • Common Tree Disease May Contribute to Reduced Orchard Longevity

    Recent studies conducted by scientists at UCCE and CSU Bakersfield demonstrate that a common disease prevalent in vineyards and orchards may impact long-term orchard longevity of almonds in the southern San Joaquin Valley.  Almond orchards with a high incidence of crown gall, a disease caused by a ubiquitous soilborne pathogen, exhibit high rates of tree failure caused by a newly identified wood rotting disease.

    Crown gall is common in walnut and almond orchards and can be readily identified by the tumors it induces on the roots and crowns of trees. Unless severe, crown gall generally does not cause tree mortality, but may limit tree size, thus affecting overall yield.  Growers with crown gall-affected orchards often replant young trees that exhibit girdling by the tumors but leave mature trees untreated. Within the past decade, however, growers have noticed heightened prevalence of tree mortality due to butt rot in crown gall-affected almond orchards. The butt rot disease is caused by an introduced fungal pathogen, Ganoderma adspersum, that was first reported in California in 2016.

    From 2024 through 2026, UCCE researchers have surveyed over 23,000 almond trees in Kern and Tulare Counties, documenting prevalence of both butt rot and crown gall.  Molecular identification of the butt rot pathogen in each surveyed orchard was conducted by scientists at CSU Bakersfield. The study found that Ganoderma adspersum was the only species of Ganoderma isolated in all surveyed orchards. Additionally, the results indicated that orchards with crown gall were six times more likely to have butt rot disease. Trees with historic or active signs of butt rot also exhibited 1.5 times the mortality rate of healthy trees over a 26-month survey period.

    The results of this work demonstrate that the introduction of the new butt rot pathogen may elevate the importance of crown gall as a predictor of orchard longevity. The implication of this finding is that the planting of crown gall-free rootstocks during orchard establishment may be key to future reduction of risk from G. adspersum. Similarly, Mohammad Yaghmour and Elizabeth Fichtner, Farm Advisors in Kern and Tulare Counties, respectively, found that crown gall was also associated with increased incidence of thousand cankers disease on walnut.  Fichtner has also reported that crown gall is related to heightened root predation by ten-lined June beetle on walnut.

    The current study was conducted with support from the Almond Board of California and as a collaborative effort between UCCE scientists including Elizabeth Fichtner, Santosh Bhandari, Mohammad Yaghmour, and Raymond Mireles, and CSU Bakersfield Professor Isolde Francis and Chance Kophamer, graduate student. — Story by Elizabeth J. Fichtner, UC Ag and Natural Resources

  • Can Vineyard ‘Mothballing’ Help Growers Weather Wine Market Collapse?

    Oversupply of grapes, plummeting consumer demand and skyrocketing production costs have led the wine industry to a crisis point.

    “We have an economic downturn in the wine-grape market, and it is considerably worse or more intense compared to the historical ones within the memory of professionals active in viticulture right now,” said Christopher Chen, University of California Cooperative Extension viticulture advisor for Mendocino, Sonoma and Lake counties.

    The severity of the situation has forced growers to consider a new way to weather the storm – vineyard “mothballing.” Also called idling or resting, it entails maintaining the vines with minimal labor and inputs (and not harvesting the fruit), with an eye toward rapidly ramping up production in the future.

    During hard times, growers typically have two choices, either pull out their vines entirely and replant when the market improves or continue farming as usual, but at a loss. Mothballing might be attractive to some growers – such as those who want to preserve heritage vines – as a “middle road” approach.

    The challenge at present, though, is the lack of a roadmap.

    “I have not seen any good information on mothballing as a practice,” said Chase Thornhill, owner and general manager of Mendocino Wine Company in Ukiah. “I don’t know that there’s any information in the viticulture books on what to do if you’re tight on cash and the industry has collapsed. It doesn’t exist, and the industry really needs that playbook.”

    While Chen observes that mothballing is still relatively rare, he said interest has grown dramatically. Virtually unheard of in his area three years ago, mothballing-type practices can now be seen in about 1 out of 20 vineyards.

    According to Chen, mothballing was first done at scale in Australia, where growers rode out a severe downturn in the early 2000s. Very little academic research on the approach was conducted at that time, however, and now Chen is trying to fill in the gaps.

    In 2025, he launched a study to systematically research the effects of mothballing. At four locations growing cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, Chen is looking at the impacts of different “intensities” of mothballing with varying levels of irrigation and maintenance.

    After collecting preliminary data last year, Chen and the collaborating managers plan to continue mothballing in 2026 and 2027 before attempting to return the vineyards to full production by 2029.

    Growers Must Weigh Costs and Benefits

    Before choosing to mothball, of course, growers need the math to pencil out. At a basic level, that means estimating how much money they would save in vineyard management costs – and then how much it’s going to cost to “correct” the planned reduction in vineyard management as they return to production.

    “That ‘cost now’ versus ‘expenses later’ calculation really determines whether it’s worth it or not to do mothballing,” Chen said. “That’s my primary concern.”

    In his study, Chen is looking at costs and consequences of varying levels of mothballing intensity: 1) doing nothing except pest and disease management; 2) managing pests/disease and also pruning to keep the vines in shape; and 3) continuing to farm but without the “extraneous” practices intended to make the fruit appealing to buyers.

