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UC Cooperative Extension cites wildfire work, regenerative agriculture and private pledge for Mariposa
Summary
UC Cooperative Extension director Karim Jot Randhava told supervisors the office expanded wildfire resilience and regenerative‑ag programming and said the Wonderful Pistachio Company plans to provide 'upwards of $3,000,000' over five years to support cover‑crop work in Mariposa County.
Karim Jot Randhava, county director for UC Cooperative Extension covering Mariposa and nearby counties, briefed the Board of Supervisors on April 22 about local extension work and recent private support. Randhava described wildfire‑resilience programs (prescribed‑burn capacity, landowner support), regenerative agriculture advising, Master Gardener food‑access work (he reported the program donated more than 6,000 pounds of produce last year) and youth development through 4‑H (about 600 youth reached last school year).
Randhava said the department leverages UC‑funded advisors, county staff and grant funding and that county funding is used primarily for local staff and coordination. He announced that the Wonderful Pistachio Company "is going to be supporting additional work on cover crop support in Mariposa County" and that the company is "hoping to give us upwards of $3,000,000 to support that over the next 5 years." The director framed the partnership as additive to existing grant and state funding rather than a county budget replacement.
Board members thanked the extension staff and asked clarification questions about wolves and regional collaboration. Randhava said there had been discussions with USDA and Merced County but no local wolf incidents reported to date. He closed by reiterating the extension’s emphasis on efficiency and leveraging outside funding.
