How farmer-researcher ties help agriculture thrive By Donald Bransford
Natural Resources. Thanks to the state’s historic boost to UC ANR funding, more scientists and educators are being hired to address needs of California communities. On Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, we have an additional opportunity to support pro- grams that serve our agricultural regions. In the past, individual donations to UC ANR have been used to host grower meet- ings to discuss control of a new pest or dis- ease, build UC Master Gardener demon- stration gardens, and fund scholarships for children to develop life and work skills in UC ANR’s 4-H programs, among other important uses. This year, a new UC ANR endowment fund for research has been established commemorating late agriculturalist Jean- Mari Peltier and her leadership and passion for agricultural research, education and teaching. Donations may be made online at donate.ucanr.edu. People seeking more information may contact Mary Ciricillo at 530-219-1085 or mciricillo@ucanr.edu. Peltier, who served as president of the National Grape & Wine Initiative and the California Citrus Quality Council, played vital roles in supporting a wide range of commodity groups, including those rep- resenting grapes, tree fruit, pears, citrus, strawberries and wine. Now the Jean-Mari Peltier Endowment will advance strategic research and program- matic priorities, including emerging issues facing agriculture, the environment, the food system and our communities. The results will better position farmers to face complex challenges that arise in the future, while fur- thering the important partnership between UC researchers and California agriculture. (Donald Bransford is the owner of Bransford Farms, which produces rice and almonds. He may be contacted at donald.bransford@gmail.com.)
As California’s economy is poised to overtake Germany’s as the fourth largest
in the world, I am reminded that re- search and innova- tion drive progress. In California, we are fortunate to en- joy an abundance of healthy food and other agricultural products, even as new complications arise in the busi-
Donald Bransford
ness of farming. It’s no coincidence that California is the nation’s top agricultural producer with more than 400 commod- ities. University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers and the state’s farmers and ranchers have been working together for more than a century to innovate, and our research needs continue to grow to adapt to drought, wildfire, invasive pests and diseases, and other challenges. Over the years, the rice industry has part- nered with UC ANR, including through a funding partnership with the California Rice Research Board. We have dramatically decreased pesticide residue in the water- ways, developed new weed management strategies and improved air quality in the basin. We are also working on using flood- ed rice fields to provide food for migrating salmon. UC researchers are an integral part of the success of the rice industry. We will need even more research and people to extend those results to the end user. I farm in the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, which typically grows about 100,000 acres of the variety of rice used in sushi. This year, with limited water due to the extreme drought, we planted only 1,000 acres of rice. When large acreages are fallowed, it
University of California Cooperative Extension vegetable and irrigation advisor Zheng Wang, center, works with farmers to share research on grafting watermelons into vigorous rootstocks.
creates a domino effect: people working for farms and associated businesses lose jobs. It hurts the whole community. Even migra- tory waterfowl suffer when rice isn’t planted, losing food and habitat when fields along the Pacific Flyway aren’t flooded. For specialty crops, growers can turn to UC ANR for assistance. For example, when watermelon growers saw an increasing amount of their crop rejected by supermar- kets because of the melons’ inconsistent quality, they appealed to UC Cooperative Extension vegetable and irrigation advisor Zheng Wang, who serves Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties. By grafting watermelon plants onto more vigorous rootstock, Wang showed growers they could produce 15% to 25% more water- melons of consistent quality using less water. In Southern California, UCCE irriga- tion management advisor Ali Montazar is working with avocado growers to test new technology such as soil mois- ture sensors to fine-tune irrigation
applications and reduce water expenses. To help immigrant farmers, UCCE of- fers farming advice in Spanish, Hmong, Chinese and other languages. Small farm advisors work with growers to study spe- cialty crops from other countries to find the best way to grow them in California. Where else could they get scientific information tailored to their needs? Throughout the state, farmers must prepare for wildfire impacts—from evac- uating livestock to dealing with smoke in grapes. UCCE specialists and advisors work to develop Ag Pass guidelines appropriate for their regions to allow farmers access to their property to help firefighters and care for livestock. Viticulture specialists are working with grape growers and wine makers to determine how much smoke ex- posure can be tolerated by grapes. Although we are constantly facing new challenges, it is an exciting time for me to serve as a member of the UC President’s Advisory Commission on Agriculture and
VOL. 49, NO. 40
November 2, 2022
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