Recent CALS Spotlights

  • Cooperative Extension Offers Weed Control Tips for Nurseries, Homeowners

    Though the economy and housing market have begun to recover in the aftermath of the Great Recession, one unexpected impact still lingers. Landscape nurseries that saw fewer plant sales during the downturn are now battling weeds entrenched in unsold containers of perennials, shrubs and trees.

    Some of the most common weeds battled by nurseries are in the spurge or Euphorbiaceae family, a group of low-growing plants that thrive in hot and sunny locations. Examples include sandmat and the spotted and prostrate spurges.

    “The nursery owners I work with here in the Southwest say spurge is their number one pest problem and a real health hazard for their workers,” reports Kelly Young, a member of the Western Society of Weed Science and assistant agent for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.

  • Glyphosate resistance changes Arizona cotton industry

    It is official: Arizona has its first documented case of herbicide resistance to a weed — Palmer amaranth — and the state’s cotton growers should implement production changes this season.

    Bill McCloskey, University of Arizona Extension weed specialist, confirmed the first case of resistance of Palmer amaranth (pigweed), Amaranthus Palmeri, to the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup).

    McCloskey made the conclusive finding after a series of UA greenhouse tests with pigweed seed conducted last fall in Tucson.

    “I am not surprised that glyphosate resistance was found in Arizona,” McCloskey told a crowd of cotton growers gathered for a UA Extension agronomic workshop in Yuma, Ariz., in January.

    “It was only a matter of when,” McCloskey said. “Glyphosate is the predominant weed-management strategy used by Arizona cotton growers year after year.”

  • CALS' Honorary Doctorate Recipient PetSmart Chairman, CEO Robert F. Moran Delivers UA Commencement Address

    Robert F. Moran, chairman and CEO of PetSmart, Inc., was awarded an honorary doctorate at UA’s 148th commencement ceremony on Friday evening. Moran, a long-time partner and collaborator with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has helped establish the PetSmart endowed chair and the PetSmart professor of practice positions in the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences. Through PetSmart gifts and partnerships, UA retailing, animal sciences and microbiology students have been introduced to training and career opportunities.

    Shortly after being awarded his degree, Moran delivered the commencement address to more than 6,000 graduating students and their families and friends gathered at Arizona Stadium. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is proud to feature his speech, given May 10, 2013 in Tucson, Arizona.

    UA Commencement Address, May 10, 2013
    Robert F. Moran, chairman and CEO, PetSmart, Inc.

    President Hart, Board of Regents, Faculty, Administration and Graduates—I want to start with a sincere and heartfelt thank you.

    It's a big deal for a kid from the streets of Philly to be in this kind of company, speaking to you today.

  • CALS Cooperative Extension 4-H Leadership Program Benefits Arizona Youth, Economy

    Arizona county fairs generate $4 million in livestock sales, according to the 2011-12 Governor's Advisory Committee for the County Fairs Livestock and Agricultural Promotion Fund.

    Most of that livestock is raised by youth who participate in the Arizona 4-H Youth Development Program, based in the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

    More than 10,000 youth across Arizona, ages 9 to 19, raise goats, sheep, hogs, steers and other animals – then bring them to market at county fairs. In 2011-12, those livestock auctions grossed a total of $4.1 million. Statewide, county fairs also collected $2.2 million in paid attendance, according to the new report, authored in part by the UA's Kirk Astroth, director of the Arizona 4-H Youth Development Program and assistant dean of Cooperative Extension.

    That's a total of $6 million generated from an investment of $1.2 million in funding from the Arizona Legislature.

    Most of the youth selling livestock at the fairs participate either in 4-H or National FFA Organization (formerly Future Farmers of America) programs around the state, said Astroth, who serves on the Governor's Advisory Committee for the County Fairs Livestock and Agricultural Promotion Fund.

  • Shared Data, Community Ties Key to Food Security

    Policymakers and scientists from all over the world gathered in Washington, D.C., last week for the G-8 International Conference on Open Data for Agriculture.

    The conference calls on global leaders to consider agricultural data: how to share it, how to use it, and how it might help address global food security.

    Three experts say the conference matters to Arizona, too, because access to data could foster local food security.

    Shane Burgess, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Eric Lyons, assistant professor of plant sciences and senior scientific developer of the iPlant Collaborative, were featured on an April 30 episode of "Arizona Illustrated" to discuss the G-8 conference and the ways open data on agriculture can help address world food security challenges. View this episode at the link below.

