September 15, 2025 • 33 mins
Sarah Marsh Janish sits down with Mia Avila and Oscar Deleon, Jr., who spent summer 2025 with the UCCE Rice Team as part of Chico STEM Connections Collaborative, a collaborative undergraduate research experience at California State University Chico. CSC² is an innovative program working in collaboration with other California State Universities throughout the state to coordinate and integrate project data into one of the largest and most comprehensive evaluations of best practices found in the nation. CSC² serves educationally disadvantaged students and, to the extent possible by law, emphasizes participation by students from groups with low eligibility rates for four-year institutions.
Mia and Oscar, as members of this collective, spent their summer working on various research projects with the UCCE Rice Team, as well as performing their own supervised rice research throughout the summer.
Mia Avila Bio: My name is Mia Avila, I’m a 4th year undergraduate student at CSU Chico studying Plant & Soil Science, and I’ve grown up in the north state all my life.
Oscar Deleon Bio: My name is Oscar Deleon Jr., and I’m a second-year Plant & Soil Science major at CSU Chico. I transferred here from the Coachella Valley, specifically Indio, and I’m passionate about anything agriculture-related.
Other Resources
Rice in the Delta
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_04 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to Thoughts on Rice, a podcast
hosted by the University ofCalifornia Cooperative Extension
(00:21):
Rice Advisors.
I'm one of your hosts, SarahMarchionish, and I'm a rice farm
advisor for Colusa and Yolocounties.
SPEAKER_00 (00:29):
I'm Whitney from the forest.
I'm the Cooperative ExtensionRice Advisor for Sutter, Yuba,
Placer, and Sacramento counties.
SPEAKER_01 (00:36):
My name is Luis Espino.
I'm the Rice Farming SystemsAdvisor for Butte and Glynn
counties.
I'm Michelle Leinfelder-Miles.
SPEAKER_03 (00:46):
I'm a farm advisor in the Delta region.
I work on all sorts of fieldcrops, grains and forages, but
one of those is rice.
And the counties that I coverare San Joaquin, Sacramento,
Yolo-Solano, and Contra Costacounties.
SPEAKER_04 (01:01):
Together, the UCCE Rice Farm Advisors seek to
provide relevant, topical,research-backed information
relating to California riceproduction.
Today I get to sit down with twovery special people, Mia Avila
and Oscar de Leon.
Mia is a fourth-yearundergraduate student at CSU
Chico studying plant and soilscience, who has spent her
(01:24):
entire life in the North State.
Oscar is a second-year plant andsoil science major at CSU Chico,
who transferred here from theCoachella Valley, specifically
Indio.
Oscar and Mia spent this pastsummer working with the UCCE
Rice Program, helping all therice advisors with their
projects and learning more aboutCalifornia rice.
Not only that, but these twoalso conducted their very own
(01:47):
rice research projects thissummer as part of their
participation in a uniqueprogram at CSU Chico, the Chico
STEM Connections Collaborative.
Now that summer is over andthese two have wrapped up these
projects, we asked them to comeon to share their experiences
with us.
So, Oscar, Mia, thank you bothfor being here.
SPEAKER_02 (02:05):
Thank you.
Thank you for inviting me.
SPEAKER_04 (02:07):
Thanks for having us.
So, I think I'm going to startoff just by asking you guys a
bit about your individualbackground and what drove you
towards CSU Chico?
Mia, why don't you go first?
SPEAKER_05 (02:18):
Okay.
Initially, CSU Chico wasappealing to me because I heard
such good things about theagriculture program.
I was comparing it to schoolslike CSU Fresno and of course
Davis.
And I think that coupled withthe affordability and obviously
the close distance to myhometown Reading, that all tied
together to just make it work.
(02:38):
And of course I had friends inthe area as
SPEAKER_04 (02:40):
well.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
It sounds like everything kindof came together to lead you
towards Chico there.
Now, Oscar, how about you?
Chico's pretty far from theCoachella Valley.
What got you up here?
Well,
SPEAKER_02 (02:52):
I was looking at the community college that I go to
in Palm Desert, California.
They like to send everybody.
They have like a contract withCal Poly Pomona.
So they send everybody to CalPoly Pomona.
I live in a little bit harderpart of tougher part of town.
So I was not to put Cal Polylike saying the negative, but I
was trying to leave one hood.
(03:13):
and not go to another heavy cityarea.
So Chico was like the farthest,most opposite of where I'm from.
That was my attraction.
I'm just tired of the desert.
I needed to get out.
SPEAKER_04 (03:28):
Oscar, what got you interested in agriculture?
SPEAKER_02 (03:31):
Well, it's kind of a sad story, but a few years ago,
my brother died of a drugoverdose.
I'm a widower, so I raised mychildren on my own.
And that's like a whole otherchapter on its own.
But like I said, a few yearsago, years ago, my brother died
of a drug overdose.
So I decided to take a couple ofmonths off.
And somebody told me, take someclasses at community college.
(03:53):
You might like it.
So I signed up to get acertificate, you know, 25 units,
semester two, and I'm out.
Well, on the first day ofschool, my ag professor said, if
you're going to stay here forthe certificate, you might as
well stay for the degree.
You're halfway there.
So that day I changed my lifewhat I was doing.
(04:14):
Instead of a certificate, theychange it over to an associate's
degree, and then maybe a weekafter that, associate's degree
to transfer.
SPEAKER_04 (04:22):
Wow, Oscar.
I mean, thank you for sharingthat.
That seems like you've workedvery hard to get to this point.
SPEAKER_02 (04:28):
Yeah.
I like learning.
I wish I felt like this when Iwas 20.
I'm an older student.
I've already had a family, and Iwish I had this common sense
when I was 20.
I could have had a differentlife compared to the one I had.
Not that It was bad.
It's just I raised a familyfirst and did a bunch of other
things before I came back toschool.
(04:49):
So I didn't know.
I didn't realize how much Iliked school until I came back.
It blew my mind.
Like, I'm all for it.
SPEAKER_04 (04:58):
Perhaps you're in a place where you're even more
receptive to it as well at thispoint in your life.
SPEAKER_02 (05:03):
Yeah.
Yes.
Very receptive.
If I could spend the rest of mylife just staying in school, I
would.
So I'm trying to work that anglesomehow.
The way I feel right now, I'mtrying to figure something out
for that, you know?
SPEAKER_04 (05:17):
Absolutely.
Well, thanks for sharing, Oscar.
Let's pivot back to Mia.
Mia, what got you into ag?
SPEAKER_05 (05:24):
Honestly, it's kind of like silly, honestly.
You know, I grew up in Reading,so the area is very rural and
country-like.
So we had property growing upfive acres.
It was just me and my mom.
So growing up, I was alwayshelping her take care of stuff
outside.
And when I was going to mycommunity college, the first
year and a half.
