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Introducing our new Regenerative Agriculture Farm Advisor; Sara Rosenberg!
We are very excited to introduce the Regenerative Agriculture Farm Advisor, Sara Rosenberg, who will be based in Mariposa and covering Merced and Stanislaus counties. Sara graduated from the University of California Davis with a master’s in International Agriculture Development and a PhD in Horticulture and Agronomy. Her disciplinary focuses are agroecology, sustainable nutrient management, and extension research and methodology. Her past research centers on understanding the implications of diversification (with a focus on crop rotations and cover crops), for California rice systems. Her master’s program thesis implemented a county wide assessment to learn from rice growers about their experiences with crop rotations and understand barriers to adoption, opportunities, and required resources for successful implementation. Furthermore, this two-year study engaged grower communities to help develop future research goals she undertook in her PhD. Her doctorates research explored how different summer crop rotations affect multiple sustainability factors including soil health, crop yields, weeds, input use, and economics. She also assessed different cover crop species performance in rice environments and their carbon and nitrogen contributions.
Prior to her PhD, she worked for more than three years in the Peace Corps as an Agriculture Advisor. She worked closely with small holder farmers in West Africa implementing conservation agriculture programs and increasing agriculture resilience in both annual crops and tree crops, mainly in the cashew forestry sector. Beyond this, she has more than eight years of experience working on farms throughout California and ran her own small, diversified farm for the last two years in Woodland.
She is passionate about community lead development and using participatory research as a powerful tool for developing sustainable solutions. Her aim is to develop programming that will support a wide range of farm types, including commercial and small-scale, organic and conventional, annual crops, tree and vine crops, and livestock production systems. Programmatic goals include developing a robust research program aimed at assessing farm sustainability impact across agronomic, ecological, social, and economic factors; developing collaborative projects to support farmers in overcoming barriers to adoption of regenerative practices and builds upon their capacity to further sustainability goals, and develop and promote tested integrative management practices that increase climate resilience and ecosystem sustainability across diverse farming environments.
Conservation Ranching: Practices, Benefits, and Challenges Workshop
Spring Meeting 2024
By: Cal-Pac Section, Society for Range Management
Conservation Ranching: Practices, Benefits, and Challenges
Date and time: Thursday, May 9 · 9am - 5pm PDT (Registration 8:30-9 am)
Location: 2145 Wardrobe Avenue Merced, CA 95341
Refund Policy:
- Refunds up to 7 days before the event
- Eventbrite's fee is nonrefundable.
Topics covered will include:
- Benefits of ranching for species conservation
- Conservation grazing for multiple objectives on public open space
- Virtual Fencing
- Compost application on rangelands
- NRCS programs promoting conservation ranching
- Benefit of grazing in orchard systems
Ranchers' conservation experiences
- Pasture Map and leasing land for grazing
- Managing for species diversity and indigenous objectives
- Goat grazing for fuel management and agritourism
Afternoon field visit to UC Merced Vernal Pool and Grassland Reserve to discuss vernal pool ecology, grazing practices for grassland carbon storage, Point Blue rangeland monitoring network, and Remote Sensing to measure forage production and RDM.
Lunch and morning and afternoon coffee and snacks will be provided.
Survey Invitation- The Role of Woody Biomass in Agriculture, Ranching, and Gardening
Woody biomass refers to non-merchantable components from trees and plants. Some examples of woody biomass include post-harvesting residuals like branches and bark, small-diameter trees, shrubs, saw dust from lumber manufacturing, and woody chips from thinning practices. Features such as water-holding capacity and carbon sequestration makes wood a natural soil amendment in agriculture, ranching, and gardening. Common uses of woody biomass include mulching, livestock bedding, landscaping, and biochar production. Studies have shown that using woody biomass helps improve soil nutrient, conserve water, and prevent soil and wind erosion. An abundance of woody biomass and wood wastes is available in the Central Sierra region. Exploring the value of these resources will encourage hazardous fuel reduction and benefit communities by optimizing the use of local resources.
If you are a rancher, forest landowner, farmer, grower, or someone interested in knowing more about woody biomass applications, please take this opportunity to fill out this survey on the role of woody biomass in improving the agriculture and livestock systems. Your responses will help UCCE provide the most relevant resources and materials that are suitable for your community. For questions, please contact cxnchen@ucanr.edu.
Thank you for your time!
Best,
Cindy Chen
UCCE Mariposa County
Across California, the University of California’s 64 Cooperative Extension offices are local problem-solving centers. We are the bridge between local issues and the power of UC research. Our county-based staff is part of the community – we live and work in the areas we serve.
More than 300 campus-based specialists and county-based farm, home and youth advisors work as teams to bring practical, unbiased, science-based answers to solve problems across California.
As part of the agricultural community, we help farmers develop more-efficient growing methods, solve pest management problems and develop crops and irrigation methods that use less water.
As stewards of the land, we help develop smart water-use strategies, develop wildfire education and help preserve natural areas and farmland.
As advocates for healthy communities, we promote healthy diets and exercise for better health, and help shape the citizens of tomorrow through the 4-H Youth Development Program.
And thousands of volunteers extend the reach of our work through the Master Gardener Program and the California 4-H Youth Development Program.
We work in full partnership with federal, state, county and private resources.
We are stewards, problem-solvers, catalysts, collaborators and educators.
We are UC Cooperative Extension.
Calendar of Events
Event Name | Date |
---|---|
Camp Tweety | 6/14/2024 |
Council Budget and Calendar Meeting | 8/5/2024 |
Barn Clean Up & Ice Cream Social | 8/24/2024 |
Mariposa County Fair | 8/30/2024 |
Jr. Livestock Auction | 9/1/2024 |
Bake Cookies for Ironstone | 9/21/2024 |
Ironstone Concours d'Elegance | 9/28/2024 |
ICES Children's Fair | 9/29/2024 |
Introducing our New Fire Advisor, Alison Deak
Alison is passionate about restoring fire-adapted ecosystems and empowering people through learning how to live with wildfire. She is focused on developing programming aimed at wildfire recovery on private lands, expanding the use of prescribed fire, and creating safer communities through defensible space and cost-effective home hardening techniques.
Contact Information
UCCE Mariposa County
5009 Fairgrounds Road
Mariposa, CA 95338-9435
(209) 966-2417 Phone
Director:
Fadzayi Mashiri, PhD.
https://www.facebook.com/UCCE-Mariposa-108564404110359/
https://twitter.com/UCCEMariposa
Partners: