UCCE San Diego 2023, A Year Looking Back

UCCE San Diego 2023, A Year Looking Back

With 2023 coming to an end, we’ve compiled some newsworthy highlights from throughout the past year. From groundbreaking innovations to unwavering commitment to serving the community, this is a testament to the passion and dedication of every individual who contributes to the programmatic successes of UCCE San Diego. Let's rewind the clock and relive the moments that have affected change and set the stage for an amazing 2024.

Master Gardener's 40^th Anniversary

UCCE’s Master Gardeners celebrated their program’s 40th anniversary in 2023! At their Fall Festival in October, they welcomed hundreds of attendees to learn, shop, and connect with their community. The Master Gardeners were so excited to feature 15 seminar presentations, 5 hands-on workshops where participants could create their own craft, buy plants and garden art to support future outreach efforts, or just enjoy the wealth of knowledge Master Gardeners have to offer. The Master Gardeners highlighted the numerous outreach programs available to the community, such as their school garden consultants, Reminiscence gardening, demonstration gardens, irrigation demonstration, tool care and sharpening, earth-friendly gardens, and community gardens. Volunteers provided free lightening talks to the public, providing just a quick 15-minute bite of information that was practical, informative, and easy to understand. We hope you had the opportunity to join them and look forward to connecting with you again! Visit mastergardenersd.org for more information.

Urban Agriculture Project

IPM Advisor Eric Middleton and our new Staff Research Associate, Lindsey Pedroncelli, are heading an urban agriculture project looking at how best to grow blueberries, ginger, and turmeric in containers on a small scale in San Diego County. Their project aims to demonstrate best practices for managing irrigation, nutrients, pests, and diseases on this small scale, while also showing people how to do everything from building a high tunnel to harvesting and selling the crops. With the high costs associated with starting an operation like this, Eric and Lindsey chose to grow these crops because they can be sold at a high value. Their project is funded by a USDA NIFA grant and will run for 3 years at the Carlsbad Flower Fields. The public is welcome to go visit their site when the Flower Fields are open to get a hands-on look at how to set up a similar operation!

A Successful South American Palm Weevil Workshop

In October this year, over 50 people attended a successful and informative South American Palm Weevil workshop hosted by UCCE San Diego and IPM advisor Eric Middleton. Speakers with expert knowledge presented novel scientific and regulatory data regarding the South American Palm Weevil, an invasive beetle making its way north through San Diego County and wreaking havoc by attacking and killing several species of palm trees. As researchers like Middleton continue to do valuable work to mitigate its spread, public awareness and engagement is a critical piece of this puzzle. To learn more about the South American Palm Weevil and report infestations, visit ucanr.edu/sites/SAPW or SAPW.info. Also, be sure to watch Middleton’s new video all about these pests at youtube.com/watch?v=VQHx2o8ejNI&t=9s.

New Master Food Preserver Program

Beginning February this year, UCCE San Diego County began offering a program instructed by UC ANR volunteer Master Gardeners and Master Food Preservers. Administrators went above and beyond to offer 16 workshops within 6 regions of San Diego County to 207 participants in Beginning Food Preservation and Basic Gardening. These workshops have been more popular since the COVID-19 pandemic and people have become more interested in their food, preserving food, growing food, and becoming more sustainable. Our no-cost, hands-on, Basic Gardening and Beginning Food Preservation workshops have been demonstrated to assist low income and under-served families in becoming more knowledgeable and gaining practical skills to reduce food insecurity. Currently, with growing popularity, additional funding as well as a coordinator is needed to sustain this program.

Agave Mites Research

Agave mites are tiny pests that can cause serious cosmetic damage to ornamental agave. UCCE advisors Eric Middleton and Gerry Spinelli are investigating ways to manage agave mites as well as learning more about their basic biology. So far, they have determined that it takes ~3-5 months after a plant is infested with mites before symptoms appear, and most agave mites are found deep inside the core of the agave on the inside surface of leaves. For management, predatory Neosiulus californicus mites may be able to help prevent agave mite infestations, although they cannot clean up existing infestations. Future work will focus on effective miticides that eliminate existing infestations and help protect agave from this damaging pest.

New Faces Around the Office

UCCE welcomed more incredible talent this year as UC ANR and the County have helped us fill several new roles within the organization that will further our education and outreach within the community.

Michael Jaquez is our new Community Education Specialist for the Climate Smart Agriculture program. Michael obtained a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science with a minor in Dairy Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and later returned to Cal Poly to complete a Master of Agricultural Education degree. As a San Diego native, Michael has spent time within the dairy industry, worked as an agricultural education and FFA Advisor and helps with his family’s regenerative meat and egg farm located in Ramona, Three Sons Farm.

Darlene Ruiz is a new Small Farms Staff Research Associate for UCCE San Diego County. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Agricultural Education from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Darlene held several distinguished public service positions. In her new role, she is excited to foster collaborations between disadvantaged farmers and researchers to identify and address their most pressing concerns, provide technical assistance, and support aspiring farmers by creating pathways and resources.

Lindsey Pedroncelli is a new Staff Research Associate working with IPM advisor Eric Middleton on their urban agriculture project. Since earning a B.S. in microbiology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Ph.D. in plant pathology from UC Riverside, Lindsey has been hard at work researching urban agriculture methodologies, and planning and building out a project to test several variables including the production capacity of containerized specialty crops.

Liliana Vega serves as our new 4-H Youth Development Advisor for UCCE San Diego and Orange Counties. With over 15 years of 4-H experience, Liliana aims to build partnerships, strengthen youth-adult relationships, and promote personal growth among youth in the counties she serves. Visit ucanr.edu/sites/4HSanDiegoCounty for more information on our 4-H program.

This year, UCCE San Diego programs reached over 600,000 San Diegans! Cooperative Extension is truly a cooperative partnership as we receive funding from federal, state, and county sources. We are thankful to also work with dozens of partner organizations and individual volunteers to deliver science-based research and education to empower our community members. We are looking forward to continuing to serve San Diego County and thank you for coming along with us into the New Year!

Author: Heidi Holmquist, Administrative Staff
Edited by UCCE Program Advisors and Contributors