(05:44):
I didn't really have a majoryet.
And when it got down to it, Iwas like, wow, I really need to
choose a major so I cantransfer.
So I was looking through thelist and I was like, okay, I
don't really want to work withpeople and I don't want to work
with animals.
So what does that leave me with?
So I was looking at horticultureand then I thought, okay, what
am I passionate about?
(06:05):
What makes me happy?
And I was like, I really likeeating.
Good, good choice.
Come on, who doesn't?
So all that coupled togetherkind of led me to plant science.
SPEAKER_04 (06:16):
Oh gosh, that's perfect.
You're really going to like thelast question I have planned for
you, but I won't spoil it yet.
Well, okay, so let's move on to,we got to know you two.
We, as in the Rice FarmAdvisors, got to know you two
from the Chico STEM ConnectionsCollaborative, which is kind of
(06:37):
a mouthful that luckily it seemsacceptable to shorten down to
CSE squared.
And so I can tell you guys andthe rest of our listeners that
the website describes thisprogram as an innovative program
working in collaboration withother California state
universities throughout thestate to coordinate and
integrate project data into oneof the largest and most
comprehensive evaluations ofbest practices found in the
(07:00):
nation, which is incrediblyimpressive.
But what I'd like to do is I'drather have you two describe
what the program is in your ownwords.
And Mia, I'm going to ask youfirst.
Maybe just a bit about how yougot involved in the program and
what the program consists of.
SPEAKER_05 (07:19):
Okay.
Yeah.
I had Whitney as a lab professorfor agricultural ecology.
And at the end of the semester,she kind of told us, I work in
rice and we hire interns for thesummer.
And she was like, it's reallyhard.
So a lot of people don't want todo it.
And I was like, how hard can itbe?
You know?
So I reached out to her andeventually I went to the Sutter
(07:42):
Yuba office and did my interviewthere.
And then I had to do like anapplication for CSE Squared
separately.
And I didn't even know aboutthat until Whitney told me I had
to apply to that.
And I did that.
And it just lists out like whenyou apply, which internship do
you want to apply for for thesummer?
And there's different professorsand it gives a little
description.
(08:02):
I believe Dr.
Javanmardi had one on tomatoesand fertilizer stuff with
SPEAKER_02 (08:11):
the tomatoes.
I think it was compost teastuff.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (08:14):
And it kind of lists like, oh, this is what you're
doing.
These are how many hours you'reexpected to do per week, I
believe.
But since I'd already talked toWhitney beforehand, I didn't
really reach out to thoseprofessors, of course.
SPEAKER_04 (08:28):
Oscar,
SPEAKER_05 (08:28):
was
SPEAKER_04 (08:29):
it pretty similar for you?
SPEAKER_02 (08:30):
Similar.
I had Mia in the same class.
But for me, when I transferredup here, I started feeding the
idea that I wanted to pursue amaster's, you know?
And one of the things that I waslike, was any kind of research
experience, any kind.
I had never done researchbefore.
So when, like Mia said, when hewas one of our lab professors,
(08:52):
when she brought it up inNovember, I had been bugging her
like two times a month, like inDecember, January, February,
until finally she was like, theapplication's not open until
March, Oscar, you still havetime.
Like, I thought I was going tohave to fight people off to try
to get this position, you know?
And out of all the positionsthat I saw, well, I I kind of,
(09:14):
you know, have a look.
I had Whitney for a couple ofclasses, food forever and
agricultural ecology.
So I thought I had a little bitof a better chance of beating
whoever else was going to try totake my position, you know?
So that's how I ended up gettinginvolved in that.
Yeah, it was the same route.
Just trying to think if I forgotanything else.
(09:35):
No, I wanted to show Whitneylike me, like me, me, me, let
me, let me jump on this, please.
And it was a, it was a heck ofan experience too
SPEAKER_04 (09:46):
well so you kind of talked about this Mia the
application process itself butwas there anything that
surprised you when you did theapplication process I guess in
terms of just anything ingeneral I'm not
SPEAKER_05 (10:01):
sure I'd say it was surprising but I did know that
the CSE squared program was moretargeted for Latina and that and
I guess you'd say like Lowerincome students.
So those are the kind of the twogroups that CSC squared was
targeted towards.
So the application was kind ofasking, like, do your parents
(10:24):
have any college experience andincome questions?
And then what's your ethnicityand stuff like that?
SPEAKER_04 (10:33):
trying to give more opportunities, perhaps, than
might otherwise be available.
SPEAKER_05 (10:40):
Yeah, and I believe it was only, you only had to be
like one of those things, likeeither first gen or not meeting
the income requirement orLatine.
SPEAKER_02 (10:50):
Yeah, no, I was excited because I come from a
very large family on both sidesand nobody has a college degree.
I think I have a cousin, like asecond cousin on my father's
side that's like just doing amaster's in like folkloria, like
Latinx kind of stuff.
But out of like 50, 60 cousins,you know, 50, 60 second, their
(11:11):
kids, nobody, nobody has acollege degree, you know?
So it was a pretty big, it was apretty big move for me to, to
join something like this and bea part of it.
Hopefully I can show, like, if Icould do it at my age and like,
and I'm doing really well, like,do you want, like, I can tell
you how to come to school andnavigate the, the obstacles of
(11:33):
how to do schoolwork school youknow so but yeah nobody's hit me
up about that yet but not yetnot yet Oscar but I'm hoping I
can be an example of how to tonavigate coming to college
SPEAKER_04 (11:46):
in a way kind of to give back as well I mean in the
ways that you've been assistedor whatever now you're able to
promote that and other peoplewho might have been in similar
situations
SPEAKER_02 (11:55):
anybody I can help up I'm not like I'm not the kind
of pull the ladder up behind methat's like I'm trying to help
as many people as I can
SPEAKER_04 (12:03):
that's fantastic So, okay, Mia, you kind of alluded
to this when you mentioned aboutlike when Whitney said that
working in rice was hard and yousaid, how hard could it be?
But I'd like to ask you guysboth your first day in rice.
What was that like?
SPEAKER_02 (12:20):
I was intimidated because I'm, I'm around, you
know, when he has a couple ofmasks or has a master's student,
like I felt like I had to stepmy game up a little bit, you
know, I felt heavilyintimidated, but like I said,
The more I worked with the team,the more I felt comfortable.
And not only what they weretelling me and showing me, but
my skills also that I shouldn'tbe selling myself short, you
(12:44):
know, that I could do this.
I can do this.
I can do this.
SPEAKER_05 (12:49):
Yeah, I think it was kind of similar for me the first
day, or at least it was one ofthe first days.
I remember Whitney had mehelping you, Sarah, actually.
I think you were doing countsfor sprouts or something.
The seeds were coming up.
Yeah, we were doing germinationcounts.
It's a good memory.
