News & Information Outreach

When is soil more than just dirt?  When you want to grow healthy plants in your yard and garden, the soil is as important a factor as are water and sunlight.  You can improve your soil's ability to support thriving plants of all kinds by protecting it from compaction, amending it with nutrients, and adding…

 A picnic is not a picnic without bugs.Bugs may be "univited guests" at your picnic, but at the campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day, they're celebrities.Yes, celebrities.The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) again will host its fan-favorite roach races at at Briggs Hall on Saturday,…

 Across California, UC Master Gardener volunteers are making local landscapes greener and healthier. These volunteers don't just plant flowers – they're building a better future for all of us! Let's meet some of these gardening champions and learn how they're changing their communities with sustainable…

 Save the dates!There are two upcoming opportunities to attend field days and learn about current work related to small grain crops in California:Thursday, April 10, 10AM – 12PM, Fresno State Center for Irrigation TechnologyFresno State will be hosting a Field Day this coming Thursday, 4/10 in…

 UC Davis bumble bee research in the news!The Ecological Society of America (ESA) recently spotlighted bumble bee research from the laboratory of pollinator ecologist Neal Williams, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.ESA singled out “Predicting Landscape-Scale Native…

Originally Posted April 1, 2025. This year in Southern California the rainy season got off to a late start. Southern California has received about one half of the average precipitation total as of this writing (and that's not an April fool's joke). Last year we had over 50% more rainfall than the…

Newsletter from the Subtropical Tree Crop Farm Advisors in Californiahttps://ucanr.edu/county-office/cooperative-extension-ventura-county/collection/topics-subtropics     Topics in Subtropics Winter 2025  TOPICS IN THIS ISSUEDate Production OverviewGuidelines for Managing…

What Are the UC Ag Experts Talking About?Event NameDateUC Ag Experts Talk: Considerations for Cover Crops and Weed Management 3/19/2025UC Ag Experts Talk: Integrated Soil Health Management 4/30/2025UC Ag Experts Talk: Mealybug Management in Citrus Orchards in California 5/21/2025What is…

As previously announced, Associate Vice President Tu Tran will be retiring this year on July 1. During the 12 years that AVP Tran has been at the helm of UC ANR operations, UC ANR has doubled in revenue and size. Within the past five years alone, the organization has experienced significant growth with large…

 The Jason Bond lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, showcased its work at the annual meeting of the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America  (PBESA), held this week in Salt Lake City. PBESA encompasses 11 Western states, plus parts of Canada and Mexico, and U.S…

Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics, University of CaliforniaPresident Trump and Farm Labor: The OutlookPhilip Martin and Zach RutledgeDuring the 2024 presidentialcampaign, Donald Trump prom-ised to stop illegal migration overthe Mexico-U.S. border and todeport many of the unauthorizedforeigners in…

 Bugs reign, especially at picnics.And especially at the campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day.What will be buzzing, racing or crawling at Briggs Hall during the 111th annual Picnic Day on Saturday, April 12?Bees, cockroaches and maggots.The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology encourages you to…

California relies on groundwater - water stored in underground aquifers and pumped through wells - for up to 41% of water supply in normal years and up to 60% during times of drought. In 2014, the California legislature signed into law the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) with the primary goal…

A quick repost to share a link to a recent January 14, 2025 webinar on Electric Weed Control in Organic Perennial Crops. The webinar was part of a multi-state research and extension project that includes researchers from Oregon State University, Cornell University, and UC Davis and outreach support from…

Sharing a recent post from the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) about a new page on the WeedCUT online decision support tool. -Brad--------------------------------------------------------------------New WeedCUT Feature: BMPs for Herbicide Application Techniques   Confused about…

A crop consultant brought in some stunted, seedling alfalfa plants and asked us to help identify the problem. The plants came from a field in the southwest part of San Joaquin County that was only planted about three months ago. After looking at them under the dissecting microscope, we came to the conclusion…

Blog by Patricia Matteson, UC Master GardenerAs observed in a Suisun City garden, the fruits and seed dispersal of the California pipevine, or “California Dutchman’s pipe,” Aristolochia californica Torr., turned out to be remarkable and beautiful. There are over 500 species of pipevine in the family…