UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) will be hosting a Pitahaya/Dragon Fruit tasting and lecture at the Hansen Agrlcultural Center in Santa Paula.  This program will be conducted by Jose F. De Soto, Hansen Agricultural Center director, and Ramiro Lobo, UC farm advisor.

Location:
    Hansen Agricultural Center (formerly known as Faulkner Farms)
    14292 W. Telegraph Rd.
    Santa Paula, CA  93060

Time: 9:00 am - Noon

This is a great opportunity for those of you who have not been able to sample the many varieties of dragon fruit to learn more about them and spend a nice morning at the farm.

For more information about the Hansen Agricultural Center click here. 

This year the Ventura County Libraries have two summer reading programs for youth. Dream Big is for those in kindergarten through grade 6, and Own the Night for grades 6 through 12.

The Summer Reading Program is available to every youth at no cost!

There will be kick off events held at each branch, and teen volunteer opportunities. Other story times, events, games and demonstrations will be held throughout the summer – and are also free of charge.

You can find more information by visiting this page of the Ventura County Library website. 

The Ventura County Library system has free summer reading activites for youth of all ages.

The UC Master Gardeners will be busy this summer with outreach and education events throughout Ventura County. Some of their efforts will include:

The Master Gardeners have prepared a free educational speaking series this summer at the Goebel Senior Center. The Goebel Senior Center is located in Thousand Oaks next to the Grant R. Brimhall Library. You do not need to be a senior to attend the classes.

• All About Roses – Saturday, June 23^rd
• Orchids – Saturday, July 28^th 
• Sustainable Garden – Saturday, August 28^th
• Wildlife, Birds, and Butterfly Gardens – Saturday, September 22^nd   

On Saturday August 18, the Master Gardeners will hold a Home Garden Workshop. This event will be held in Santa Paula, at the beautiful UC Hansen Agricultural Center. The theme of this workshop will be “Planning and Growing A Cut-Flower Garden, and Creating Beautiful Floral Arrangements”. There is a $25.00 fee to attend the workshop.

The Master Gardeners will also be at the Ventura County Fair. You can find them in the landscape design section of the fairgrounds. Their booth will be staffed several hours per day.

The Master Gardener Helpline is staffed Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00. This is a great opportunity to get one-on-one assistance. The helpline provides gardening support to the public by phone at 645-1455, by email at mgventura@ucdavis.edu, or in person at 669 County Square Drive, Suite 100 in Ventura. If planning to come by in person, you may want to call first to verify a Master Gardener is available.

Other gardening resources can be accessed through this page of our website.

Check out the UCCE Ventura County Master Gardner websiteoften for other local events!

UC Master Gardeners have several education opportunities this summer, including Orchids 101.

Cal/OSHA’s 2012 Heat Illness Prevention Campaign provides multiple approaches to protect outdoor workers from heat illness. The campaign is a combination of education, outreach and enforcement efforts.

Education resources for employees are available in English, Spanish, Hmong, Punjabi and Mixteco. These free resources include DVD that features workers from agriculture, construction and landscaping occupations.

Employers can also find resources to help minimize heat illness.

In addition to the online resources, Cal/OSHA will be providing free, one-day programs designed for educators and leaders from community organizations who can help reach workers at risk for heat illness. These “Train-the-Trainer” programs will be held throughout the state, with a class in Ventura on June 15. To learn more about the training program please see the following links in English and Spanish.

The need for heat illness prevention increases as the temperature rises.