And the whole time I was doingthat, I think the reason I was
doing that was because I didn'thave my boots yet.
So I couldn't actually get intothe water.
(13:10):
But the whole time I was doingthat, I was just thinking like,
what if I can't walk with theboots on and I can't do it?
But then I was like, I'm likeoverthinking this.
I just need to just do it.
And it was fine.
I mean, I have fallen quite afew times and Oscar did have to
pull me out one time.
I was stuck.
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (13:29):
I think Oscar pulled you out on another one of my
projects.
Yeah.
My projects weren't that greatfor you guys.
SPEAKER_05 (13:37):
Yeah, and I've had my whole pant leg get soaked.
But it's not too bad, honestly.
SPEAKER_04 (13:45):
Yeah, I think that's one of those things.
I think it's a lot more of themental fortitude than anything
else.
If you've got that, you canstick it out.
All right, guys.
Well, let's kind of go into whatyour summer projects were.
So Mia, if you wouldn't startmind starting off just give a
description of your project andthen i guess who you worked with
(14:10):
what some of the lessons wereand then we can go from there
okay
SPEAKER_05 (14:14):
yeah i think me and oscar had really similar
projects or they were tiedtogether that were both focused
around the water grassexperiments that whitney is
doing but i specifically wasfocused on the phytotoxicity of
the rice with the differentchemical sprays that we were
doing so So it was kind ofinteresting to see which ones
(14:37):
were causing stunting and standloss.
And also I did get to seeWhitney go into the trials and
actually do the measurements, ifyou will.
So that was cool.
SPEAKER_04 (14:51):
And Oscar, what part of the water grass trial did you
do your projects on?
SPEAKER_02 (14:55):
Mine was on the overuse of propanol or the way
the weeds are becoming resistantto it.
So that was very interesting towatch, you know, to see the
different treatments thatWhitney had put together for
this season.
And then towards the end ofresult to see what those results
are actually happening in theplots.
(15:15):
So that was what I did mine on.
SPEAKER_04 (15:19):
So for that project, Oscar, what kind of data did you
collect when you were out in theplots?
SPEAKER_02 (15:25):
The data that we were collecting was we were
treating, I think this season,Whitney had 12 different
treatments going on.
As we sprayed the differentplots, 12 treatments, 4 reps,
and yeah, 4 reps, 12 treatmentsat different growers' fields,
including out the rice station.
(15:46):
So we got to see the effects ofother things that we can use,
other modes of action besidesjust double use of propanol,
propanol, propanol.
No, there's actually other modesof action.
Maybe we could trim down thepropanol a little here, add a
little bit more of this otherkind of herbicide to get a
better result side systemoveruse of propanol to dependent
(16:08):
on propanol.
And I'd say it's not amazing.
It's actually very amazing.
But like previously mentioned,we're seeing resistance in water
grasses with propanol.
So I did my research basicallyon the data from this year.
It was very interesting to seethe results of that because in
all reps in different fields,you can see the same treatments
(16:33):
that were working you know itwas it was really nice to see
that they could turn it backjust a little bit and you know
get get better if the same ifnot better results it was very
interesting because on a sidenote of that is I did my I did
that's what I did my research onthis summer but for the rice
field day I saw a poster on thebeing exhibited for the previous
(16:55):
23 and 24 season so I reallyenjoyed to see that they were
still able to do the previousyears and I could see the
results of those treatments theprevious years.
So it was really interesting tolook at those too.
SPEAKER_04 (17:09):
I didn't get a chance to look at all the
posters.
Did you two have posters at theRice Field Day this year?
No.
SPEAKER_02 (17:15):
No.
I think our posters are
SPEAKER_05 (17:17):
only, yeah, ours are only going to be at the CSE
Squared Symposium.
SPEAKER_02 (17:21):
Hopefully, and hopefully mine can show up next
season or the next field day,but I know we just submitted
ours towards the end of August.
It's supposed to be printed inthe next month or so, so we
could start presenting So
SPEAKER_04 (17:36):
where will
SPEAKER_05 (17:37):
you two be presenting your research?
I believe it's on campus.
It's a CSE Squared symposium.
SPEAKER_02 (17:43):
There's that.
The CSE Squared said that if wecould find a conference
anywhere, they will pay for theticket and lodging.
So now it has me looking at,well, what's in Colorado?
I think CAPTA this next year,the PCA advisors meeting.
I want to say it's in Reno thisseason.
I was like, I would like topresent in front of industry
(18:03):
leaders you know
SPEAKER_04 (18:04):
you know another good option since you two both
did weed science focusedpresentations would be the
california weed science societymeeting or western weed science
society and i'm biased i'm aweed scientist by training but
those are both really goodmeetings and attended by a
variety of both industry andacademic people and so that's
(18:25):
those are a lot of fun
SPEAKER_02 (18:26):
you're gonna have to send that i'm gonna have to get
that link for me i didn't evensee there's so many like you
have brief conversations withpeople and you're You're like,
oh my goodness, that's good.
Wait, what'd you say?
I didn't know that was anoption.
No, so thank you for telling methat.
Yeah, of course.
I mean,
SPEAKER_04 (18:39):
that's what we're all here for, right?
Get the information out there asmuch as we can.
Let's see.
And so as a part of the wrap upfor the CSC program or CSC
squared program, you all did apresentation, if I'm aware, the
two of you together.
How did that go?
It
SPEAKER_02 (18:57):
was nerve wracking.
Like, I don't know, we practiceit and practice it, but, you
know, you get that rush ofadrenaline and speaking to a
large group of your peers.
And, you know, I know there wasmoments where I felt like I was
like shaking a lot.
They told me I was fine, but inmy head, I'm like, you know,
some rush full of adrenaline,you know, but for the most part,
(19:18):
I thought it went well.
We went and played a little overon our time.
SPEAKER_05 (19:21):
Yeah, we did go a little over.
SPEAKER_02 (19:23):
Yeah.
I mean, we practiced it.
I don't know how we went over,but we got sidetracked.
Anyways, it came out good.
And the only doubt part was thatwe didn't get to answer too many
questions, but But we did get topresent on the different test
trials that we did because itjust wasn't herbicides.
It was also fungicides,pesticides, and then, of course,
(19:44):
the edge rollout in your county.
And so that I happened to takecare of for a little while that
I really enjoyed.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (19:53):
Yeah, you guys didn't just do your own projects
while you were with us thissummer.
You helped out with every aspectof the UCC rice program.
Mia, was there any project thatyou worked on that you thought
to yourself, wow, I didn'trealize this was an issue in
rice?
Honestly,
SPEAKER_05 (20:11):
I didn't really expect that we'd be doing
hedgerow related stuff because Inever expected rice with all the
flooded fields to really haveany relation to hedgerows.
And I mean, honestly, I didn'thave any knowledge on rice at
all going into this.
I didn't even know what ourresearch was going to be.
