California is a world power in producing nutritious, safe and affordable food — more than 400 different commodities. The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) is a major reason our growers achieved this status and continue to build on it every year. UCCE employs advisors and specialists who for more than a century have served as invaluable sources of knowledge and expertise to grateful farmers and ranchers. UCCE and growers have endured a crisis over the past decade as a wave of retirements and budget cuts dramatically reduced the number of UCCE experts who make “field calls.” UCCE is the responsibility of Barbara Allen-Diaz, the vice president of Agriculture & Natural Resources, who took office five years ago with a promise to improvement services. She is making good on that commitment. There are 200 advisors and crop specialists in 57 offices statewide. A total of 68 have been hired since 2010 and another 23 are in the hiring process. It’s not a job you take for the high pay as the salary range is $49,100 – $72,500. You work in dirt, insects, heat, and cold. When a farmer or rancher calls, an advisor arrives at a stressful time amid great hopes for success. The advisors and specialists also stay in close touch with UC’s planet-leading agricultural, environmental, and bioscience research professors, serving as a bridge between the lab and the farm. A tried and true example of technology transfer. Due to the education and training required, UCCE reports it can take an average of 90-120 days to fill a position — and some have been vacant for five years. In 2013, for the first time in a long time, more advisors were hired than retired. UCCE and California’s farmers and ranchers are working together to position California agriculture for the many challenges and opportunities that lie ahead—just what a land grant institution is supposed to do.
More information here:
http://ucanr.edu