    Last year, Chen studied a site at Mendocino Wine Company, where Thornhill chose a mothballing strategy with very little intervention – just irrigating, spraying for powdery mildew and rolling down cover crops into thatched “mats” on the ground (to reduce fire risks and protect the soil).

    For Thornhill, it was a matter of simple economics. At the beginning of 2025, he knew that he was going to be unable to sell his fruit.

    “If you’re not covering the farming costs with what you’re going to produce and then sell, you’re losing money,” said Thornhill, who has worked in the wine industry for 20 years. “And who can afford to lose money, especially now? That would risk jobs and risk the total enterprise.”

    Estimating that it would cost $30K to $60K per acre to replant, Thornhill did not want to sacrifice his vines’ many future years of productive life just to save some money in the short term.

    “We’ve got to strike a balance between preserving the asset – and not losing our shirt on that preservation,” said Thornhill, adding that he has returned those blocks to production and is waiting to evaluate the harvest later this year.

    Pests Surge, Berries Shrink in First Year

    In the first year of his research, Chen already has made several significant observations. First, he wanted to see if pests would immediately return to the vineyard if a grower stopped managing the canopy and applying pesticides as they would under normal production – or whether there would still be some degree of control due to previous treatments.

    “There isn’t,” Chen said. “We did see – immediately in the first year – a 44% increase in leaf hoppers, which is an easy way to count how many flying insect pests there are in the vineyard more generally.”

    Secondly, on a more positive note, Chen observed that there didn’t appear to be any additional water stress on the vine as a result of not pruning or managing the canopy.

    And third, he saw that berry development slowed under mothballing conditions. By eschewing pruning, there were more shoots and clusters and thus more berries, but they were smaller and with less sugar accumulation.

    “If you plan to do this, you have to plan to not harvest,” Chen advised. “You can’t try to harvest because the quality of the fruit is not going to be typically acceptable to most wineries.”

    Disease and Pest Management Must Continue

    Another point of emphasis for viticulture experts is that growers must not consider mothballing a passive practice. George Zhuang, UCCE viticulture advisor for Fresno County, said his biggest worry with mothballing is potential neglect of pest and disease management due to a grower’s “laser-focus” on cutting costs.

    “My concern is that the pest and disease issue becomes so enormous that when you decide to bring the vineyard back, it might not be possible,” said Zhuang, highlighting vine mealybug as one prominent threat.

    Chen echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that mothballing is an active management process – and not a “set it and forget it” approach.

    “You do have to go out and make sure that the pests and diseases are under control because that is a regulatory issue with the state and the county governments, and you will get fined and penalized for becoming a pest nuisance if you’re not careful,” said Chen. He added that growers should inform their neighbors that they are mothballing and not abandoning their vineyard, as the appearance of the vines and land look virtually identical under both conditions.

    Furthermore, instead of cutting water and fertilizer “cold turkey” to a vineyard’s mothballed state, Chen recommends that growers gradually taper their applications.

    “The vines acclimate to those inputs year to year, so if they’re used to getting irrigation at high volumes every year, and if you stop water, you will cause permanent damage to those grapevines,” Chen warned.

    Conversely, as a vineyard manager ramps up to normal production levels, they should not go to full irrigation right away, as that would cause unruly growth requiring intensive labor to correct, control and train.

    Lastly, Chen advises growers to develop a year-by-year plan for mothballing their vineyards and returning them to full production. Based on their best prediction for future market conditions, they should devise a “reentry timeframe.”

    “Plan when you are going to come back into production so that you can properly manage the resources and the vine health and the pruning and recovery period so that when you come back, it’s ready to go – rather than running into a bunch of walls,” he said.

    Funding Needed for Research

    Chen noted that mothballing might be a realistic option only for smaller operations, which are common in his region and encompass 15 to 40 acres on average. Many wine grape growers in the San Joaquin Valley, in contrast, farm hundreds of acres – making mothballing logistically more difficult and economically less viable.

    Zhuang said growers also have to consider the opportunity costs of mothballing, especially in parts of the state where they could replace wine grapes with crops such as vegetables, almonds, pistachios or citrus. “If you do have a plan B, maybe vineyard mothballing is not really beneficial for you,” he said.

    Chen and Zhuang said further economic analyses are needed for growers to make the best financial decisions. In addition to analyzing those tradeoffs, Chen hopes to examine the chemistry of the fruit throughout the mothballing process (Brix/sugar concentration and pH) and the practice’s effects on wine quality and taste.

    While Chen is monitoring for leafhoppers, glassy-winged sharpshooters and other insects, he does not have funding to do spore counts for powdery mildew and Botrytis, two of the major fungal pathogens in vineyards. He would also like to examine impacts on soil health.

    Although Chen is grateful for “in-kind” support from vineyard owners for access to study sites, he has not received external funds for this research to date. And to Thornhill and his peers in the wine industry, Chen’s “playbook” is a vital piece of information for growers, who are most concerned about the time to recovery after mothballing.

    “I think that the general reaction is: ‘Wait a minute, what’s going to happen?’ If we don’t farm this year, does that mean that it’s going take us three years to get back to full capacity, just as if we were planting a new vineyard? Is it going to take two years? Just one?” Thornhill explained. “We just don’t know.”