(20:31):
I just knew that that we got$6,000 to be here.
So I was like, okay.
SPEAKER_02 (20:38):
Yes, they pay really well.
The C squared, they're very,very, they pay very well.
They help us out a lot.
SPEAKER_04 (20:45):
They're cognizant of the value of the work that
you're doing.
SPEAKER_02 (20:49):
Yeah, yeah.
And that helped actually help meget an apartment up here.
Like it led to a bunch ofdifferent things up here,
leaving student housing, beingable to get my own apartment
finally, you know, and it meanta lot to me to be able to be
part of this research programbecause I didn't mention
previously, but I came up hereas a homeless student on the bus
last year.
(21:10):
I came up here with four bags.
I told myself, not only did Igive my class graduation speech,
a transfer ceremony speech, butI was a homeless student at the
same time.
So I came up here with four bagsof clothes, got off at the bus
here in Chico.
My realization was if I'm goingto be homeless, I'm not going to
(21:31):
be homeless in Chico because Ican't stand it here in the
desert and mark.
It's like 120.
I'm dying.
It's like, I got to get out ofhere.
So for me, to be able to getthat undergraduate money helped
me stabilize my whole life.
I paid my rent up until January.
Like, I'm happy.
I'm living the best life ever,you know?
SPEAKER_04 (21:50):
That's fantastic.
That's really good to hear,Oscar.
SPEAKER_02 (21:53):
Yeah.
It's not impossible.
I mean, I didn't.
I just ask questions and I getanswers.
I don't know, but I was realfortunate.
SPEAKER_04 (22:02):
And you put in the work,
SPEAKER_05 (22:03):
both Both of you,
SPEAKER_02 (22:03):
yeah.
And it's going to work, yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (22:05):
Yeah, I believe the programs here at Chico are very
helpful, but I feel like mostpeople don't want to ask, so
they never find out.
SPEAKER_02 (22:14):
Yeah.
You'd be surprised how peopledon't ask questions.
Me being a new student up here,I'm constantly asking questions.
And everybody's really, reallyhelpful in providing those
answers.
And if you can't find someonethat has the answer, they're
most likely going to point youin a direction where you can't
find your answers.
(22:34):
And that's one of the things Ireally love about coming here to
Chico State is they, I feel likethey actually care, you know?
And that means a lot to me.
I know for me, my time up herein Chico has been nothing short
of amazing, you know?
People, the atmosphere, justinteracting with people at
Winco, they're nice.
Like, everybody's just nicecompared to, not to say that
(22:57):
they're not nice where I'm from,but I feel like the smaller town
feel, the open air where I Ifeel like I can breathe
spiritually and mentally.
And I feel like Chico is a very,very amazing town, very amazing
college also.
SPEAKER_04 (23:12):
Now, Mia, coming from Redding, I mean, I grew up
in a very small town.
I'll just put that out there.
To me, Redding's a pretty bigtown, but I would argue that
Redding is a little even moreisolated than Chico is.
How did it feel moving to Chico?
SPEAKER_05 (23:27):
Well, I'm not actually from Redding.
Most of my life, I grew up rightoutside of Redding in a town
called And, you know, even thename is like kind of out there.
(24:03):
There's only Shasta College, sothe demographics are a little
different.
But I mean, the weather is verysimilar.
And I actually noticed peoplekept telling me that Reading's
hotter than Chico, and I didn'tbelieve it up until this past
summer.
I kind of noticed every time I'dgo home, it was a few degrees
hotter.
SPEAKER_04 (24:18):
I'll agree with that.
I've never lived either place,but just driving through, I
always feel like Reading'spretty hot for where it is.
Yeah.
Okay, guys, just a couple morequestions for you both.
But just love to ask for each ofyou, what does the future look
like?
Do you have any plans, anylong-term goals, or is it pretty
(24:42):
wide open?
I'd
SPEAKER_05 (24:42):
say I'm pretty wide open, but currently I've been
entertaining the idea of gettingmy master's in something like
food systems.
Doing this research, it reallymade me aware of actual research
in, I guess, agronomy.
I was comparing that with thework I'd done previously which
(25:03):
was at the organic vegetableproject on the university farm
over here and how differentthose two are.
And I loved working with Whitneyand the rice team, but I don't
think weed research is somethingthat would like fulfill me
personally.
So I was kind of thinking like,I want to do something more
(25:24):
related to sociology, but stillin crop science.
So I'm leaning towards foodsystems.
I'm looking at university ofVermont, I believe.
they have a graduate programwith the food systems lab and
everything.
SPEAKER_04 (25:38):
Excellent.
Okay.
You said it was wide open, butit sounds like you've got a
pretty good idea of what youwant to do with your life.
SPEAKER_05 (25:44):
Yeah.
I'd say I'm wide open in thesense that I can always change
my mind or maybe that wouldn'twork out.
I'd go somewhere else, but Iwould enjoy that, I think.
That's excellent.
And
SPEAKER_04 (25:55):
what about you, Oscar?
I
SPEAKER_02 (25:56):
mentioned earlier, I want to do whatever I can to
stay in school.
So that's a master's program forme.
My My problem is right now is,is I love everything acts so
much.
I'm stuck.
Like, I don't know whatdirection to go in.
Cause I think any direction I goin would be fulfilling, you
know?
So I'm at that.
That's
SPEAKER_04 (26:15):
a pretty good problem
SPEAKER_02 (26:17):
to have.
Oh, do I want to do genetics?
Do I want to do weeds?
Do I want to do tomatoes?
Like what do I, I could doanything I want and I can't, I'm
just, I'm at that point whereI'm going to put everything on
the wall and just randomly throwa dart at it.
and that's going to be whateverI head into.
That and finding a master'sprogram is my hunt.
(26:39):
So now I've barely begun my coldcalling, my harassing, my kind
of, you know, whatever it takesto get somebody's attention to
give me a shot on their researchprogram.
That's where I'm at right now.
So where I would like to stay inNorthern California, but like I
previously mentioned, I'veraised my kids.
I can do and go anywhere.
(27:01):
So it's kind of like, who wantsme and what can I do?
And that's, I feel like once Ihad a direction, it might be
easier, but I'm kind of stucklike what direction I want to go
in, you know, because like Isaid,
SPEAKER_04 (27:14):
Another pretty good problem to have, I have to say,
that you're excited by the work
SPEAKER_02 (27:20):
you're doing.
Yeah, people can have, you know,there's worse problems besides
being unable to choose amaster's program, you know.
So I'm happy I'm even herebecause, like I said, I came to
school for a certificate.
Here I am actively planning mymaster's program.
Like, who thought?
Who would have thought?
And then if you were to see mein person, you'd be like, you
(27:41):
wouldn't expect that fromsomebody with my history and my
background, you know.
Right.
I haven't always been the personthat I am.
