Cooperative Extension

Justin Valliere brings expertise in restoration ecology

Justin Valliere has been hired to expand the Department of Plant Sciences’ reach in invasion and restoration ecology. Valliere started as an assistant professor of UC Cooperative Extension in July. Valliere seeks ways to restore California's native plant communities amid the onslaught of invasive plants and various environmental changes.

Profile: Leslie Roche – Associate professor of Cooperative Extension

Leslie Roche, an associate professor of Cooperative Extension in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, specializes in the management of rangelands and pasture. She is the director of the UC Rangelands Research and Information Center, focusing on irrigated pasture management, ecology of grazing lands, grazing systems, drought, and climate change adaptation.

Profile: Whitney Brim-DeForest – UCCE director in Sutter & Yuba counties

Whitney Brim-DeForest is the UC Cooperative Extension director in Sutter and Yuba counties and the CE rice and wild rice advisor, focusing on weed management. As a recipient of the Graduate Student Research (GSR) award from the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences during her doctoral studies, Brim-DeForest conducted research full-time while engaging with growers, pest control advisers (PCAs), and stakeholders in the rice industry.

Profile: Betsy Karle – UCCE director in Glenn & Tehama counties

Betsy Karle is the dairy advisor and county director for UC Cooperative Extension. She’s based in Glenn County, but provides support to producers from the Oregon border on down throughout the Sacramento Valley. She has been recognized by UC ANR for her outstanding service and teamwork. Dairy creates California’s No. 1 agricultural product, worth $7.6 billion in 2022, according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

Profile: Grace Woodmansee – UCCE advisor in Siskiyou County

Grace Woodmansee is the livestock and natural resources advisor for UC Cooperative Extension in Siskiyou County. She works with ranchers to improve their production and address management challenges using science-based information. As a recipient of a Graduate Student Research award working with in the UC Rangelands lab, she honed her skills in applied research, outreach and science-communication, which prepared her for a career in extension

Profile: Grant Johnson – UCCE advisor in Orange and Los Angeles counties

Grant Johnson is the advisor for urban agriculture technology, based at UC Cooperative Extension’s South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, Calif. His specialties include fertilization, irrigation and water recycling in nurseries. Nursery and floral production account for 7.5 percent of California’s farm sales -- $3.5 billion in 2020, according to state figures.

Cover crops don’t use much extra water, video explains

Many farmers have been wary of planting cover crops, despite the proven benefits, because they worry the additional vegetation in their fields and orchards would suck up precious water. But a new video explains recent research showing that’s not true: California fields planted with cover crops over the winter have about the same level of soil moisture.