    — By Mike Hsu, UC Ag and Natural Resources

  • Leading Entomologist and PCA: How to Control Navel Orangeworm and Aflatoxin

    How can almond, pistachio, and walnut growers control navel orangeworm and reduce aflatoxin risk? UC Cooperative Extension entomologist Houston Wilson joins pistachio and almond grower and pest control adviser (PCA) Joe Coelho and Arielle O’Connor of the Arizona Cotton Research & Protection Council to discuss practical strategies for preventing infestations, limiting crop damage, and reducing the effects of aflatoxin.

    Presented by title sponsor Liphatech and premier sponsor the Arizona Cotton Research & Protection Council.

    Learn more about postharvest fumigation at https://liphatech.com/

  • David Lile Retires from UC ANR After 30 Years

    David Lile, UC Cooperative Extension’s natural resources and livestock advisor, retired on July 1 after 30 years of serving Lassen County residents. For the past 25 years, he also served as UCCE director for the county and in 2010, Plumas and Sierra counties were added to his supervision.

    “No individual outside of our family has done more for our ranch than David Lile,” said Jack Hanson of Willow Creek Ranch. “His knowledge and expertise and his passion for California agriculture were ever-present. He has the ability to make complex issues easy to understand and always helped us make the correct decision.”

    After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in range and wildlands science from UC Davis, Lile joined UC Cooperative Extension in 1996. He studies issues at the intersection of livestock production and natural resources conservation, on a mix of federal rangelands and private hay and irrigated pastureland.

    “He has included us in numerous university, CDFA and USDA trials, bringing in top researchers and academics, all of which made us more resilient and sustainable,” said Hanson, who oversees his family’s cattle and hay operation. “David never said, ‘No, I can’t do that.’”

    Applying Science to Policy

    Much of Lile’s work has focused on water issues. In the first decade of his career, Lile’s research focused on water quality and fish habitat to reduce conflicts between livestock grazing and fisheries.

    After passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014, Lile assisted in the Big Valley groundwater planning process, providing his technical expertise as well as facilitating communication between stakeholders, consultants and county supervisors and staff. Laura Snell, UCCE livestock and natural resources advisor for Modoc County, and Lile conducted water management research and led workshops promoting groundwater recharge.

    “It was through our data analysis that we discovered flaws in the basin groundwater budget, and that overdraft rates were far less than calculated,” Lile said. “Corrective changes in the water budget have been accepted by the Department of Water Resources. The county’s plan was approved by the state in 2024, and through project implementation we appear to be approaching long-term groundwater sustainability.”

    One of the challenges for Lassen County ranchers is complying with state regulations that are developed for ranches that are closer to urban population centers. To assess the impact of forage production and grazing on water quality, Lile, Snell, UCCE livestock and natural resources advisor Larry Forero and the late rancher Pam Giacomini surveyed growers in the upper Pit River watershed about their irrigation practices, grazing practices, fertility management, pesticide applications and associated best management practices in 2022.

    “Based on the findings shared through three years of extension outreach, in August of 2025 the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board granted a full program exemption to Pit River growers, saving them $250,000 in fees annually, while also significantly reducing annual reporting requirements,” Lile said.

    Lile also has helped ranchers save money through adoption of new technology. Recently, he has been showing them how virtual fencing can be used to create boundaries for grazing livestock using GPS, cellular and radio connections.

    “As we and our cooperators have learned about using the systems, the number of cows enrolled in the virtual fencing has increased annually from 140 cows in 2023, to 2,000 cows covering 80,000 acres in 2026,” Lile said. “Our work has identified opportunities to increase grazing harvest and carrying capacity through improved distribution and timing of grazing. Through virtual fencing, we have also identified stock water development needs, how to better meet cow nutritional needs, and opportunities to enhance environmental ecosystem services.”

    Mentoring the Next Generation of UCCE Advisors

    When he’s not doing research, Lile is known for coaching students, creating innovative learning and growth opportunities for aspiring scientists and educators. He also has mentored early-career UC ANR colleagues, including Tom Getts, Laura Snell, Janyne Little, Grace Woodmansee and the late Ryan Tompkins.

    Woodmansee, who is a UCCE livestock and natural resources advisor and UCCE director for Siskiyou County, said Lile has had a profound impact on her life and career. She met him in 2015 when her undergrad range class traveled to Lassen County to learn about public lands grazing and help collect meadow monitoring data.

    “Since that initial meeting, David has taken every extra step to encourage and support me through my first UCCE job, grad school and my current advisor role,” said Woodmansee.

    “He is an incredible mentor with a knack for combining thoughtful advice with an excellent sense of humor — which is exactly what every new advisor needs to survive the first few years on the job,” she said. “David exemplifies the role of Cooperative Extension Advisor – he is not afraid to go after the hard questions with applied science and leads in a way that helps everyone feel like they have a seat at the table. I couldn’t be more grateful for the time we’ve shared as colleagues.”

    Tom Getts, UCCE weed ecology and cropping systems advisor for Lassen, Modoc, Sierra and Plumas counties, who has worked with Liles for 11 years, said, “During my time with Cooperative Extension, David has been a great supervisor and an invaluable mentor. From my first day, he was always there to discuss whatever I needed. From tips and tricks about navigating the university systems, to helping me understand and impact local production through effective programing. His door was always open, and every time I walked through with a question, I came out armed with a thoughtful response for a path forward.”

