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A Golden Paper Wasp
We're so accustomed to seeing the non-native European paper wasp, Polistes dominula,...
A golden paper wasp, Polistes aurier, at the UC Davis Bee Haven on Saturday. It is a native species. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
As its name implies, the European paper wasp, is a non-native species. This image was taken in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Wildfire takes toll on mental, physical health of food producers
Farm Bill could support awareness of help available
The people who produce our food need support – especially in the areas of mental and physical well-being – to recover from increasingly widespread wildfire, scientists have found. The federal Farm Bill could help, but it is languishing in Congress (an extension of the previous Farm Bill was passed in late December 2024).
Postdoctoral researcher Natalia Pinzon Jimenez used surveys to hone in on the experiences of ranchers and farmers impacted by wildfire. Pinzon recently earned her Ph.D. at UC Davis and produced her findings with a team that included Leslie Roche, a professor of Cooperative Extension in the Department of Plant Sciences.
The team surveyed more than 500 ranchers and farmers affected by wildfires between 2017 and 2023. Pinzon recently summarized her findings in this research report. She also recently launched a website, Wildfires & Agriculture, based on her findings. Its goal is to help producers become more resilient to fire by providing tools, improving research and effecting policy.
Financial and technical assistance also matter, but are secondary, said the producers who participated in the surveys.
“The No. 1 wildfire impact for ranchers is on their physical and mental health,” said Tracy Schohr, a research team member and livestock and natural resources advisor in Plumas, Sierra, and Butte counties with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (Schohr earned her master's degree with Ken Tate, also a professor of Cooperative Extension in the department.)
“This underscores the need for future United States Department of Agriculture disaster programs to prioritize physical and mental health and emphasizes the importance of USDA investment in training staff and partners in trauma-informed approaches to aid farmers and ranchers affected by disasters,” Schohr argued.
In addition to being scorched by wildfire, farmers and ranchers are on the front lines of wildfire response, both on their properties and in their communities. When it's not wildfire season, they manage future risks by reducing fuel loads on their properties, installing off-grid systems and water storage, planning for wildfire response and training employees, Pinzon reported.
Need for greater awareness of help available
While producers were optimistic about their chances of recovering from wildfire, Pinzon found they have a limited financial safety net supporting them. Most producers relied on personal savings to recover from significant losses. Small producers, those using organic or sustainable practices, beginning producers, first-generation producers and people renting their land all had fewer resources, including crop insurance.
In addition, 78 percent of farmers and 58 percent of ranchers did not use financial assistance offered through the USDA to cope with disasters, Pinzon reported. Many didn't even know such assistance is available, or they reported the application process was too difficult.
All those pressures led to a quarter of the respondents admitting they had considered shutting down their operations.
Pinzon pointed to the federal Farm Bill as a source for funding greater collaboration between the USDA and on-the-ground organizations such as Cooperative Extension. The aim would be “to raise awareness, expand access to assistance programs and provide science-based solutions for wildfire recovery,” Pinzon recommended.
Surveys lead to more insights
Pinzon's work is part of a larger, statewide effort to use surveys and interviews with ranchers and farmers to understand their needs, direct scientific inquiry and develop solutions to their problems.
The team includes the University of California, UC ANR, federal, state and local agencies, producer organizations and private individuals. The surveys go back to 2011 and were conducted by Roche and a network of colleagues.
Read about California ranchers' response to drought and their needs for staying strong.
Farmers and ranchers: Learn what you can do
You can prepare for wildfire on your land. Get free, online information through Farmer Campus, co-founded by Pinzon with support from the USDA. Start by downloading your Wildfire Preparedness Workbook. It includes practical, hands-on activities to help you get your operation ready to survive a fire.
This article was first published on the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences news site.
Climate scientist Daniel Swain joins UC ANR
“We are very excited to have Daniel Swain join UC ANR,” said Glenda Humiston, UC vice president for agriculture and natural resources. “He brings a unique blend of skills and expertise that are crucial to meet the challenge of climate change, here in California and across the globe. Daniel's research – and his ability to clearly explain the latest findings in climate science – can equip fellow academics, policymakers and communities with the vital tools they need to forge effective and sustainable solutions.”
Swain is known for his exceptional science communication skills, explaining weather and climate in terms easily understood by the public.
“I spend a great deal of time engaging directly with the public in California and beyond on weather, climate and disaster-related topics, so I'm thrilled to be joining UC ANR—where broad dissemination of research-based information is a key part of the mission,” Swain said. “I'm grateful for ANR's support for my unusual hybrid climate research and science communication role, and look forward to helping expand ANR's virtual and statewide reach in the years to come.”
In November, Swain was named one of Vox's Future Perfect 50 – “the thinkers, activists and scholars working on solutions to today's (and tomorrow's) biggest problems.” Vox wrote: “Our communities and institutions are largely unequipped to fully understand, let alone deal with, the impacts of climate change. That's where climate experts should, theoretically, come in. But knowing the science is one thing – being able to effectively communicate it is a whole other ballpark. Climate scientist Daniel Swain is that desperately needed liaison.”
On his widely read Weather West blog, Swain has been sharing his perspectives on California weather and climate since 2006. He hosts regular “virtual office hours” for the public on YouTube. On X/Twitter, he has more than 101,000 followers.
The “Weather Whisperer” fields hundreds of calls from reporters every year and has been the single most-quoted expert in recent years at UCLA, where he was a climate scientist in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Last year, when Swain was seeking institutional support that would allow him to do science communication as well as research, a Los Angeles Times columnist wrote, “I certainly rely on Swain and other scientists to tell environmental stories.”
The term "Ridiculously Resilient Ridge" was coined in 2013 by Swain on his Weather West blog to describe the large, formidable high-pressure mass that persisted over the West Coast during winter and diverted storms away from California, contributing to the state's 2013-2017 drought.
Before joining UC ANR, Swain, who grew up in the Bay Area, was at UCLA and held a concurrent appointment as a research fellow in the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research since 2018. While holding a 100% appointment with UC ANR, he will maintain his associations with UCLA and NSF NCAR.
Swain holds a Ph.D. in Earth system science from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree in atmospheric science from UC Davis.
He will be the keynote speaker at the California Irrigation Institute's annual conference on Jan. 27 in Sacramento. His talk is titled “Drier and Wetter in 21st Century California? Managing Increasing Hydroclimate Whiplash in a Warming World.”
In addition to posting on his blog at weatherwest.com, Swain is also on Twitter/X @Weather_West, Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/weatherwest.bsky.social, YouTube https://youtube.com/@weatherwest, Threads https://threads.net/@weather.west and Mastodon https://mastodon.social/@weatherwest.
The Missing Mistletoe and the Non-Purple Great Purple Hairstreak Butterfly
You may not recognize mistletoe unless it sports a red bow and is hanging over a doorway during the...
Mistletoe infests this Modesto ash in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
This is the Great Purple Hairstreak, Atlides halesus. It is misnamed; it is not purple, but iridescent blue. Its host plant is mistletoe. (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)
Who Will Find and Photograph the First Bumble Bee of the Year?
Who will find and photograph the first bumble bee of the year in Yolo and Solano counties and...
UC Davis distinguished emeritus professor Robbin Thorp (1933-2019) with his screen saver image of Franklin's bumble bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