I've been on the moredestructive side when I was
younger, and I'm glad I don'thave that in me anymore.
I'm pursuing more academicthings, you know, better things.
SPEAKER_04 (27:59):
Yeah.
I mean, you said in your bio,and I'm going to put the bios in
our show notes just so everybodyhas a bit more information about
you too, but Oscar said in hisbio that he's passionate about
agriculture.
And if you were to meet Oscar inperson, yes, Yep, that's 100%
it.
And I think it's truly been apleasure working with you both.
(28:22):
I think you might have learnedsomething from our programs.
We've definitely learned thingsfrom you both.
So I think it's been a goodtwo-way interaction this last
summer.
And I think we all look forwardto seeing you guys along the way
and meeting with you again as wecome across each other.
Yeah, I mean, it was
SPEAKER_05 (28:39):
wonderful.
I
SPEAKER_04 (28:40):
learned
SPEAKER_05 (28:41):
so much.
Like, I didn't even know I wouldbe able to learn this much, you
know.
And, you know, I don't know,seeing Oscar, we transferred at
the same time.
So I've kind of seen him inclass.
I've had classes with him everysemester, actually.
We
SPEAKER_02 (28:55):
were part of team carbon.
Don't forget team carbon andorganic.
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (28:59):
Organic chemistry.
But even since the beginning,Oscar was very driven and
motivated.
I noticed.
And a lot of people don't havethat.
Like if someone's going to ask aquestion, it's going to be
Oscar.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (29:15):
Yeah, yeah.
No, because people will raisetheir hands and I'm always like,
oh, what about this?
What about that?
Like, I'm not embarrassed toraise my hand.
So thank you, Mia.
SPEAKER_04 (29:24):
Of course.
Okay, guys, I think this is it.
And Mia, this goes back to whatyou said about, you know, being
interested in food.
So get ready.
But the final question, thehardest question is what, if
any, is your favorite
SPEAKER_05 (29:38):
rice?
Honestly, the rice they weregiving away at the rice field
day.
I had some
SPEAKER_02 (29:44):
there.
Yeah.
It was
SPEAKER_05 (29:46):
a fragrant, aromatic, medium grain.
I think it was medium grain onthe bag.
Yeah.
Oh, wait, I have it right here.
Actually.
Yeah.
It says AM two Oh one fragrantCalrose
SPEAKER_04 (29:56):
aromatic medium grain.
Yeah.
Teresa is very, very impressedby that.
SPEAKER_02 (30:00):
Yeah.
I remember on the field tour,her, her, her speech.
And I really enjoyed it.
Like she's got a lot ofvarieties coming down the
pipeline and it's not, thesevarieties aren't developed in a
year or two.
They're years and year long.
development problem like thewhole process it was really
really cool so yeah feelsexciting to listen to her
SPEAKER_04 (30:21):
i'm glad you guys both like that variety you're
gonna have to tell me that nexttime you see her well with that
oscar mia thanks so much fortaking the time thanks for so
much for sharing your summerwith us and letting us be a
little footnote on your botheventual journeys i know you
both are going to do greatthings and it's been a pleasure
(30:42):
getting to know you both you toosarah
SPEAKER_02 (30:45):
thank you you Me too, Sarah.
SPEAKER_04 (31:02):
For more information about these and other upcoming
events, feel free to check outour resources, which include the
UC Rice blog and the UC AgronomyRice website.
In terms of other resources youmight want to take advantage of,
you can also look at ournewsletters, which include Rice
Briefs, which covers ColusaYolo, Rice Notes, which covers
(31:25):
Yuba Sutter, Rice Leaf, whichcovers Butte and Glen Counties,
and Field Notes, whichencompasses rice in the Delta
region of California.
Thanks for listening to Thoughtson Rice, a University of
California Cooperative Extensionpodcast from the University of
California Agriculture andNatural Resources.
(31:46):
You can find out more about thispodcast on our website,
thoughtsonrice.buzzsprout.com.
We'd love to hear from you,whether it's from using our text
link in the show notes, a surveysubmission in our feedback form,
Also in the show notes or in acomment or rating on your
podcast streaming service ofchoice.
(32:07):
Harvest is right around thecorner.
Remember, like the growers liketo say, have a rice life.
Mention of an agrochemical doesnot constitute a recommendation,
merely the sharing of researchfindings.
(32:28):
Always follow the label.
The label is the law.
Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.
The views, thoughts, andopinions expressed are the
speaker's own and do notrepresent the views, thoughts,
and opinions of the Universityof California.
The material and informationpresented here is for general
purposes only.
(32:48):
The University of Californianame and all forms are the
property of its owner, and itsuse does not imply endorsement
of or opposition to any specificorganization, product, or
service.
Hello and welcome to Thoughts on Rice, a podcast
hosted by the University ofCalifornia Cooperative Extension
(00:21):
Rice Advisors.
I'm one of your hosts, SarahMarchionish, and I'm a rice farm
advisor for Colusa and Yolocounties.
SPEAKER_00 (00:29):
I'm Whitney from the forest.
I'm the Cooperative ExtensionRice Advisor for Sutter, Yuba,
Placer, and Sacramento counties.
SPEAKER_01 (00:36):
My name is Luis Espino.
I'm the Rice Farming SystemsAdvisor for Butte and Glynn
counties.
I'm Michelle Leinfelder-Miles.
SPEAKER_03 (00:46):
I'm a farm advisor in the Delta region.
I work on all sorts of fieldcrops, grains and forages, but
one of those is rice.
And the counties that I coverare San Joaquin, Sacramento,
Yolo-Solano, and Contra Costacounties.
SPEAKER_04 (01:01):
Together, the UCCE Rice Farm Advisors seek to
provide relevant, topical,research-backed information
relating to California riceproduction.
Today I get to sit down with twovery special people, Mia Avila
and Oscar de Leon.
Mia is a fourth-yearundergraduate student at CSU
Chico studying plant and soilscience, who has spent her
(01:24):
entire life in the North State.
Oscar is a second-year plant andsoil science major at CSU Chico,
who transferred here from theCoachella Valley, specifically
Indio.
Oscar and Mia spent this pastsummer working with the UCCE
Rice Program, helping all therice advisors with their
projects and learning more aboutCalifornia rice.
Not only that, but these twoalso conducted their very own
(01:47):
rice research projects thissummer as part of their
participation in a uniqueprogram at CSU Chico, the Chico
STEM Connections Collaborative.
Now that summer is over andthese two have wrapped up these
projects, we asked them to comeon to share their experiences
with us.
So, Oscar, Mia, thank you bothfor being here.
SPEAKER_02 (02:05):
Thank you.
Thank you for inviting me.
SPEAKER_04 (02:07):
Thanks for having us.
So, I think I'm going to startoff just by asking you guys a
bit about your individualbackground and what drove you
towards CSU Chico?
