Summer 1995 (v7n3)
	From the Director Cooperative Extension's Broad Impact As it is widely known Cooperative Extension (CE) is a major part of every land grant university. Each California county has a group of people from CE (farm and home advisors and staff) who attempt to help community members with many issues. These advisors have been working for local communities since 1913. They carry out research and education programs in their regions and are the conduit between the UC campuses and the fields and homes of California. That effort continues today even in the face of reduced budgets, resources and staff, and increased demands to change farming practices. Extension advisors' activities are quite diverse; they deal with human and natural resource issues and research and education to help produce the food and fiber we all consume. Their efforts to maintain agricultural sustainability are increasingly important to both consumers and producers. I have been traveling with members of the SAREP staff to various Cooperative Extension offices in the San Joaquin Valley to find out what projects individual farm advisors are working on so that we at SAREP can stay current, and so that we can foster collaboration with our colleagues in the counties. In late February, we met with advisors in Stanislaus and Merced counties; in March we traveled to Fresno and Madera counties. We will soon meet with farm advisors in Tulare and Kings counties. Farm advisors in these counties continue to work on a diverse array of projects related to agricultural sustainability. For example, Stanislaus County Director Phil Osterli is involved in a project in West Stanislaus County with the goal of reducing the amount of non-point source pollution (sediment, pesticides, and fertilizer) being carried to the San Joaquin River. This project, which is a cooperative venture with the area Resource Conservation District and Natural Resource Conservation Service staff, helps farmers develop best management practices to farm in a more environmentally friendly manner, while at the same time saving themselves money. Other farm advisors in the area are working on projects to improve the environment while reducing farmers' costs. Bill Weir has found out that the total amount of nitrogen used on cotton can be reduced by up to twenty percent. Maxwell Norton has worked to reduce pesticide use in the treatment of apple scab, and was involved in the first commercial-scale pheromone mating disruption project with IPM Area Advisor emeritus Bill Barnett. Lonnie Hendricks in Merced County has been instrumental in the development of BIOS (Biological Integrated Orchard Systems), a program which is gaining acceptance among almond growers because of its team approach to the establishment of environmentally and economically sound farming systems. Norton and Hendricks have organized IPM grower breakfasts for almost ten years. Much information is shared at these breakfast meetings and pest control advisors also attend to learn and discuss new farming methods. Merced County Director Jim Farley is working with UCD collaborators on a multidisciplinary approach to swine health. In Fresno County, Linda Manton, like other county directors, serves not only as the office administrator, but also as the liaison with government, agricultural and private agencies and organizations. Her research interests lie in community development and public policy. Steve Sutter, the Ag Personnel Management advisor in Fresno County, works on issues of farm labor and safety. He has developed a checklist of labor regulations and safety programs in both English and Spanish. These are examples of projects that touch us all, either as producers or consumers or both. We at SAREP are making special efforts to cooperate with these advisors and researchers to see to it information on their work in sustainable agriculture is available statewide. For more on these and other Cooperative Extension projects that work toward sustainability, see "From the Field," on pages 2 and 3. Fresno and other counties will be highlighted in future issues. Bill Liebhardt, director, University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. [ Back | Search | Feedback ]