UC Cooperative Extension takes the adage "Think Globally, Act Locally" to heart. With 52 county offices all around the state, the organization is poised for local action. Such efforts were covered by a number of local news outlets in recent days.
The Pine Tree, with "Celebrated News of Calaveras County and Beyond," ran an article on local agritourism with information from UCCE farm advisor for Plumas and Sierra counties, Holly George.
“If you eat food or wear clothes, you’re already involved in agriculture,” George was quoted. “An important part of agritourism is to help tourists and the community to understand and appreciate what’s beyond the barnyard gate.”
Calaveras County director Ken Churches offered a folksy definition of agritourism for the story:
“If you had a train ride operating on your property, that’s not agritourism. But if your train goes through an apple orchard and (you) give tours while visitors sip on apple cider, that’s agritourism."
The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported on local efforts to stamp out red imported fire ants. UC Riverside entomologist Les Greenburg gave a down-home asessment on the pest:
"If you're sensitive to the venom of stinging insects, then you have to worry about it. You certainly don't want the ants where kids are playing."
The Paradise Post covered a UCCE-sponsored "nutrition decathalon" that took place at a local elementary school, and included a variety of events aimed at improving the health of local children. UCCE nutrition educator Kristy Bresette was quoted in the story as saying:
"Music is always wonderful to pump up the kids. The trivia booth brings education into this event."
The Modesto Bee localized a story about pruning that first appeared in the Kansas City Star. While the Kansas City paper referred readers to a K-State and University of Missouri Extension Web site for more information, the Modesto story gave the exact guidance, but substituted ANR's main portal Web site, http://ucanr.org.
The Calaveras Enterprise brought its readers an article headlined "Sheep and chickens and miniature horses-oh,my!" The story details the pleasant lives a local farming couple have carved out for themselves in rural Calaveras County. A part of their tie to the local community, the story says, is their heavy involvement as 4-H club leaders.