Mia, why don't you go first?
SPEAKER_05 (02:18):
Okay.
Initially, CSU Chico wasappealing to me because I heard
such good things about theagriculture program.
I was comparing it to schoolslike CSU Fresno and of course
Davis.
And I think that coupled withthe affordability and obviously
the close distance to myhometown Reading, that all tied
together to just make it work.
(02:38):
And of course I had friends inthe area as
SPEAKER_04 (02:40):
well.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
It sounds like everything kindof came together to lead you
towards Chico there.
Now, Oscar, how about you?
Chico's pretty far from theCoachella Valley.
What got you up here?
Well,
SPEAKER_02 (02:52):
I was looking at the community college that I go to
in Palm Desert, California.
They like to send everybody.
They have like a contract withCal Poly Pomona.
So they send everybody to CalPoly Pomona.
I live in a little bit harderpart of tougher part of town.
So I was not to put Cal Polylike saying the negative, but I
was trying to leave one hood.
(03:13):
and not go to another heavy cityarea.
So Chico was like the farthest,most opposite of where I'm from.
That was my attraction.
I'm just tired of the desert.
I needed to get out.
SPEAKER_04 (03:28):
Oscar, what got you interested in agriculture?
SPEAKER_02 (03:31):
Well, it's kind of a sad story, but a few years ago,
my brother died of a drugoverdose.
I'm a widower, so I raised mychildren on my own.
And that's like a whole otherchapter on its own.
But like I said, a few yearsago, years ago, my brother died
of a drug overdose.
So I decided to take a couple ofmonths off.
And somebody told me, take someclasses at community college.
(03:53):
You might like it.
So I signed up to get acertificate, you know, 25 units,
semester two, and I'm out.
Well, on the first day ofschool, my ag professor said, if
you're going to stay here forthe certificate, you might as
well stay for the degree.
You're halfway there.
So that day I changed my lifewhat I was doing.
(04:14):
Instead of a certificate, theychange it over to an associate's
degree, and then maybe a weekafter that, associate's degree
to transfer.
SPEAKER_04 (04:22):
Wow, Oscar.
I mean, thank you for sharingthat.
That seems like you've workedvery hard to get to this point.
SPEAKER_02 (04:28):
Yeah.
I like learning.
I wish I felt like this when Iwas 20.
I'm an older student.
I've already had a family, and Iwish I had this common sense
when I was 20.
I could have had a differentlife compared to the one I had.
Not that It was bad.
It's just I raised a familyfirst and did a bunch of other
things before I came back toschool.
(04:49):
So I didn't know.
I didn't realize how much Iliked school until I came back.
It blew my mind.
Like, I'm all for it.
SPEAKER_04 (04:58):
Perhaps you're in a place where you're even more
receptive to it as well at thispoint in your life.
SPEAKER_02 (05:03):
Yeah.
Yes.
Very receptive.
If I could spend the rest of mylife just staying in school, I
would.
So I'm trying to work that anglesomehow.
The way I feel right now, I'mtrying to figure something out
for that, you know?
SPEAKER_04 (05:17):
Absolutely.
Well, thanks for sharing, Oscar.
Let's pivot back to Mia.
Mia, what got you into ag?
SPEAKER_05 (05:24):
Honestly, it's kind of like silly, honestly.
You know, I grew up in Reading,so the area is very rural and
country-like.
So we had property growing upfive acres.
It was just me and my mom.
So growing up, I was alwayshelping her take care of stuff
outside.
And when I was going to mycommunity college, the first
year and a half.
(05:44):
I didn't really have a majoryet.
And when it got down to it, Iwas like, wow, I really need to
choose a major so I cantransfer.
So I was looking through thelist and I was like, okay, I
don't really want to work withpeople and I don't want to work
with animals.
So what does that leave me with?
So I was looking at horticultureand then I thought, okay, what
am I passionate about?
(06:05):
What makes me happy?
And I was like, I really likeeating.
Good, good choice.
Come on, who doesn't?
So all that coupled togetherkind of led me to plant science.
SPEAKER_04 (06:16):
Oh gosh, that's perfect.
You're really going to like thelast question I have planned for
you, but I won't spoil it yet.
Well, okay, so let's move on to,we got to know you two.
We, as in the Rice FarmAdvisors, got to know you two
from the Chico STEM ConnectionsCollaborative, which is kind of
(06:37):
a mouthful that luckily it seemsacceptable to shorten down to
CSE squared.
And so I can tell you guys andthe rest of our listeners that
the website describes thisprogram as an innovative program
working in collaboration withother California state
universities throughout thestate to coordinate and
integrate project data into oneof the largest and most
comprehensive evaluations ofbest practices found in the
(07:00):
nation, which is incrediblyimpressive.
But what I'd like to do is I'drather have you two describe
what the program is in your ownwords.
And Mia, I'm going to ask youfirst.
Maybe just a bit about how yougot involved in the program and
what the program consists of.
SPEAKER_05 (07:19):
Okay.
Yeah.
I had Whitney as a lab professorfor agricultural ecology.
And at the end of the semester,she kind of told us, I work in
rice and we hire interns for thesummer.
And she was like, it's reallyhard.
So a lot of people don't want todo it.
And I was like, how hard can itbe?
You know?
So I reached out to her andeventually I went to the Sutter
(07:42):
Yuba office and did my interviewthere.
And then I had to do like anapplication for CSE Squared
separately.
And I didn't even know aboutthat until Whitney told me I had
to apply to that.
And I did that.
And it just lists out like whenyou apply, which internship do
you want to apply for for thesummer?
And there's different professorsand it gives a little
description.
(08:02):
I believe Dr.
Javanmardi had one on tomatoesand fertilizer stuff with
SPEAKER_02 (08:11):
the tomatoes.
I think it was compost teastuff.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (08:14):
And it kind of lists like, oh, this is what you're
doing.
These are how many hours you'reexpected to do per week, I
believe.
But since I'd already talked toWhitney beforehand, I didn't
really reach out to thoseprofessors, of course.
SPEAKER_04 (08:28):
Oscar,
SPEAKER_05 (08:28):
was
SPEAKER_04 (08:29):
it pretty similar for you?
SPEAKER_02 (08:30):
Similar.
I had Mia in the same class.
But for me, when I transferredup here, I started feeding the
idea that I wanted to pursue amaster's, you know?
And one of the things that I waslike, was any kind of research
experience, any kind.
I had never done researchbefore.
So when, like Mia said, when hewas one of our lab professors,
(08:52):
when she brought it up inNovember, I had been bugging her
like two times a month, like inDecember, January, February,
until finally she was like, theapplication's not open until
March, Oscar, you still havetime.
Like, I thought I was going tohave to fight people off to try
to get this position, you know?
And out of all the positionsthat I saw, well, I I kind of,
(09:14):
you know, have a look.
