Several years ago, our office provided local youth an opportunity to learn about agriculture in Ventura County. As they learned, they wrote articles to share what they learned with others. While some of the details have changed over time, for instance the order of our top crops, the core message remains accurate and just as important as ever.
Agriculture is an important part of our local economy and heritage. Many of our local issues and challenges are related to agriculture: open space, water quality & availability, land use, obesity, air quality and more. For citizens to make informed decisions, they need to have at minimum a basic understanding of our agricultural industry.
On an individual level, research has shown that many children, and even some adults, are not aware of the nutritional content of their food, were their food originates or the challenges faced by producers to get it to the store.
The Ventura County UCCE Field to Fridge newspaper supplement is a great place to start learning about local agriculture. It covers the following topics:
- Welcome – What is agriculture? – Do you have a garden?
- Where do we get our food?
- Strawberries
- Nursery Plants & Cut Flowers
- Lemons & Oranges
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Avocados
- Raspberries – Peppers
- Community Service – MyPyramid – Credits
We have hard copies available in our office; please contact us in advance for large orders. It is also available for viewing online!
The animals we commonly refer to as gophers, are actually named pocket gophers. They are named this because they come equipped with fur lined external pockets they use to carry food and or nesting material while they tunnel under gardens, agricultural fields, and open space.
We often receive calls for help from home gardeners battling pocket gopher problems. Did you know that the typical lifespan of these creatures are three years? They are well designed for burrowing, for instance they are able to put their lips behind their teeth allowing them to keep dirt out of their mouths while using their teeth to dig.
Even one gopher can do a lot of damage, and they can reach densities of 60 or more gopher per acre. In addition to eating plants, they also damage irrigation lines with their chewing. More water problems and loss of this resource can occur when water meant for irrigation is diverted through their tunnel systems.
They live alone, except when females are caring for young. In irrigated areas gophers can produce up to three litters a year. In non-irrigated areas, only one litter per year is produced. In those areas breeding takes place in late winter or early spring, so if you have gophers in this type of setting, now would be a great time to reduce current numbers.
The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) has recently updated the free pocket gopher pest note publication. This publication will explain how to determine if you have gophers on your property. It also details several types of control methods. Additional free UC ANR pest notes and other related information can be found at the UC Davis IPM website.
Adult pocket gopher
Even with the bit of rain we recently received, Southern California remains in drought condition. There is less water, and the water that remains is becoming increasingly more expensive. A collection of UC scientists have recently released a free publication titled, “Managing Turfgrasses during Drought. While this publication will certainly be helpful to home gardeners, it will be of great help to those responsible for maintaining large areas of turf.
- Benefits of turfgrass
- Reasons some grasses are more drought resistant than others
- Research being conducted to develop even more drought resistant varieties
- Difference between optimal, deficit and survival watering
- Using evapotraspiration CIMIS (see previous posts on CIMIS here) to make wise watering decisions
- Irrigation needs for different soil types
- How mowing height and frequency effect water use
- Fertilizer requirements and considerations
- Ways to avoid water runoff
- Irrigation systems and design tips
- Redesigning landscape features to make the most of your water.
- And more.
Links to additional resources and publications are available at the start of the download, and at the end of the publication.
Winter is the dormant period for deciduous fruit trees. It is a perfect time for caring for the trees. Proper care now increases the likelihood for better fruit and fewer problems through spring and summer. Main tasks for this time are: pruning, sanitation, and pest & disease control.
The University of California division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) has a free downloadable document “Winter Pest Management in Backyard Deciduous Fruit Trees" to help you plan and complete these tasks.
As an added bonus, the instructions contain many links to related information!
Topics in Subtropics is a quarterly newsletter – a combined effort of UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisors (including Ventura County’s Dr. Ben Faber) throughout the state. It emphasizes issues, research and solutions of citrus and avocado, but will also discuss the minor subtropical species grown in our state.
The most recent volume contains the following articles:
- 'Valentine,' A Recently Released Anthocyanin-pigmented Pummelo Hybrid Developed at the University of California Riverside
- The University of California-Riverside Citrus Variety Collection and Citrus Clonal Protection Program Websites Provide Information, Photographs, Fruid Quality Data and More
- Water Infiltration Problems
- Attention San Joaquin Valley Citrus Growers: What Do You Plan to Do If It Comes For You?
You may subscribe for an online subscription to this and our other newsletters on our office website. Back issues from 2003 forward can also be viewed at the site.