    Visit the White House blog to learn more about iPlant's participation in the G-8 conference.

  • Pepper Elected to American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists

    Ian Pepper, director of the Environmental Research Laboratory, has been elected into the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, as a Board Certified Environmental Scientist (BCES).

    The BCES title is awarded to experienced professionals who have demonstrated expertise in one or more areas of specialization (air resources, environmental microbiology, surface water resources, environmental biology, environmental toxicology, sustainability science, environmental chemistry, groundwater and the subsurface environment) and with special capability in environmental science for the public benefit.

    Pepper received the award at the 2013 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Awards Luncheon and Conference in Washington, D.C. on April 25.

  • CALS Researcher Leads Statewide Effort on Autism Education, Early Intervention

    One in 50 school-aged children in the United States is diagnosed with autism, according to statistics recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Ann Mastergeorge, associate professor of family studies and human development at the University of Arizona, is leading a statewide effort to educate parents, health-care providers and other professionals about how to identify the signs of autism in very young children and how early intervention can help.

    Mastergeorge recently was appointed by the CDC as the Act Early Ambassador for Arizona, one of 25 states participating in the initiative, which focuses on early identification of autism and other developmental disabilities. April is National Autism Awareness Month.

    Autism – a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired communication and social interaction and behavioral challenges – most often is diagnosed around age 3 or 4, but potential signs of the disorder often appear much earlier, by a child's first birthday, Mastergeorge said.

    "We know that we can identify signs in children as young as 6 months of age, not that they have autism but they have signs," Mastergeorge said. "There are specific criteria that we look for at 6 months, at 12 months, at 18 months. We can catch these children very, very young and provide them with intensive early interventions, and it makes a huge difference in terms of their developmental outcomes."

  • CALS Identifies Solar Sites with Greatest Potential

    Cochise County is the first in Arizona to incorporate a geospatial solar-energy site analysis into its comprehensive land use plan, identifying several areas with the greatest potential for generating utility-scale renewable energy.

    The GIS computer model initially developed by the University of Arizona for the Cochise County analysis will be used to assess the solar energy potential of every other county in the state. The UA geospatial maps pinpoint rural sites that are most promising for solar energy production.

    With an abundance of sunshine and wide open spaces, Arizona could be the nation’s solar energy capital. But not every sun-soaked patch of land is right for a solar farm. If it’s too sloped, sandy or remote, investors are not interested. They seek specific physical and economic conditions – including nearby transmission lines and roads.

    The Cochise County Planning Department asked the university’s Cochise County Cooperative Extension to conduct an analysis of the 6,200-square-mile jurisdiction. Mark B. Apel, community resource development agent, spearheaded the project that was funded by a federal grant. Arizona Cooperative Extension is part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the UA.

  • CALS Sees Growth in Demand, Opportunities for Agriculture Grads

    With growing demand for jobs in agriculture, degrees are at a premium.

    At the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, undergraduate enrollment has increased nearly 18 percent since 2008, with students gaining the hands-on, real world skills required to land a job following graduation.

    “We are working to ensure that when our students graduate, they are ready for employment,” said Joy Winzerling, the Bart Cardon associate dean for academic programs and career development. “In certain disciplines – including agribusiness economics and management and agricultural technology management and education – we are seeing 100 percent placement in jobs among recent graduates.”

    Some graduates are finding starting salaries at $40,000 and higher.

    CALS, the oldest college on campus and a founding member of the BIO5 Institute, draws students who are interested in feeding the world’s hungry, curing and preventing disease, improving the ecosystem, finding a solution to dependency on foreign oil and other global challenges.

  • CALS Course Explores Role of Fathers

    Raised by a single mom, Caitlin Hawley grew up without a steady father figure in her life, so when she heard about a class at the University of Arizona that focuses specifically on the role of dads, she was intrigued.

    "I wanted to get a perspective on the role of fatherhood," said the UA sophomore.

    Hawley, an honors student majoring in psychology and anthropology, is one of about 150 undergraduate students to complete "Men, Fatherhood and Families: A Biocultural Perspective," a new UA general education course that was offered for the first time in the fall.

    Offered through the John & Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, the course is part of the school's Fathers, Parenting and Families Initiative, a research and education effort within the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, and Families.