I had Whitney for a couple ofclasses, food forever and
agricultural ecology.
So I thought I had a little bitof a better chance of beating
whoever else was going to try totake my position, you know?
So that's how I ended up gettinginvolved in that.
Yeah, it was the same route.
Just trying to think if I forgotanything else.
(09:35):
No, I wanted to show Whitneylike me, like me, me, me, let
me, let me jump on this, please.
And it was a, it was a heck ofan experience too
SPEAKER_04 (09:46):
well so you kind of talked about this Mia the
application process itself butwas there anything that
surprised you when you did theapplication process I guess in
terms of just anything ingeneral I'm not
SPEAKER_05 (10:01):
sure I'd say it was surprising but I did know that
the CSE squared program was moretargeted for Latina and that and
I guess you'd say like Lowerincome students.
So those are the kind of the twogroups that CSC squared was
targeted towards.
So the application was kind ofasking, like, do your parents
(10:24):
have any college experience andincome questions?
And then what's your ethnicityand stuff like that?
SPEAKER_04 (10:33):
trying to give more opportunities, perhaps, than
might otherwise be available.
SPEAKER_05 (10:40):
Yeah, and I believe it was only, you only had to be
like one of those things, likeeither first gen or not meeting
the income requirement orLatine.
SPEAKER_02 (10:50):
Yeah, no, I was excited because I come from a
very large family on both sidesand nobody has a college degree.
I think I have a cousin, like asecond cousin on my father's
side that's like just doing amaster's in like folkloria, like
Latinx kind of stuff.
But out of like 50, 60 cousins,you know, 50, 60 second, their
(11:11):
kids, nobody, nobody has acollege degree, you know?
So it was a pretty big, it was apretty big move for me to, to
join something like this and bea part of it.
Hopefully I can show, like, if Icould do it at my age and like,
and I'm doing really well, like,do you want, like, I can tell
you how to come to school andnavigate the, the obstacles of
(11:33):
how to do schoolwork school youknow so but yeah nobody's hit me
up about that yet but not yetnot yet Oscar but I'm hoping I
can be an example of how to tonavigate coming to college
SPEAKER_04 (11:46):
in a way kind of to give back as well I mean in the
ways that you've been assistedor whatever now you're able to
promote that and other peoplewho might have been in similar
situations
SPEAKER_02 (11:55):
anybody I can help up I'm not like I'm not the kind
of pull the ladder up behind methat's like I'm trying to help
as many people as I can
SPEAKER_04 (12:03):
that's fantastic So, okay, Mia, you kind of alluded
to this when you mentioned aboutlike when Whitney said that
working in rice was hard and yousaid, how hard could it be?
But I'd like to ask you guysboth your first day in rice.
What was that like?
SPEAKER_02 (12:20):
I was intimidated because I'm, I'm around, you
know, when he has a couple ofmasks or has a master's student,
like I felt like I had to stepmy game up a little bit, you
know, I felt heavilyintimidated, but like I said,
The more I worked with the team,the more I felt comfortable.
And not only what they weretelling me and showing me, but
my skills also that I shouldn'tbe selling myself short, you
(12:44):
know, that I could do this.
I can do this.
I can do this.
SPEAKER_05 (12:49):
Yeah, I think it was kind of similar for me the first
day, or at least it was one ofthe first days.
I remember Whitney had mehelping you, Sarah, actually.
I think you were doing countsfor sprouts or something.
The seeds were coming up.
Yeah, we were doing germinationcounts.
It's a good memory.
And the whole time I was doingthat, I think the reason I was
doing that was because I didn'thave my boots yet.
So I couldn't actually get intothe water.
(13:10):
But the whole time I was doingthat, I was just thinking like,
what if I can't walk with theboots on and I can't do it?
But then I was like, I'm likeoverthinking this.
I just need to just do it.
And it was fine.
I mean, I have fallen quite afew times and Oscar did have to
pull me out one time.
I was stuck.
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (13:29):
I think Oscar pulled you out on another one of my
projects.
Yeah.
My projects weren't that greatfor you guys.
SPEAKER_05 (13:37):
Yeah, and I've had my whole pant leg get soaked.
But it's not too bad, honestly.
SPEAKER_04 (13:45):
Yeah, I think that's one of those things.
I think it's a lot more of themental fortitude than anything
else.
If you've got that, you canstick it out.
All right, guys.
Well, let's kind of go into whatyour summer projects were.
So Mia, if you wouldn't startmind starting off just give a
description of your project andthen i guess who you worked with
(14:10):
what some of the lessons wereand then we can go from there
okay
SPEAKER_05 (14:14):
yeah i think me and oscar had really similar
projects or they were tiedtogether that were both focused
around the water grassexperiments that whitney is
doing but i specifically wasfocused on the phytotoxicity of
the rice with the differentchemical sprays that we were
doing so So it was kind ofinteresting to see which ones
(14:37):
were causing stunting and standloss.
And also I did get to seeWhitney go into the trials and
actually do the measurements, ifyou will.
So that was cool.
SPEAKER_04 (14:51):
And Oscar, what part of the water grass trial did you
do your projects on?
SPEAKER_02 (14:55):
Mine was on the overuse of propanol or the way
the weeds are becoming resistantto it.
So that was very interesting towatch, you know, to see the
different treatments thatWhitney had put together for
this season.
And then towards the end ofresult to see what those results
are actually happening in theplots.
(15:15):
So that was what I did mine on.
SPEAKER_04 (15:19):
So for that project, Oscar, what kind of data did you
collect when you were out in theplots?
SPEAKER_02 (15:25):
The data that we were collecting was we were
treating, I think this season,Whitney had 12 different
treatments going on.
As we sprayed the differentplots, 12 treatments, 4 reps,
and yeah, 4 reps, 12 treatmentsat different growers' fields,
including out the rice station.
(15:46):
So we got to see the effects ofother things that we can use,
other modes of action besidesjust double use of propanol,
propanol, propanol.
No, there's actually other modesof action.
Maybe we could trim down thepropanol a little here, add a
little bit more of this otherkind of herbicide to get a
better result side systemoveruse of propanol to dependent
(16:08):
on propanol.
And I'd say it's not amazing.
It's actually very amazing.
But like previously mentioned,we're seeing resistance in water
grasses with propanol.
So I did my research basicallyon the data from this year.
It was very interesting to seethe results of that because in
all reps in different fields,you can see the same treatments
(16:33):
that were working you know itwas it was really nice to see
that they could turn it backjust a little bit and you know
get get better if the same ifnot better results it was very
interesting because on a sidenote of that is I did my I did
that's what I did my research onthis summer but for the rice
field day I saw a poster on thebeing exhibited for the previous
(16:55):
23 and 24 season so I reallyenjoyed to see that they were
still able to do the previousyears and I could see the
results of those treatments theprevious years.
