Sonoma

A welcome sign of spring each year for grape producers is budbreak, the moment when tiny buds on the vine start to swell and green leaves appear.

Producers experiencing this damage may be eligible for assistance. Crane flies, Tipula oleracea, are once again present on Sonoma and Marin County's range, pasture and cultivated lands this season.

Over 350 people attended the Youth Agriculture and Animal Science Field Day held on February 8, 2020 at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds.

In California, sudden oak death disease has killed more than 50 million of the state's iconic oaks and tanoak trees between Humboldt County and Monterey County, threatening survival of several tree species.

Is your tree on death's door? Here's how to tell (LA Times) Jeanette Marantos, Feb. 28 Climate change, invasive species and even international trade are taking a serious toll on California trees.

If you've visited our office, you may have seen our woolly mascot and teaching model - Lady Baa Baa. She has been joined by a dairy cow who was nameless. The dairy cow is used by Randi Black, our Dairy Advisor, when she visits educational venues.

I hope everyone enjoyed the warm weather over the 3-day weekend. I spent a fair bit of time outside getting the gardens ready for spring. All my plants need now is rain.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is soliciting for applications for two programs: Healthy Soils Program (HSP) and Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP).

Get ready to contribute your iNaturalist observation skills to your local community organizations to help collect data for science! The 2020 City Nature Challenge is April 24-27.

Advice for the Home Gardener from the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Client's Request: Hello. We would like to plant a shade tree in our backyard in mid-County. We have a fairly shallow well and am assuming a high water table although we don't have any wet, boggy areas.