The article noted that UC is planning to hire 19 new UCCE advisors and specialists in the coming year. One of those - a regional viticulture advisor serving Tulare, Kern and Kings counties - will be funded with an $840,000 gift from the California Table Grape Commission. Kathleen Nave, president of the commission, said that the farm advisor system is an integral part of the growth story of the table grape industry in California and continuation is critical to the industry and the communities where the table grapes are grown. The gift will fund the position for six years.
"This generous gift by the California Table Grape Commission will enable UC ANR to begin recruitment immediately," said Barbara Allen-Diaz, University of California vice president for Agriculture and Natural Resources. "As state funding has dramatically decreased in recent years, private-sector support is becoming a critical component of funding important positions essential to the long-term health of agriculture throughout California."