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LinkedInPosts Tagged: Agriculture
2024: Revisiting 'The 13 Bugs of Christmas'
Back in 2010, UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen (1944-2022) of the UC...
UC Cooperative Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen (1944-2022) of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, at the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility apiary. Image taken in 2010. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Insect 'Infomercials' You Won't Want to MIss
If you have some free time during the holidays--free time, what's that?--and you're interested in...
To limit bird flu spread, keep wild birds away from poultry, livestock
Waterfowl Alert Network data help assess risk of avian influenza H5N1
Every winter, millions of migratory birds fly south to warmer locales, passing over California Central Valley dairies and poultry farms. Many of these wild waterfowl are carrying the virus that causes avian influenza, based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's wild-bird surveillance, says Maurice Pitesky, University of California Cooperative Extension poultry specialist in the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis.
Bird flu has killed millions of birds and disrupted milk and poultry production. In California, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial and backyard flocks of poultry and dairy cows and, more recently, poultry and dairy workers have become infected.
“This is the largest animal disease outbreak we've ever had whether you look at geography – we've had six or seven continents affected – or whether you're looking at species,” Pitesky noted. “From a public health perspective, it's important for us to sound the alarm before this becomes a bigger problem.”
To contain the disease, USDA is testing milk for the avian influenza H5N1 virus and farmers are supplying poultry and dairy workers with personal protective equipment.
To avert future outbreaks of avian influenza from infecting livestock, Pitesky recommends reducing the overlap of waterfowl habitat with farms that raise animals. This would help prevent birds from mingling with the domestic animals and passing the virus to cows, pigs and poultry.
Knowing where waterfowl roost can help farmers and other stakeholders make informed decisions about protecting their flocks and herds.
Based on their research, Pitesky and his colleagues have developed the Waterfowl Alert Network to provide data about locations of waterfowl roosting and feeding. The network uses data from satellites, weather radar and land-based environmental sensors. Farmers and agricultural agency personnel can use it to assess the risk wild birds pose to farms. This information can be used to identify risky habitat in close proximity to farms with the goal of shifting habitat away from farms. This might entail, for example, flooding fields that would provide waterfowl habitat in an area at a greater distance from farm animals.
“One thing we need to consider in the medium- to long-term is the concept of waterfowl habitat shifting away from food animal production,” Pitesky said. “We know how to do this. This approach would allow us to optimize food security for our livestock and poultry while also providing habitat for waterfowl, which are vital to our ecosystem.”
Good to See Ettamarie Peterson 'Bee' Honored
It was good to see Sonoma County's "Queen Bee," Ettamarie Peterson of Petaluma, bee...
Ettamarie Peterson, known as the "Queen Bee of Sonoma County," gets ready to greet visitors at the Vacaville Museum Guild's Children's Party, an annual event held every August in the museum courtyard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Preparing soil for winter can protect soil health
Farmers placed clumps of soil into metal mesh baskets, submerged the baskets into jars of water, then watched to see if their soil held together. The slake test, conducted at the Soil Health Field Day in Woodland, measured soil health. Healthier soil, which contains more organic matter and bioactivity and can better support plant growth, stays intact.
“Participants said that it was particularly useful to see the slake test on a variety of soils to better understand the nuance of how soil health management practices such as cover cropping and reduction of tillage intensity could affect soil aggregation,” said Sonja Brodt, UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program coordinator for agriculture and environment, who attended the field day alongside Vivian Wauters, SAREP project scientist.
Technical assistance providers, farmers and other soil health professionals gathered at the Center for Land-Based Learning on Nov. 19 to learn about preparing soil for winter with a specific focus on how soil health impacts soil structure, as well as the ability for water to move through soil as opposed to puddling or running off a field.
“Soil with stable aggregates can withstand this submersion and stay intact, whereas a soil with poor aggregation will fall apart in the water,” Wauters explained.
This in-field test can produce dramatically different results, where poorly aggregated soil colors the water, while the stable, aggregated soil will leave the water column relatively clear.
Farmers were invited to bring their own soil samples to perform slake tests at the field day. Kabir Zahangir, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service regional soil health specialist, compared soils from different management practices and discussed how to assess aggregate stability and soil water infiltration.
Attendees also heard from experienced growers Scott Park of Park Farming Organics and Andrew Brait of Full Belly Farm, who described how they assess soil health on their farms.
By collaborating with others, Brodt said farmers and researchers are achieving benefits through learning together in real time. “We will also be able to benefit from aggregating soils data from across regions to begin to develop a statewide soil health database, which is a critical step in order for researchers to be able to determine relationships between farming practices and soil health outcomes under California conditions in the future,” she said.
Slake tests can be performed on soil from one's own backyard, garden or farm to better understand the health of the soil. Additionally, the NRCS principles of soil health – minimized disturbance, maximized biodiversity, maximized soil cover and maximized living roots – can be applied across all scales, though the specific practices will vary based on the type of yard or farm as well as the local climate and soil type.
Brodt and Wauters, who coordinate the California Farm Demonstration Network, emphasize that it's important to have local examples of innovative conservation practices across the state so people can see what is working to protect and enhance the soil health in their specific region. They encourage farmers and technical assistance providers to visit https://www.calfarmdemo.org/ to find local farms that are showcasing innovative practices. Farmers interested in being a farm demonstration site are also encouraged to contact Brodt (sbbrodt@ucanr.edu) and Wauters (vwauters@ucanr.edu).
They hope to continue to support the learning and sharing of knowledge around climate-smart farming practices to help California's farmers adopt climate beneficial practices.
“CDFA has funding programs, such as their Healthy Soils grants, that farmers in our network can apply for to help cover the costs of implementing soil health practices,” Brodt said.
Current work on the California Farm Demonstration Network is funded through a University of California Office of the President Climate Action Grant.
