UC ANR was well represented at the National Association of County Agricultural Agents Annual Meeting/Professional Improvement Conference in Denver, Colorado, on July 8-12, 2026.
Seven UC Cooperative Extension advisors participated in the NACAA AM/PIC meeting and five of them received national, regional and state awards in recognition of excellence in research and extension efforts.
- Zheng Wang, UCCE vegetable crop advisor for Stanislaus County, was recognized as a national winner in Search of Excellence in Crop Production category for his outstanding work on Applied Research and Extension Efforts in Grafting Watermelons in California
- Michael Rethwisch, UCCE farm advisor for Riverside County, secured the top spot nationally in the Applied Research category for his applied research poster on the Chemical Control of Granulate Cutworm (Feltia subterranea) in Alfalfa and Alfalfa Growth Response. The poster was also a Western Regional Winner. In addition, Michael’s leadership in the California Distance 4-H Horticulture Training Program was recognized as a State Winner in Search for Excellence in 4-H Programming category.
- Moneim Mohamed, UCCE irrigation and soils advisor for Stanislaus County, garnered three awards including Bound Book/eBook and Website/Online Content as Western Regional Winners and Newsletter as a State Winner.
- Tracy Schohr, UCCE livestock and natural resource advisor for Plumas and Sierra counties, was selected as a Western Regional Winner for her “Ranching with Predators” fact sheet.
- Simarjeet Singh, UCCE irrigated grass systems area advisor for Modoc County, was selected as a State Winner for his extension work highlighting Production Challenges in Forage Systems in Northeastern California.
In addition to those winning awards, two UCCE advisors delivered presentations at the meeting.
Idong Mokwunye, area integrated pest management entomology advisor for Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties, shared Strategies on Early Steps to be Taken in Agricultural Research and Extension.
Philip Waisen, UCCE vegetable crops advisor for Riverside and Imperial counties, delivered a talk on Nematicide Impacts on Rhizosphere Microbiome and Nutrient Cycling in Cantaloupe.
Brooke Latack, UCCE livestock advisor for Imperial County, and Amrita Mukherjee, UCCE urban agriculture and small farms advisor for San Bernardino County, also attended.
If you are interested in joining California Association of County Agricultural Advisors (CACAA), please visit this link
https://ucanr.edu/site/california-association-county-agricultural-advisors?iwp= and contact members directly.