When weather is weird, reporters turn to UCCE

Any weather event seems to prompt the media to get reaction, and for the ag perspective, they frequently turn to the experts at UC Cooperative Extension.

A story by David Sneed this past weekend in The (San Luis Obispo County) Tribune reported on rainfall at the Central Coast. It said recent storms have brought San Luis Obispo County’s rainfall totals to slightly above normal and asserted that farmers and ranchers would like still more.

The weather station at Cal Poly, the article said, has records dating from 1869. It recorded slightly more than six inches of rain last year, while average precipitation at the Cal Poly station is 22 inches. Because of the disparity, UCCE farm advisor Royce Larsen and his NRCS colleague Karl Striby concluded that the average rainfall standard is not very useful, the story said.

“There is no such thing as an average year,” they wrote. “… We have to live with wet years and dry years.”

The Sacramento Bee ran a story advising residents to wait for rain-soaked planters to dry up before spring gardening. Reporter Pat Rubin spoke to UCCE advisor Chuck Ingels.

"Soggy gardening? I try not to do it," Ingels was quoted.

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