    Janyne Little, now a community education specialist working on the virtual fencing project with Lile, was hired as a graduate student in 2020 to help cut through red tape to streamline projects.

    “One of David’s greatest strengths is his generosity with his time and knowledge,” Little said. “He has always been willing to listen, offer thoughtful guidance and help others succeed, and I’m grateful to be one of the many people who have benefited from his mentorship.”

    Lile also has cultivated and strengthened UC ANR’s presence in northeastern California by facilitating the Intermountain Workgroup, which includes all of the academics currently working in Modoc, Lassen, Sierra, Plumas and Siskiyou counties.

    In addition to his work in the field, Lile has taken on several roles in UC ANR leadership. He has served on the Peer Review Committee, Academic Assembly Council, County Director Council, Vice President’s Council and as a Strategic Initiative Leader, shaping policies and helping lead UC ANR through institutional changes and difficult financial and political times over the past three decades.

    He also currently serves on the Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Advisory Committee for Northern California and on the California Board of Forestry’s Professional Foresters Examination Committee.

    Awards and acknowledgements

    On June 23, the Board of Supervisors of Lassen County presented Lile with a proclamation commending him for 30 years of service to local residents.

    Over his career, Lile has been honored by many organizations for his contributions. In 2025, Assemblymember Heather Hadwick and representatives of Congressman Doug La Malfa, and state Senator Megan Dahle presented him with the joint legislative lifetime achievement award. Modoc County Farm Bureau presented him with its 2025 Annual Distinguished Service Award.

    In 2024, he won UC ANR’s Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Leader. Also in 2024, Lile and his UCCE natural resources colleagues received the National Association of County Agricultural Agents’ National Finalist Award for the fact sheet “Rapid User Guide: Postfire Grazing on California’s Intermountain Rangelands.” The Society for Range Management’s Cal-Pac Section named him Range Manager of the Year in 2023. In 2021, Lile received the national Society for Range Management award for Outstanding Achievement in Land Stewardship. In 2003, Lassen County Farm Bureau honored Lile with its Distinguished Service Award.

    Lile has found satisfaction in seeing his work create positive change.

    “The cumulative impact of my work has been to promote and empower science-based, locally derived, land management decision-making that has led to better management outcomes that support viable livestock production alongside applied conservation practices,” Lile said.

    Rancher and former Lassen County supervisor Hanson said: “David’s contribution to Lassen County was huge. As our county’s budget became difficult during the years I was a county supervisor, and its interest in resource issues – water, land use, public lands grazing, predators, right to farm – became scarce, David stepped in to fill this huge void.”

    Hanson added, “Most importantly, I consider David a loyal, trustworthy good friend. I wish Linda and David all the best in his well-earned retirement.”

    UCCE advisor Getts added, “David is irreplaceable, and will be deeply missed by all of the communities he is a part of, from professional colleagues to clientele who have depended upon him for decades!”

    In retirement, Lile intends to continue contributing to the farming community and has applied for emeritus status from UC ANR. — Story by Pamela Kan-Rice, UC Ag and Natural Resources

  • Bettiga Retires After 41 Years As UC Cooperative Extension Advisor

    One of the crowning achievements of Larry Bettiga’s nearly half-century academic career can be found — creased, cut up and dog-eared — in the trucks of grape growers all across California.

    Bettiga, the UC Cooperative Extension viticulture advisor for Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties, was the driving force behind the third edition of “Grape Pest Management.” Published in 2013 by UC Ag and Natural Resources, the book is widely regarded as the definitive reference on the subject.

    “I can probably contact a dozen grape growers here in the Central Valley and probably at least 10 of them have that book in their truck,” said Stephen Vasquez, a former UCCE viticulture advisor for Fresno and Madera counties.

    Aside from distilling Bettiga’s own knowledge, the book includes the input of more than 60 experts. The enthusiastic contributions of so many experts across academia and industry are testament to Bettiga’s standing in the field.

    “There is so much valuable information that went into that, and it would have only come together under someone like Larry Bettiga,” said Vasquez, who currently serves as the executive director of the Administrative Committee for Pistachios and the California Pistachio Research Board.

    Bettiga regards the book as a highlight of his long and influential career because it represents an aspect of extension he has always cherished — the teamwork.

    “I think what I’m most proud of is I’ve had the ability to work with a lot of people over the course of my career,” Bettiga explained. “And some of most satisfying projects have been where I developed a team to address a problem.”

    Bettiga’s Academic Journey from Pest Management to Grape Research

    The importance of working together is in Bettiga’s blood. He is descended from a closeknit clan of dairymen in Italy’s Lake Como region who had grazed their herds in the Alps and emigrated to Monterey County in the early 1900s. Bettiga grew up on his great-uncle’s dairy farm north of Salinas, where his father worked in the family business.

    After graduating from UC Berkeley in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural pest management, he landed an internship in Tulare County, where he was supervised by UCCE advisors Steve Sibbitt and Donald Flaherty, a pioneer in grape pest management.

    “I had the opportunity at the time to work with all the advisors in the office,” Bettiga recalled, “and so I was also exposed to field crops and the whole range of what they were working on; they were very impressive in their approaches to solving grower problems, and they included me in all the things they were doing.”

    Bettiga then worked as a staff research associate on various projects, such as monitoring lepidopterous pests of grapes like omnivorous leaf roller and validating the codling moth model for walnuts.

