The current issue of the Almond Board of California's newsletter "The Handle," which is e-mailed to about 100 almond processors monthly, opens with a warm letter from its chief executive officer, Richard Waycott, about UC ANR's new leadership.
The letter says Waycott and ABC's production research head Bob Curtis recently met with ANR vice president Dan Dooley and associate vice president Rick Standiford. Waycott wrote that Dooley wants to position agriculture front and center at the Regents’ table, crafting a long-term plan for
The letter noted that Dooley plans to complement this objective with “systematic advocacy and PR,” enlisting the UC scientific community “to be active in public policy and issues of the day.”
Waycott's missive continues:
"After the meeting, as Bob and I descended the elevator to the parking lot, I felt like shouting, 'Ag is back! Ag is back!' Dan’s summation . . . as to why agriculture deserves a larger share of the pie…was oh so refreshing."
Waycott concluded with a call to action, of sorts, saying readers need to "rally round Dan and his team."
The same issue of The Handle also covered the June symposium held by UC and a variety of commodity groups on public spending for agricultural research. The story noted that public funding for agricultural research and extension has generated a dividend of $20 to $30 for every dollar invested.
For instance, productivity gains over the last 50 years have helped farmers more than double agricultural production with only a modest increase in overall inputs. In the case of almonds, the average yield has increased 86 percent over the last two decades, The Handle said.
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