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Study finds high stress levels in agriculture owners and managers, identifies paths to coping

University now surveying frontline agriculture employees to understand, develop resources for all agriculture workers

Mike Wolterbeek

The University is surveying farm and ranch workers through March 31 to gauge stress and develop resources for stress management.

Farmers and ranchers are facing health issues related to stress at higher levels than the general population, according to a University study of farm or ranch owners or managers. The study, led by Extension Specialist Brenda Freeman and Educator Lindsay Chichester, is part of a larger effort through the Western Regional Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Project.

As part of the project, the pair is now surveying farm and ranch workers. Results from both surveys will be used to create stress management resources. Chronic stress can be related to higher incidence of cardiovascular issues, high blood pressure, depression, substance abuse and suicide. Yet, producers often don’t have good “help-seeking skills,” Chichester said.

“We tend to be stoic, and not want to admit we need help,” she said. “Not even to ourselves.”

Extension offers new comprehensive training for early childhood educators

‘Spiral Up’ provides a career pathway for child care professionals

Molly Malloy

A group of child care educators work on their professional portfolio assignments in Extension’s new learning lab located in North Las Vegas. Photo by Cathy Peshlakai.

Extension recently introduced “Spiral Up,” a program designed to set new child care professionals up for success in providing high-quality care and education to the youngest population in the state. The seven-week program is offered at no cost, open to educators of children 0-5 years and delivered five times per year. It includes:

• All trainings new professionals are mandated to complete within 120 days of hire, except CPR and first aid.
• Individual coaching and additional training.
• Support for early childhood center directors.

“We’re combining education with support to help individuals as they begin their career,” Extension’s Cathy Peshlakai said. “We build relationships with new hires to help them feel like they are a part of a community.”

After initial training, Extension offers professionals:

• Continued training to meet annual requirements; earn the national Child Development Associate Credential, promotion and pay increases; and pursue higher education.
• Adult Learning Academy for Trainers, Leadership Professional Learning Community, and Coaching Circles and Community of Practice programs.
• A hands-on learning lab, where professionals receive coaching and learn more about creating engaging early childhood centers.

Connecting habitat in the Central Valley could help save California’s pollinators

University teams with Xerces Society in study of agricultural fields, urban interface

Mike Wolterbeek

Native plants on a farm’s border provide habitat for pollinators in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Photo by Cameron Newell, Xerces Society.

A study published in the science journal PLoSOne finds that planting the margins of agricultural fields with pollinator-friendly plants and minimizing pesticide use in the Central Valley of California could help pollinators there to survive. Pollinators, vital for food production, are rapidly declining, often most severely in agricultural areas.

“Insects populations and the pollinating services that they provide are decreasing at alarming rates across the globe,” the study’s lead author Tom Dilts, a research scientist in the College, said.

The Central Valley produces 25% of the country’s food and 40% of its fruits and nuts. The value of pollination services from wild pollinators to California agriculture is up to $2.4 billion per year.

Dilts collaborated with the University's College of Science and the Xerces Society on the study. The team developed a tool for modeling landscape connectivity for insects that uses land-use information, lethality of pesticides and expert opinion on insect movement.

“We looked at three different agricultural margin scenarios combined with three different pesticide use scenarios,” Dilts said, “We found that agricultural margins have the potential to greatly enhance habitat connectivity for pollinating insects.”

They also found that reducing pesticide loads can further increase connectivity for pollinators.

Farmers who plant hedgerows at their field edges see more benefits than just returning pollinators. The field borders can also attract pest-controlling insects, provide habitat for birds and other wildlife, and minimize soil erosion. USDA offers programs that allow farmers a quicker return on investment for habitat planting.

Extension provides 4-H after-school program at Ralph Cadwallader Middle School

Students receive free opportunities for enrichment when the school day ends

Molly Malloy

Students work on clearing the tortoise habitat. Right: A student works on his latch hook rug. Photos by Molly Malloy.

What do theater and filmmaking, ceramics, a desert tortoise habit, 3-D printing, gardening, and latch hook have in common? They are just some of the projects that students can participate in as part of the after-school club that Extension’s 4-H Program recently established at Ralph Cadwallader Middle School in Las Vegas. By joining the club, students are finding the opportunity to be engaged when school ends.

Extension offers 4-H after-school programming throughout the state. The 4-H team and Cadwallader Middle School explored the types of programming to offer there. The school assessed student and teacher interests and teacher skill sets. Extension 4-H worked with the school to:

• Provide funding, training and daily support for teachers.
• Coordinate the club and establish nine club projects.
• Provide resources for the club’s projects.

The 4-H after-school program at Cadwallader began Jan. 17 with 10 4-H instructors and 120 students. One project with high participation has students constructing a habitat for a rescue tortoise.

“I thought it would be cool to build a legacy project,” Travis Wagley, Cadwallader math teacher and 4-H instructor, said.

With Wagley’s supervision, students have gained experience reading landscape plans, cutting and drilling wood and pipes, installing irrigation, and writing letters to request donations of materials.