    By that time, he was singularly focused on becoming a UCCE farm advisor so he leaped at the chance to become an SRA in the lab of Fred Jensen, the UCCE viticulture specialist at UC Kearney Research and Extension Center in Parlier.

    “He had a history where everybody who became his SRA later became a farm advisor,” said Bettiga, citing his close friend, the late George Leavitt, as just one example.

    Unsurprisingly, after four years of learning from Jensen the cultural practices for table grapes and also completing his master’s degree in viticulture at California State University, Fresno, Bettiga was hired in 1985 as the UCCE viticulture advisor in Monterey County. Fortunate to “come home” to work in his chosen profession, Bettiga has served in that position ever since.

    Phylloxera control, rootstock and clonal trials among Bettiga’s contributions

    When Bettiga started as a UCCE  advisor in his home region, many vineyards were infested with phylloxera, an insect that feeds and lays eggs on the roots of grapevines. At that time, most of the plants were “own rooted” (for example, a Chardonnay variety would be on Chardonnay roots), making them susceptible to the devastating pest. Therefore, the solution was grafting the wine grapevines to the resistant rootstocks of related species.

    But the scale of replanting an entire industry was daunting – and the farmers had no idea what rootstocks to plant. So Bettiga began a thorough program of rootstock trials to identify the best choices.

    “Over the course of the 10 to 15 years that it took to replant all these properties as they got infested, there was a lot of change,” Bettiga recalled.

    Bettiga and his collaborators were at the forefront of much of that change. They conducted studies to help growers optimize trellising, vineyard spacing, pest management, canopy management and the broad transition from sprinklers to drip irrigation in the region.

    “Larry conducted groundbreaking research on many aspects of wine grape production such as control of powdery mildew, vine training, rootstock evaluations, mealy bug control and many, many other production issues,” said Richard Smith, UCCE emeritus farm advisor for Monterey County. “Larry has been very practical in his approach to research and extension.”

    Another major contribution has been Bettiga’s systematic evaluation of clones of different varieties to improve productivity and fruit quality.

    “When we plan a vineyard now, we know a lot more than we did 40 years ago,” Bettiga said. “Forty years ago, people just said, ‘Give me whatever.’  And now everybody wants to have a clone that produces the type of wines they’re looking for, or the flavors they’re looking for; they want certain root stocks that are really matched to the site.”

    “Hopefully a lot of the work I did has helped those growers, at least locally, fine-tune and make decisions based on science,” Bettiga continued, “rather than on what they hear at coffee shops or see on the internet.”

    Bettiga, who also served as a UC Cooperative Extension county director during his career, has been a role model for other advisors. Just as he learned from iconic UCCE researchers such Fred Jensen and Pete Christensen, Bettiga passed forward the techniques of “forensic viticulturalists” who sleuth out the causes of growers’ most vexing challenges.

    Stephen Vasquez said the example of Bettiga and his colleagues served as a guide when he became the new advisor succeeding Christensen.

    “After year one, it was really like year three for me, and after year three, it was like year seven; being around them really accelerated my knowledge in viticulture and my ability to approach problems,” said Vasquez, who added that he, Bettiga and George Leavitt regularly lunched with Fred Jensen to talk shop until Jensen’s passing in 2012.

    Growers Valued Bettiga’s Calm Demeanor, Tireless Search for Solutions

    Countless farmers in the Monterey region and beyond have relied on Bettiga’s advice over the decades.

    “He had this ability to work with people who had thousands of acres, down to people who had two acres — he does his best for all of them, and that’s a trait that some people just don’t have,” said W.B. “Butch” Lindley, a longtime grower of wine grapes and other crops in the area.

    Since starting in the wine business in the 1970s, Lindley said he has looked to Bettiga for guidance on everything from the best variety to plant in a specific location to the best type of plastic netting for protecting a vineyard.

    “I don’t think I ever presented him with a problem where he would say, ‘Oh, well, I don’t know anything about it. You have to talk to somebody else.’ That just wasn’t his style,” said Lindley. “He was always ready to roll up his sleeves and dig into it.”

    Lindley also praised Bettiga’s calm confidence — a steadying influence needed more than ever. Noting that he has taken out 1,000 acres of grapevines in the last six months, Lindley said the wine industry is currently a “full-blown wreck” as demand plummets and production costs skyrocket.

    While holding hope that consumers will eventually return to wine in the future, Bettiga observed that rapid advances in mechanization should help with the labor issue. He said machines can now thin shoots and pull leaves just as well as human hands.

    “We’re able to do things mechanically that one could not have even dreamt of 40 years ago,” Bettiga explained. “So now it’s a question of how you adapt all this new technology to improve the overall farm and make it more efficient.”

    Bettiga Awarded Highest Honor by Viticulture and Enology Professional Organization

    Bettiga is also placing faith in the next generation of farm advisors and viticulturalists to meet the persistent challenges of emerging pests and fungal diseases and water scarcity in the region. He chuckled remembering how he was once the “young guy” in the Cooperative Extension office, and now he is the senior member of the team amid a generational transition.

    “We’ve got a lot of young advisors, especially here in Monterey County,” he said. “Hopefully my position will be refilled at some point and there’ll be another advisor here and they will thrive.”

