Merced

Agronomy and Weed Science Advisor, Merced County It's getting hot and dry in the Central Valley and the movement of equipment in and out of fields/orchards/vineyards has the potential to stir up a significant amount of dust.

Agricultural advances draw opposition that blunts innovation (Science) Anne Q.

In the late 1800s, when automobiles started replacing horses in the United States, farmers were likely pondering how the new technology could be adapted for agricultural production. Before long, tractors revolutionized the industry.

A drive around parts of the San Joaquin Valley revealed some fields with Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) rising above the crop canopy (See image below).

A drive around the San Joaquin Valley has revealed some fields with Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) rising above the crop canopy.

Mrs. Roxie Schallberg quickly acknowledged that implementing the Lowe's garden grant required more than just a vision. After Madison Elementary received the grant money, there were steps to take with the district, school and maintenance staff to make this vision come to life.

In between finishing up the merit and promotion packages, I did some gardening this weekend. My favorite plant on the property was in bloom.

According to the CalFlora website (http://www.calflora.org/), 21 species of amaranths occur (to some extent) in California. While many are non-native, a few, including prostrate pigweed (Amaranthus blitoides) and Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri), are indigenous.

[This story was updated July 5 to add Jennifer Henkens, 4-H community educator for UCCE Sacramento County, to the list of 4-H eLearning team members. Her name was inadvertently omitted in the original announcement.

A new UC Cooperative Extension podcast that focuses on growing orchard crops in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys is now available free at http://growingthevalleypodcast.com, Apple iTunes and Google Play Music.