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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

Vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus) has become one of the most economically damaging pests in California vineyards. Left unmanaged, infestations can reduce yield, weaken vines, lower sugar content and spread viruses like leafroll, which contribute to sudden grapevine collapse. The good news is effective control is possible with the right timing and integrated approach. In this guide, we break down proven …

To understand consumers’ attitudes toward a bioengineered pesticide for citrus crops, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers are asking for volunteers to participate in focus groups in Riverside, Oakland and Fresno. Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, is a naturally occurring bacterium being tested to control the spread of Asian citrus psyllid, the small insect that transmits the disease huanglongbing …