    He also expects his successor will update the “Grape Pest Management” book for its fourth edition. Bettiga noted that a “high point” of his career was contributing to all three editions. As an intern, he had “minor input” in the first edition that came out in 1981. As a UCCE farm advisor, he wrote extensively for the second edition of 1992. And for the latest edition, published in 2013, he served as technical editor, following in the footsteps of Don Flaherty — one of his first mentors in the field.

    Another full circle moment came last year, when he was honored with the Merit Award by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture at ASEV’s conference, held on his home turf in Monterey. It is the same award that was bestowed in 2001 on Fred Jensen, the influential researcher who helped launch his career.

    The award recognizes Bettiga’s lifetime of achievement in the field and his legacy of groundbreaking research and innovative extension program. Bettiga has been instrumental in promoting integrated pest management approaches, encouraging growers to consider the broader environmental impacts of their operations, and championing sustainability in all aspects of Central Coast agriculture from soil health to people management.

    “It’s not just one thing, it’s the whole system that you look at,” Bettiga said. “That’s been a big change; if you jump back 40 years and told people about sustainability they’d probably kick you off the ranch — but now it’s just common, and everybody is trying to achieve that.”

    Aiming to continue his life’s work, Bettiga has applied for emeritus status with UC ANR. Lindley was glad to hear Bettiga will remain involved in the industry, as he will continue to call on him for advice.

    “Larry will be very difficult to replace,” Lindley said. “There are not very many Larry Bettigas in the world.”

    — Story by UC Ag and Natural Resources

  • UCCE Advisor Royce Larsen Retires

    By the time Royce Larsen turned 12, he had never traveled farther than a three-hour drive from his family’s dairy ranch in rural Utah. Caring for cows was a demanding household chore requiring participation from the whole family.

    “ You get up at 4:30 [a.m.], milk, go to school, come back, milk. There’s never time to do anything else,” Larsen said.

    Growing up on the dairy, Larsen realized that milking cows was not his life’s calling. Still, a love of the outdoors and rural life stuck with him, eventually leading him back to the range – not as a dairyman, but as a scientist.

    For 30 years, Larsen has shared his expertise in rangeland management through UC Cooperative Extension, protecting the types of landscapes that were the backdrop to his childhood. Larsen spent most of his career as the watershed and natural resource advisor covering Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. This summer, he will retire from that role and move back to Utah.

    Cattle ranchers of California’s Central Coast can attest that Larsen has been a local fixture of the community. His trustworthiness earned him keys and combinations to their ranches, allowing him freedom to collect data on vegetation and many other ecological indicators.

    Kevin Kester, a rancher from Parkfield and past president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says Larsen made good on his trust. Larsen helped him develop rangeland management plans to protect his natural resources and family livelihood for future generations.

    “It takes a certain kind of person from the academic world to interact with cattle ranchers … not everybody can do it. Royce was a perfect fit,” Kester said. “His word is as good as gold.”

    Larsen’s tact with the local community rewarded him academically. Larsen used the extensive data he collected to demonstrate how rangeland environments are changing with the climate, and effectively communicated those stakes to ranchers.

    Over his career, he published 230 articles and delivered countless workshops, lectures and site visits. Larsen has applied for emeritus status to continue leveraging his knowledge to benefit California’s watersheds and the ranchers who manage them.

    From Dairy Farmer to Watershed Scientist

    The dairy that Larsen grew up on was relatively small. By the time he was a teenager, his family faced steep pressure from the surrounding farms.

    “We had to either get large or get out,” Larsen recalled.

    When his family made the tough decision to sell the business, Larsen took that as an opportunity to transition. He enrolled at Utah State University, just a few miles from his family’s home.

    He pursued computer science, but that interest was eclipsed after taking a course on watersheds and rangelands. For the first time, Larsen learned how water that falls on farms all feeds into streams and underground reservoirs. He began to understand water quality as a shared responsibility.

    Larsen didn’t come from a family oriented toward science. Of his six siblings, he is the only one to finish a college degree. But his passion for watershed management inspired him to keep learning, leading him to earn a master’s and Ph.D. from Oregon State University. By that time, he wanted to stay in academia, but becoming a university professor didn’t feel right.

    “I just didn’t see myself teaching a class day after day. But I wanted to do research and get out and visit with people,” Larsen said.

    Larsen was introduced to Cooperative Extension at OSU. There, he was invited to camp out with local cattlemen, who shared how much they need the insights scientists have to offer. Larsen noted the long history of mutual respect between ranchers and Cooperative Extension. That kind of relationship-based research felt natural – and important.

    “Like, this is where I want to go. This is the direction,” Larsen said.

    Cleaning Up the Water Clears the Name of Cows

    Larsen landed his first UC ANR job as an environmental science advisor for San Bernardino and Riverside counties, a role that took him into the Mojave to survey for endangered desert tortoises. Despite the intrigue, Larsen wanted to focus more on grazed rangelands, so when a watershed advisor position opened in San Luis Obispo, he jumped on it.

    At that time, the State Water Resources Control Board was enforcing the Clean Water Act more stringently. Regulators had tackled single “point-sources” of contamination (like dumped sewage) and were now turning to more generalized “nonpoint-source” contamination.

    In California, the vast majority of surface water flows through rangeland watersheds and thus, ranches were receiving special scrutiny for their potential impact on water quality.

