California Agriculture

Field edge hedgerows have long been promoted by UC Cooperative Extension and other organizations as a way to bring needed biodiversity to California farms. However, adoption of hedgerow planting still falls far short of available edge capacity. Our study explores a new multifunctional model of hedgerows that combines production with environmental conservation goals by considering the revenue potential of harvesting blue elderberry. Blue elderberry is a drought-tolerant native species well adapted to multiple microclimates in California and the western United States. The growth of elderberry herbal products and specialty foods markets is currently skyrocketing nationally and globally, and blue elderberry may offer a promising entry into these markets. Blue elderberry is also sought out by Indigenous people as one important component in efforts to restore cultural and food sovereignty. A field demonstration trial in the southern Sacramento Valley found that elderberry yields from 1,000-foot-long multi-species hedgerows could potentially provide from $2,000 to $3,000 in net annual revenue within 3 to 5 years, with much more possible as the hedgerows mature.

The high prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity demonstrates the need for effective intervention strategies. The Shaping Healthy Choices Program (SHCP) is a school-based intervention that promotes nutrition and physical education, develops family and community partnerships, and incorporates foods available on the school campus, with the goal of achieving sustainable student health outcomes. Partnerships developed through implementation of the SHCP were analyzed using the RE-AIM: Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to assess the potential for adoption, scaling and sustainability of the program. The RE-AIM framework is a comprehensive approach to evaluating public health interventions through reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance. Partners of the SHCP include site staff (teachers, administration and health professionals), parents, peer teachers, and state and federal agencies, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed), which funds CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California (CFHL, UC), and UC Cooperative Extension. This analysis highlights how partnerships developed and sustained with the SHCP may serve as a model for other programs to expand, while also enabling programs to remain responsive to the diverse challenges and needs of local community partners.

English walnuts are the walnut species of choice for nut production. In the United States, edible English walnuts are almost exclusively produced in California, using soil and water resources on more than 370,000 acres. Scion cultivars of English walnuts are grafted onto rootstocks. Traditional rootstocks are seedling populations of so-called Paradox hybrids generated from crosses of black walnut with English walnut. These rootstocks are susceptible to soil-borne diseases, including crown gall, Phytophthora root and crown rot, and plant-parasitic nematodes. Strategies to respond to these diseases include the use of newly developed clonal walnut rootstocks with genetic resistance. In a survey conducted during 2020 through 2021, walnut growers revealed their willingness to pay higher prices for clonal walnut rootstocks with some disease resistance. The survey showed that they were most concerned with crown gall and nematodes, and were willing to pay significant price premiums for rootstocks that are resistant to these pathogens.

Abstract: For rice producers, removing straw from a field after harvest is important because the material is slow to break down and needs to be gone prior to planting the next season. One option is to bale the straw and use it as a forage supplement for cattle. Although rice straw is a low-cost supplement, it’s also low in forage quality and digestibility. Three trials over a four-year period tested methods to improve rice straw forage quality in the field where it was harvested, and then tested the treatments in cattle feeding trials to assess intake by cattle, performance in weight and size gain, and forage quality. The goal was to find an economical method to improve rice straw feeding value that was also practical to implement for both rice farmers and beef cattle producers. Of the treatments tested, treating traditionally baled rice straw with ammonia gas improved crude protein, intake and cattle performance, compared to untreated straw. The treatment achieved the goals of being easily transported, practical to implement, and cost effective.

California’s agricultural employers hired an average of 413,000 workers between 2018 and 2021 and reported an average of 882,000 farmworkers during these years, a ratio of 2.1 workers for each job. Average agricultural employment has been relatively stable since 2000, while the number of workers reported by agricultural employers declined. Despite concerns about farm labor shortages, the data show a relatively stable pool of farmworkers, including a rising share who are brought to farms by farm labor contractors.

Formal private land conservation programs can be essential for achieving conservation goals, especially in ecosystems with substantial private ownership. Most deciduous oak woodlands in Humboldt County, California, and throughout the Pacific Northwest are located on private lands. The loss of these woodlands to conifer encroachment is a critical conservation concern, with implications for wildlife habitat, range management, cultural resources, biodiversity, and fire management. Private land programs depend on both incentives and voluntary cooperation. Through interviews and participant observation, we explored how and why landowners participate in oak woodland restoration. We are particularly interested in the role of social capital, which consists of trust and expectations of reciprocity. We found that oak woodland restoration depends on building social capital in order to leverage different skill sets and gain access to resources and technical expertise. Rather than a side effect of successful private land conservation, we assert that social capital is a necessary part of it, and that building and maintaining social capital can itself constitute a conservation goal.