Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

California Agriculture journal @calagucanr.bsky.social · 16h

The latest issue of California Agriculture is out! Check out the latest research on nitrogen management practices in the Central Valley, regenerative management and soil moisture retention in almonds, irrigation practices in processing tomatoes, and more at californiaagriculture.org.

The April-June 2025 issue of California Agriculture features a man driving a machine in an alley of green cover crops between rows of almond trees.

2 3

California Agriculture journal @calagucanr.bsky.social · 16h

Results from a nutrient management practices study conducted by UC Riverside and @ucanr.edu @ucanrwater.bsky.social scientists show that most growers are adopting four or more practices in the same field. For details, see doi.org/10.3733/001c...
Photo: David Chambers

Standing in front of a field of strawberries, a research associate shows a Central Coast grower data in the CropManage app on his mobile phone.

1 2

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Pam Kan-Rice @ucanrpam.bsky.social · 2d

"There's abundant and overwhelming evidence that climate change is increasing the severity and likelihood of extreme fire conditions in the American West," @weatherwest.bsky.social @ucanr.edu told @livescience.com
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...

Extreme weather caused more than $100 billion in damage by June — smashing US records

After damaging wildfires in LA, tornadoes and series of floods, the first six months of this year smashed multiple extreme weather records in the U.S., data show — and experts say this trend is likely...

www.livescience.com

2 4

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UC Agriculture & Natural Resources @ucanr.edu · 20h

🔥 #UCANR fire expert Lenya Quinn-Davidson @lenyaqd.bsky.social says we won’t solve the West’s #wildfire crisis without embracing managed wildfire. “It’s tricky to implement—but the real challenge is convincing people we need it.”
Q&A ⤵️
alumni.berkeley.edu/california-m...

Managing Wildfire for All It’s Worth - Cal Alumni Association

Q&A with Lenya Quinn-Davidson

alumni.berkeley.edu

1 2

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UCDavisPlants @ucdavisplants.bsky.social · 12d

🌾From Field Crops Research: Drought reduced rice acreage while high crop prices drove a shift to water-intensive orchards, revealing how economics can outweigh water constraints. (Luke A. Salvato, Cameron Pittelkow, Bruce A. Linquist)

▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#PlantScience

Multifactor analysis of land use transitions in a drought-affected rice region

Rapid land use change can have large impacts on water resources, local economies, supply chains, and the environment. Understanding the complexity of …

www.sciencedirect.com

2 4

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UC Water Institute @ucanrwater.bsky.social · 13d

🌊 Dive into the annual @ucanr.edu Water Webinar Series 2025-2026! Science for everyone!
📅 Oct 6 | 12 PM PT🎤 Dr. Ellen Bruno: “Managing California’s groundwater: SGMA’s early impacts & the role of groundwater markets”
💧 Free & Open Access – no registration needed!
🔗 Zoom: tinyurl.com/anrwaterwebi...

3 3

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Pam Kan-Rice @ucanrpam.bsky.social · 14d

Interested in forest and biomass management? @ucanr.edu is offering a free workshop Oct. 15 in Sonora 🌲
files.constantcontact.com/f7d3b974101/...

Register now - Biomass workshop series: session 3 field day. Registration is free. Three photos of a machine working roadside of a forest

3 2

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UC Agriculture & Natural Resources @ucanr.edu · Jun 25

Ten years after the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: Are growers changing what they plant or how they drill, knowing water use must decline by 2040? #UCCE and UC Davis ARE analyzed the data.

#SGMA #CAwater #Ag
bit.ly/45Ftegf

How is SGMA affecting growers’ planting and drilling decisions? | UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

By Ellen Bruno and Nick Hagerty

bit.ly

2 2

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UC Agriculture & Natural Resources @ucanr.edu · Jun 27

“Each additional fractional degree of warming brings about a relatively larger increase in atmospheric extremes, like extreme downpours and severe droughts and wildfires,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with #UCANR. @weatherwest.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/c...

The World Is Warming Up. And It’s Happening Faster.

www.nytimes.com

23 40

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Pam Kan-Rice @ucanrpam.bsky.social · Jun 30

The most critical part of heat stress for cotton is not the daytime temperatures that can exceed 120 degrees in the region, but the nighttime temperatures that fail to drop below 90 degrees, Michael Rethwisch @ucanr.bsky.social said to @agwriter.bsky.social
www.farmprogress.com/cotton/scien...