    “There was this big emphasis: ‘Clean it up!’” Larsen said. “The water quality regulators up to that point felt that cows were a problem, but a lot of times they’re not. So let’s focus on what the problem really is and how we fix it.”

    Larsen got to work tracing water contaminants. Water lawyer and local rancher Steve Sinton opened his property to the research effort.

    “He’s come out to our ranch and studied anything that’s in a cow pat,” Sinton said. “If there’s something in there that you don’t want, does it go to the streams?”

    Larsen discovered that, in most cases, contaminants only traveled a few feet from the cow pat. As long as ranchers avoided grazing cattle on roads and in streams, they could make significant strides in protecting the local watershed.

    “Grazing really didn’t have that big of an impact on the water quality as they were being blamed for,” Larsen said.

    For Sinton, that discovery was vindicating. It reinforced the value of collaborating with local Cooperative Extension advisors who bring data-based evidence to pressing environmental issues.

    “There’s science to back up what’s actually happening out there. And it takes scientists to get the science,” Sinton said.

    By taking water quality readings in the field, Larsen provided ranchers with data to accurately gauge – and improve – the sustainability of their operations. He helped develop a short course on water quality to help ranchers establish management plans tailored to their operations. That individual attention was noticed and appreciated.

    “He’s out on our ranch. He’s out and about. He’s not an office guy,” Sinton said.

    All that time spent outside had other perks. Larsen frequently snapped photos of close encounters with wildlife, including bobcats, elk and birds – a reminder of the non-human beneficiaries of Larsen’s passion for environmental protection.

    A treasure trove of climate data shows rangelands in flux

    Every year of his career in San Luis Obispo, Larsen has collected the same type of data on forage, the plant material eaten by livestock. The process is almost ritualistic. After drawing up quadrat study plots on rangelands, he carefully collects vegetation, dries the material and weighs it. He also records plant species and other ecological observations.

    This dedication to monitoring rangeland environments for 25 years gave Larsen a front-row seat to watch the climate as it changes. In the 2010s, he saw extreme droughts put pressure on vegetation, cows and ranchers alike.

    “They had to sell most of their herd.  The cows wouldn’t survive. There’s nothing for them to eat,” Larsen said.

    Landscapes still haven’t recovered from those impacts, even years later.

    “The average temperature is increasing every year,” Larsen said. “The other problem is we’re seeing rains being erratic.”

    Cattle rancher Kevin Kester has seen the same phenomenon.

    “We’ve got these dry years, that’s a fact, and then we’ve got a wet year. What are the effects of it? How do we deal with it?” he asked.

    According to Kester, one of Larsen’s greatest strengths has been in discussing these challenges with ranchers, never coming off as a know-it-all or alarmist. Kester credits Larsen for moderating meaningful conversations about practical sustainability issues.

    “Just in his low-key Royce manner, he can ask those kinds of questions. Not threatening or challenging — he just makes you stop and think,” Kester said.

    As Larsen retires, many variables on rangelands are in flux. Any successor will have to consider changing fire regimes and forage availability. For Larsen, adapting to that future means getting out into the field – a great privilege of the job.

    “They’ll need to go visit the ranchers and determine for themselves what’s important,” Larsen said.

    Ahead of his retirement, Larsen wishes to thank his collaborators and mentors, especially Melvin George, who hired him as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis and supported him through his UC career. He extends his gratitude to retired UC ANR specialist Bill Tietje, with whom he worked at the San Luis Obispo office.

    He also extends a special thanks to Karl Striby of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service whom he collaborated on many projects, and Randy Dahlgren, professor at UC Davis, with whom he worked over the last 15 years, as well as to all the advisors and staff in the county.

    “There were many others, too many to mention individually, but without whom I could not have achieved nearly as much in my program – thank you to all I have worked with,” Larsen said. “Most importantly, I want to thank my wife, Wendy, who has supported me throughout my career.”

    — Story contributed by UC Ag and Natural Resources

  • UC ANR Helps Urban Farmers with Agritourism

    UC ANR scientists, advisors and growers bring agritourism down to earth at workshop held at Alma Backyard Farms in Compton

    Before opening a farmstand or turning your ranch into a glamping getaway, Rachael Callahan recommends asking hard questions to determine whether agritourism is right for you. Such as: do you enjoy being around people?

    “Start by inviting an afterschool group to come onto your farm…see if they’re trampling on things and if that really freaks you out. See if you like chitchatting with folks,” said Callahan, statewide agritourism coordinator for the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

    As part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, Callahan helps people navigate the “wild west” of this burgeoning industry. Over the last decade, she’s watched on-farm experiences, such as tractor rides and pick-your-own strawberries, surge in popularity.

    Given all the interest, the UC ANR Climate and Land Equity (CALE) Project hosted a free workshop on the topic at Alma Backyard Farms, an urban farm in Compton, in February.

    The mission of the CALE network is to increase land equity and climate-smart management practices by supporting smaller-scale and emerging farms. That’s why the workshop, organized alongside the LA Food Policy Council’s Cultivating Farmers program, focused on facilitating agritourism in urban areas.

    In any business, rural or urban, long-term profitability isn’t guaranteed. But expert advice can always help. In her introductory presentation, Callahan cut to the chase with the audience.

    “Agritourism is not something you should feel compelled to do because it’s trending right now or because someone down the street is doing it,” she said. “Take a hard look at how it fits into your business goals or your mission or values.”

