UC Small Grains Blog

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Snow geese and Ross's geese foraging in alfalfa hay in the Sacramento Valley, 2021. Photo: Steven Beckley, Woodland, CA
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Geese Damage to Small Grain Fields

February 22, 2021
By Sarah E Light, Rachael Long, Roger A Baldwin
Growers frequently celebrate the presence of wildlife in their alfalfa and grain fields, providing valuable habitat as well as economic returns. But sometimes it's just too much of a good thing.
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Figure 1. Historical (10-year, left) and current (right) seasonal precipitation between 10/1/2020 and 1/31/2021 for California.
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Access California Weather Data with New Interactive Website

February 1, 2021
By Mark E Lundy
Weather patterns are highly variable across the state of California. They change from year to year and across locations. While parts of the state may be experiencing drought conditions this year (Figure 1), each location can have dramatically different weather.
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Malting Barley in the Tulelake Basin
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Malting Barley: New Resources Available

October 9, 2020
By Mark E Lundy
California's craft brewing industry is continuing to expand its market presence in the state. However, only a small percentage of malting barley used in California is grown within its borders. The primary bottleneck in the supply is the lack of malting facilities.
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