California cotton heat stress study aims to prevent boll loss

UC research investigates how high nighttime temperatures affect cotton boll abortion, testing products to mitigate crop losses in California's hottest farming regions.

www.farmprogress.com

2 6

California Agriculture journal @calagucanr.bsky.social · May 22

New research shows that using a tapering strategy is a commercially viable option for processing tomato growers with limited freshwater allocations and access to groundwater. Learn more here ➡️ doi.org/10.3733/001c...

Four researchers in an agricultural field collect processing tomato
samples to estimate Brix and yield per replicate.

1 1

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Nutrition Policy Institute @npi.ucanr.edu · May 20

“I’m eating better because I can afford to get fresh food, fresh vegetables and fruit that I wouldn’t get otherwise,” a CalFresh shopper said about the California Nutrition Incentive Program in a study by the @npi.ucanr.edu @ucanr.bsky.social. Learn more: bit.ly/4kdwnrV

California Nutrition Incentive Program Grants Boost Access to Fresh Produce and Support Local Farmers - SierraDailyNews.com

CA Dept. of Food & Agriculture Inspection Services Division Office of Farm to Fork is pleased to announce that 12 projects across the state and the people they serve are now benefiting from more than ...

bit.ly

5 2

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UCDavisPlants @ucdavisplants.bsky.social · May 15

🌱 From Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment: Diversifying rice rotations increased yields by 13% but reduced soil carbon and nitrogen retention. (Sara Rosenberg, Amélie C.M. Gaudin, Tommy L.D. Fenster, Bruce Linquist, Kassim Al-Khatib, Cameron M. Pittelkow)
▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Fig. 2. Principal component analysis showing significant explanatory variables for first (PC1) and second (PC2) components. Circle colors indicate the system and size of the bubble corresponds to the relative number of years of non-rice crops in the rotation. The red circle represents fields under conventional continuous rice, green is conventional rotated fields, and blue is organic rotated fields. Soil variables include SOC, POXC, ACE protein, phosphorous, minor elemental rating, actinomycetes, and fungal: bacterial ratio. Agronomic indicators include early weed abundance and yield. Organic continuous fields were removed from the analysis due to confounding effects of soil texture.

2 1 4

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UC Agriculture & Natural Resources @ucanr.edu · May 15

Today’s the day — UC ANR #GivingDay is here!
We’re thrilled to be part of this 24-hour celebration of giving, and we invite YOU to join us! Your support powers our mission to advance agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, and youth development.
🔗 give.ucanr.edu

2 2

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Jay Sayre @jaysayre.bsky.social · May 15

This Monday I'm hosting a webinar titled "Navigating Trade Policy Uncertainty in California Agriculture" on Monday, May 19th at 2pm. Opportunities will be available to ask questions about current trade policy at the end. Register now: ucdavis.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Image of the Port of Stockton. 📸: Downtowngal, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26671447

1 1

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Pam Kan-Rice @ucanrpam.bsky.social · Apr 30

Think wildfire prep is expensive?
“Fuels management and home hardening are just as important as a remodeled kitchen at this point,” wildfire expert Yana Valachovic @ucanr.bsky.social tells
@frombenc.bsky.social @calmatters.org calmatters.org/housing/2025...

This ‘wildfire resilient neighborhood’ shows how much CA housing has to change

For years, wildfire-resilient home and neighborhood design has been a niche consideration for many California homeowners. January’s Los Angeles firestorms have made it feel more like an urgent necessi...

calmatters.org

2 4

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Andrew Freedman @afreedma.bsky.social · May 2

NEW: US weather forecasting is in worse shape than previously known, with 30 NWS forecast offices missing meteorologists-in-charge and about a dozen offices at risk of no longer serving their communities 24/7. www.cnn.com/2025/05/02/w...