    Jessica Handy, a grower from San Bernardino County, listened intently and reflected on her own endeavor. Recently, Handy founded Sandalwood Farm and Sanctuary, a three-quarters of an acre community garden in Rialto. Already, her space has hosted film screenings, natural-dye workshops and yoga classes, and she hopes to continue that momentum.

    “I’m building this for community and longevity. I want it to live on beyond me,” Handy said. “ I’m committed to just slowing down and doing strategic planning to make sure this land is truly community-sustained for generations to come.”

    At the workshop, local growers and UC experts shared structured guidance to help Handy and other attendees get set up for success.

    What Skills Do You and Your Team Have?

    According to Callahan, anyone considering an agritourism business should start by taking stock of their team’s capabilities, from people skills to technical know-how. Welcoming the public onto farm property is not for everyone, she cautioned.

    For Handy, though, it’s an obvious choice – Sandalwood Farm revolves around her passion for people. She created the space as a source of “food sovereignty, healing and radical joy.”

    One of her top priorities is to host farm-to-table dinners using their hand-built, earthen “cob” pizza oven, which was funded through the LA Food Policy Council’s Cultivating Farmers Grant. For Handy, these gatherings are more than a meal. They’re a connection to the earth through shared local and seasonal foods.

    “I love being able to break bread with folks on the land and have local artists and musicians incorporate art and ecology together,” Handy said.

    But what about technical skills? Workshop panelist Alexys Romo, founder of Black Thumb Farm in Panorama City, recommends investing in personal relationships to build a diverse network of support.

    “Cash in on favors. Like, remember when in 2015 I babysat your child for six hours? I now need legal advice,” Romo said. “Take a minute to assess your resources and the people within your inner web who might be able to assist.”

    Hearing from Romo was a workshop highlight for Handy, who looks up to the fellow urban farmer and follows her on social media. As it turns out, Handy has already been following her role model’s advice.

    “I  don’t know how to woodwork, but there’s a neighbor who’s a woodworker. He’s taught us how to use some power tools and a circular saw,” Handy said. “So we’re building skills together and we’re building the farm as a collective.”

    What Makes Your Farm Unique?

    With a team assembled, it’s time to think about the features of your farm or operation. What makes it special? Are there any snags to anticipate?

    Handy’s garden is relatively small, but her team has already successfully grown culinary and medicinal herbs, tree collards and several full seasons of annual vegetables, including okra, tomatoes, lettuce and arugula. The harvests are communal, so most produce goes home with volunteers and neighbors. As the farm grows, any food left over could present new opportunities.

    UC Cooperative Extension urban agriculture advisor Amrita Mukherjee recommends finding ways to add value to raw crops.

    “When growers have a surplus, they can produce shelf-stable products, like jam or jelly,” Mukherjee said. She recommends business owners connect with the UC Master Food Preserver program for support, like preservation demonstrations.

    Besides cooking up preserves, Mukherjee encourages growers to research their community’s needs and connect with grocery stores that might stock locally-grown specialty produce.

    Handy’s farm already knows what to do with their surplus harvests: this spring they’re launching a farmstand that lets people pay what they can according to a sliding scale of prices.

    Do You Have Community Support?

    Before moving forward with the logistics of starting an agritourism business, securing community buy-in is a necessity, according to Callahan. How will the neighbors feel about a public attraction setting up shop next door?

    Since establishing Sandalwood Farm last year, Handy has worked hard to introduce herself to the community.

    “I’m the new kid on the block. I didn’t grow up in Rialto,” Handy said. “I don’t want to go into a community like, ‘This is how it should be done,’ when that may not be what the community wants or needs.”

    The listening process is ongoing, but Handy has already set some goals based on conversations with her neighbors. She wants Sandalwood Farm to create job pathways for the local community, just like the workshop host site Alma Backyard Farms has done for surrounding Compton.

    “It’s beautiful to see successful models,” Handy said. “I’m reminded that we can support people and give people living wages to do this work.”

    Agritourism Expertise On-Tap

    By the end of the workshop, Handy was confident that agritourism could be a good fit for Sandalwood Farm. Even better, Handy’s intentions closely aligned with the other mission-driven guest speakers, opening the door to mentorship and collaboration.

    “Being here – I feel full and fed. I’m ready to get back in the game,” Handy said.

    The workshop provided a solid introduction to agritourism, but Callahan acknowledged that her presentation only scratched the surface. Inviting the public onto a working farm is tricky business requiring thorough research.

    Operators will need to study all applicable laws, zoning and safety regulations, which can vary by region. They may need to make changes to their site to ensure accessibility and safety, and to protect themselves from liability, they’ll need the proper insurance.

    UC Cooperative Extension can help business owners navigate these details, and resources are available on the UC ANR California Agritourism webpage.

    Prior to the event, Handy wasn’t very familiar with UC ANR, but will now consider the institution among the suite of resources available to support emerging farms, like her own.

    “We are still very scrappy…but I feel like it doesn’t have to be scrappy forever,” Handy said.

    UC Agriculture and Natural Resources brings UC information and practices to all 58 California counties. Through research and Cooperative Extension in agriculture, natural resources, economic growth, nutrition and youth development, our mission is to improve the lives of all Californians. Learn more at     ucanr.edu and support our work at donate.ucanr.edu.