Karmjot Randhawa
Fresno/Madera/Kings/Tulare Counties
Email: kgrandhawa@ucanr.edu
Phone: 559-241-7514
Contact Information
Tulare County
Cooperative Extension
4437-B S. Laspina St.
Tulare, CA 93274
Phone: (559) 684-3300
Fax: (559) 685-3319
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New Advisor Spotlight
Haramrit Gill is the newly appointed Environmental Horticulture Advisor for Tulare, Kings, Fresno, and Madera Counties. Hailing from Punjab, India, Haramrit's profound passion for agriculture developed organically. She earned her undergraduate degree in agriculture followed by a master’s degree in Horticulture at Punjab Agricultural University, where her research focused on micropropagation and haploid production in muskmelons.
In 2018, Haramrit relocated to the USA to pursue a PhD in Horticulture. Her early research investigated the impact of nitrogen on spinach root architecture before transitioning to the rose breeding and genetics lab. Here, her doctoral work concentrated on deciphering the genetic underpinnings of flower color transition traits, fragrance, and dwarfing in roses, with a particular focus on the intriguing phenomenon of flower color transformation from yellow to dark pink as blooms matured. Haramrit also contributed to projects aimed at enhancing heat tolerance and disease resistance in roses.
In her current capacity as an Environmental Horticulture Advisor, Haramrit's responsibilities revolve around identifying landscape plants that are heat-tolerant, disease-resistant, and fire-resistant. She harbors a strong interest in researching California native plants due to their sustainable attributes, which include superior adaptation, biodiversity enhancement, water efficiency, and soil health benefits. Please join us in welcoming Haramrit to UC ANR. Haramrit Gill can be reached at the Tulare UCCE office at 559-684-3300 or by email at hamgill@ucdavis.edu
Tulare County Ag #1 in the Nation
It’s official. Tulare County is the number one ag producing county in the United States for 2022.
While Fresno County reported a record $8.095 billion haul for 2022, it didn’t beat Tulare County’s $8.6 billion report. Both counties benefited from improved market prices and continue to corner the market in the top spots in the nation for ag production. Add in Kern County at number three, and the Central Valley counties are a combined agriculture and economic powerhouse valued at $24,432,162,300. Putting this in perspective, three California counties account for 44% of California’s total ag production value of $55,871,204,000.
Their ag prowess doesn’t stop at farm gate receipts. Central Valley agriculture is a hotbed of innovation, efficiency, and sustainability. Farmers have always been problem solvers with longevity in mind, and now they are using poop to power their farms and communities.
You heard that right. Poop power is a thing. Tulare County produces the most milk in the nation and has 40 operational dairy digesters. The digesters capture methane from manure and convert the greenhouse gas into a natural resource used to fuel farm vehicles, homes, and transportation fleets. Tulare County has reached 56% of their 2030 pollution reduction goal and had a net reduction of 592,131 metric tons of CO2e in 2021 alone. Once all planned digesters have been operational for 10 years, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reductions will total nearly 8.5 million MTCO2e.
This win-win-win strategy combined with scientifically advanced animal nutrition and breeding genetics has also allowed dairy herd sizes to be reduced while increasing milk production. Since 2013, the number of dairy cows in Tulare County has declined by 30,000. This has led to reduced methane emissions and even better cow comfort.
Innovations like these allow this powerful tri-county corridor to continue to improve sustainability and food security. They need the strong support of Sacramento and Washington D.C. to continue these successes.
Programmatic Blogs
https://mailchi.mp/bbadd93a383f/new-ucce-dairy-advisor-for-tulare-and-kern-counties?e=319259dd68
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=58188
UCCE Tulare County Educates Local Students About Prunes, a Local Crop
Dairy's Net Zero Initiative gets boost with $10 million research grant
CDFA Outreach and Education
As part of the Governor’s Enforcement Task Force member, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) targeted action is to provide outreach and education to the agricultural community. Below is the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 guidance, checklists and videos that can be sent out as educational material to the agricultural sectors.
Cal/OSHA Checklist and Guidance:
- Infection Prevention for Agricultural Employers and Employees
English | Español | ?? (Chinese) | Ti?ng Vi?t (Vietnamese)
- COVID-19 Worker Protection Video – Infection Prevention for Agricultural Workers
English(Video Transcript) – Posted May 20, 2020
Español(transcripción de video en español) – Posted May 29, 2020
Mixteco(Mixteco Video Transcript) – Posted June 5, 2020
Do you have livestock that need land to graze, or land that you'd like grazed in California? This tool can help you make a match, says the University of California Cooperative Extension, a division of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Friends of Tulare County Emergency Relief Fund
Tulare County Agricultural Building