US weather forecasting is more crippled than previously thought as hurricane season nears | CNN

Several current and former agency meteorologists and staff told CNN they are concerned warnings won’t be issued in time as hurricane season nears.

www.cnn.com

86 1K 1.8K

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UC Agriculture & Natural Resources @ucanr.edu · Apr 30

@ppicnotes.bsky.social's Sarah Bardeen talks with Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UC ANR. Amid federal agency changes & funding cuts, it is essential to examine how California partners with the federal government for water & weather forecasts. @weatherwest.bsky.social
bit.ly/4jHgZUE

How California Partners with the Federal Government on Water and Weather Forecasts

There’s a lot in the news about changes underway at federal agencies, including agencies California relies on for water and weather forecasts. As these changes play out, it’s worth taking a step back ...

bit.ly

4 3

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UC Agriculture & Natural Resources @ucanr.edu · May 1

UC ANR #GivingDay, May 15-16, noon to noon.
Join us in supporting programs that bring the power of UC research in agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, and youth development directly to local communities across California. 🔗 give.ucanr.edu

1 1

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Pam Kan-Rice @ucanrpam.bsky.social · Apr 23

#Wildfire One of @viticulturalist.bsky.social's 🍇 research projects is smoke taint, which can severely impact the quality of wine 🍷https://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/2025/04/22/uc-advisor-hopes-to-help-grape-growers-adapt-to-weather-extremes/

UC advisor hopes to help grape growers adapt to weather extremes

Christopher Chen often can be found at vineyards across the region, measuring the impact of drought-resistant rootstocks, collecting data on temperature fluctuations and carefully examining the vin…

www.ukiahdailyjournal.com

1 3

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Pam Kan-Rice @ucanrpam.bsky.social · Apr 22

There is little difference between evapotranspiration at regenerative and conventional almond orchards in winter months. And regenerative sites have similar or slightly lower ET during the growing season, found scientists @ucanr.bsky.social & @ucdaviswater.bsky.social in @calagucanr.bsky.social

Maven's Notebook @mavensnotebook.com · Apr 21

A case study of evapotranspiration at five almond orchards on a spectrum of conventional to regenerative management #cawater #calag mavensnotebook.com/2025/04/21/c...

CA AGRICULTURE: A case study of evapotranspiration at five almond orchards on a spectrum of conventional to regenerative management

From California Agriculture: In an increasingly unstable climate, it is critical to optimize water needed for crop irrigation to secure food production and livelihoods while reducing environmental imp...

mavensnotebook.com

2 4

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UC Agriculture & Natural Resources @ucanr.edu · Apr 17

As the state’s $474-million walnut industry struggles to regain its footing against various environmental and economic challenges, UC scientists, including UCCE specialists, are testing a new tool that could help farmers with one of those problems: water. @ucdavisplants.bsky.social
bit.ly/4cxzJCY

UC scientists ask walnut trees: When do you need to be irrigated? | UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

UC scientists are working with growers in Tehama, Butte, Lake, Amador, Contra Costa, Stanislaus and Yolo counties to test a new way of measuring the irrigation needs of walnut trees. Shackel and team ...

bit.ly

3 4

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

Pam Kan-Rice @ucanrpam.bsky.social · Apr 18

Sudden Oak Death Blitz Survey 2025 is underway. To volunteer to scout for SOD among your trees, see nature.berkeley.edu/matteolab/?p...
Matteo Garbelotto, UCCE specialist at @natureatcal.bsky.social & @ucanr.bsky.social discusses SODmap mobile app in the video below
www.youtube.com/watch?v=csAz...

3 Steps to manage sudden oak death

YouTube video by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

www.youtube.com

3 4

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

CalMatters @calmatters.org · Apr 15

Breaking: Facing the continued collapse of Chinook salmon, officials today shut down California’s commercial salmon fishing season for an unprecedented third year in a row. buff.ly/RpayH4T

📸 Xavier Mascareñas

Fall-run Chinook salmon migrate and spawn in the Feather River near California Department of Water Resources infrastructure and the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville, on Oct. 28, 2024. Photo by Xavier Mascareñas, California Department of Water Resources

Hed: Breaking: California’s commercial salmon season is shut down again
Subhed: It’s an unprecedented third year in a row for no commercially caught salmon

20 54

Reposted by California Agriculture journal

UC Water Institute @ucanrwater.bsky.social · Apr 15

Join @ucanr.bsky.social's Water Program Team for the next Water Webinar series talk on April 28, 2025 at 12PM PT with Julie Ekstrom of @ca-dwr.bsky.social on, "Filling the Gaps in Drought Resilience for Rural Communities."

Join by Zoom: tinyurl.com/2bwfjd4u. Find past talks at tinyurl.com/26kskxwl

2 3 7