Sierra

If you're like me, you were probably surprised to look at the calendar this morning and realize that irrigation season begins in here in the Sierra foothills this week.

Re-posted with permission from the UC ANR Alfalfa & Forage News: I'll be back! And, they are, with a vengeance! Just like the Terminator, those pesky blue alfalfa aphids are once again wreaking havoc in alfalfa fields, including those just breaking dormancy in colder climates.

For the 2019-2020 field season, we have made some adjustments to the Healthy Soils Demonstration Project at the Sierra Foothills Research and Extension Center (to read about the background of this project, click here) in response to a spontaneous grass fire in June 2019.

I'll be back! And, they are, with a vengeance! Just like the Terminator, those pesky blue alfalfa aphids are once again wreaking havoc in alfalfa fields, including those just breaking dormancy in colder climates.

Editor's note: Master Gardeners are keeping busy in their own gardens during Napa County's Shelter in Place directive.

Reposted from the UCANR employee news Lynn Huntsinger, professor and Russell Rustici Chair in Rangeland Management at UC Berkeley, received the W.R. Chapline Research Award at the Society for Range Management's (SRM) 72nd Annual Meeting, Technical Training and Trade Show in Denver, Colo., Feb.

Whitesell joins UCCE as human wildlife conflict advisor Carolyn Whitesell joined UC Cooperative Extension as an assistant human-wildlife interactions advisor for San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Sonoma counties on Feb. 18, 2020.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you can help spread the word about Central Sierra resources to make sure everyone has enough to eat.

Meanwhile, in between social distancing, what's happening in the world of insects? We were surprised to see a skipper butterfly today (March 25) foraging in our bed of mustard in Vacaville, Calif.

March is a great time to begin eating the many types of greenery that emerge in Springtime. Chard, often called Swiss chard or rainbow chard depending on the color of the plant stems, is a versatile ingredient to include in meals this month.