UC sustainable ag experts at EcoFarm bee, farm-to-institution workshops
January 2008
DAVIS—A UC Davis researcher is moderating a workshop on bee conservation while another will discuss the potential of farm-to-institutions sales for farmers at one of the world's oldest and largest ecological farming conferences in Pacific Grove.
Robert L. Bugg, agricultural ecology analyst at the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI) and statewide UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP), is moderating "Thinking Outside the Hive: Gardening for Pollinator Conservation," at the Ecological Farming Association's 28th annual conference in the Asilomar Conference Grounds at the end of January. Jeri L. Ohmart, program coordinator at the UC Davis Children's Garden Program at the ASI/Student Farm will present information at "News from the Expanding Farm-to-Institution Front."
Jeri Ohmart
Bugg, an entomologist, has worked on conserving beneficial insects for many years. The workshop he is moderating will emphasize the role wild bees play in the ecosystem and in home gardens. It will introduce gardeners to practical ways to accommodate some of the 1,600 species of native California bees in their own yards. As the habitat for wild bees becomes scarcer, home gardens can provide them with refuge, he said. Bugg's home garden includes hundreds of species of native plants, some of which are key nectar and pollen sources to native bees. Presenters will include Gordon Frankie of the Urban Bee Project at UC Berkeley and Gretchen LeBuhn, a bee researcher at San Francisco State University.
Ohmart and co-presenters Tim Galarneau of UC Santa Cruz, David Levin of Growers' Collaborative, and Alison Negrin, executive chef of John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, will discuss the latest information on the efforts to get produce from local family farms into colleges and universities, health care facilities, corporate cafeterias, and school districts.
"These institutions present great potential for new, alternative markets for small- and mid-scale farmers while providing fresh, healthful produce to consumers," Ohmart said. In addition to her work at the UC Davis Children's Garden Program, Ohmart has participated in research on farm-to-school salad bars at ASI/UC SAREP.
Media Contacts:
Robert L. Bugg, ASI/SAREP, (530) 754-8549,
Jeri L. Ohmart, ASI/Student Farm/SAREP, (530) 752-5987 or 752-7655,
Lyra Halprin, (530) 752-8664,
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