So it was really interesting tolook at those too.
SPEAKER_04 (17:09):
I didn't get a chance to look at all the
posters.
Did you two have posters at theRice Field Day this year?
No.
SPEAKER_02 (17:15):
No.
I think our posters are
SPEAKER_05 (17:17):
only, yeah, ours are only going to be at the CSE
Squared Symposium.
SPEAKER_02 (17:21):
Hopefully, and hopefully mine can show up next
season or the next field day,but I know we just submitted
ours towards the end of August.
It's supposed to be printed inthe next month or so, so we
could start presenting So
SPEAKER_04 (17:36):
where will
SPEAKER_05 (17:37):
you two be presenting your research?
I believe it's on campus.
It's a CSE Squared symposium.
SPEAKER_02 (17:43):
There's that.
The CSE Squared said that if wecould find a conference
anywhere, they will pay for theticket and lodging.
So now it has me looking at,well, what's in Colorado?
I think CAPTA this next year,the PCA advisors meeting.
I want to say it's in Reno thisseason.
I was like, I would like topresent in front of industry
(18:03):
leaders you know
SPEAKER_04 (18:04):
you know another good option since you two both
did weed science focusedpresentations would be the
california weed science societymeeting or western weed science
society and i'm biased i'm aweed scientist by training but
those are both really goodmeetings and attended by a
variety of both industry andacademic people and so that's
(18:25):
those are a lot of fun
SPEAKER_02 (18:26):
you're gonna have to send that i'm gonna have to get
that link for me i didn't evensee there's so many like you
have brief conversations withpeople and you're You're like,
oh my goodness, that's good.
Wait, what'd you say?
I didn't know that was anoption.
No, so thank you for telling methat.
Yeah, of course.
I mean,
SPEAKER_04 (18:39):
that's what we're all here for, right?
Get the information out there asmuch as we can.
Let's see.
And so as a part of the wrap upfor the CSC program or CSC
squared program, you all did apresentation, if I'm aware, the
two of you together.
How did that go?
It
SPEAKER_02 (18:57):
was nerve wracking.
Like, I don't know, we practiceit and practice it, but, you
know, you get that rush ofadrenaline and speaking to a
large group of your peers.
And, you know, I know there wasmoments where I felt like I was
like shaking a lot.
They told me I was fine, but inmy head, I'm like, you know,
some rush full of adrenaline,you know, but for the most part,
(19:18):
I thought it went well.
We went and played a little overon our time.
SPEAKER_05 (19:21):
Yeah, we did go a little over.
SPEAKER_02 (19:23):
Yeah.
I mean, we practiced it.
I don't know how we went over,but we got sidetracked.
Anyways, it came out good.
And the only doubt part was thatwe didn't get to answer too many
questions, but But we did get topresent on the different test
trials that we did because itjust wasn't herbicides.
It was also fungicides,pesticides, and then, of course,
(19:44):
the edge rollout in your county.
And so that I happened to takecare of for a little while that
I really enjoyed.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (19:53):
Yeah, you guys didn't just do your own projects
while you were with us thissummer.
You helped out with every aspectof the UCC rice program.
Mia, was there any project thatyou worked on that you thought
to yourself, wow, I didn'trealize this was an issue in
rice?
Honestly,
SPEAKER_05 (20:11):
I didn't really expect that we'd be doing
hedgerow related stuff because Inever expected rice with all the
flooded fields to really haveany relation to hedgerows.
And I mean, honestly, I didn'thave any knowledge on rice at
all going into this.
I didn't even know what ourresearch was going to be.
(20:31):
I just knew that that we got$6,000 to be here.
So I was like, okay.
SPEAKER_02 (20:38):
Yes, they pay really well.
The C squared, they're very,very, they pay very well.
They help us out a lot.
SPEAKER_04 (20:45):
They're cognizant of the value of the work that
you're doing.
SPEAKER_02 (20:49):
Yeah, yeah.
And that helped actually help meget an apartment up here.
Like it led to a bunch ofdifferent things up here,
leaving student housing, beingable to get my own apartment
finally, you know, and it meanta lot to me to be able to be
part of this research programbecause I didn't mention
previously, but I came up hereas a homeless student on the bus
last year.
(21:10):
I came up here with four bags.
I told myself, not only did Igive my class graduation speech,
a transfer ceremony speech, butI was a homeless student at the
same time.
So I came up here with four bagsof clothes, got off at the bus
here in Chico.
My realization was if I'm goingto be homeless, I'm not going to
(21:31):
be homeless in Chico because Ican't stand it here in the
desert and mark.
It's like 120.
I'm dying.
It's like, I got to get out ofhere.
So for me, to be able to getthat undergraduate money helped
me stabilize my whole life.
I paid my rent up until January.
Like, I'm happy.
I'm living the best life ever,you know?
SPEAKER_04 (21:50):
That's fantastic.
That's really good to hear,Oscar.
SPEAKER_02 (21:53):
Yeah.
It's not impossible.
I mean, I didn't.
I just ask questions and I getanswers.
I don't know, but I was realfortunate.
SPEAKER_04 (22:02):
And you put in the work,
SPEAKER_05 (22:03):
both Both of you,
SPEAKER_02 (22:03):
yeah.
And it's going to work, yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (22:05):
Yeah, I believe the programs here at Chico are very
helpful, but I feel like mostpeople don't want to ask, so
they never find out.
SPEAKER_02 (22:14):
Yeah.
You'd be surprised how peopledon't ask questions.
Me being a new student up here,I'm constantly asking questions.
And everybody's really, reallyhelpful in providing those
answers.
And if you can't find someonethat has the answer, they're
most likely going to point youin a direction where you can't
find your answers.
(22:34):
And that's one of the things Ireally love about coming here to
Chico State is they, I feel likethey actually care, you know?
And that means a lot to me.
I know for me, my time up herein Chico has been nothing short
of amazing, you know?
People, the atmosphere, justinteracting with people at
Winco, they're nice.
Like, everybody's just nicecompared to, not to say that
(22:57):
they're not nice where I'm from,but I feel like the smaller town
feel, the open air where I Ifeel like I can breathe
spiritually and mentally.
And I feel like Chico is a very,very amazing town, very amazing
college also.
SPEAKER_04 (23:12):
Now, Mia, coming from Redding, I mean, I grew up
in a very small town.
I'll just put that out there.
To me, Redding's a pretty bigtown, but I would argue that
Redding is a little even moreisolated than Chico is.
How did it feel moving to Chico?
SPEAKER_05 (23:27):
Well, I'm not actually from Redding.
Most of my life, I grew up rightoutside of Redding in a town
called And, you know, even thename is like kind of out there.
(24:03):
There's only Shasta College, sothe demographics are a little
different.
But I mean, the weather is verysimilar.
And I actually noticed peoplekept telling me that Reading's
hotter than Chico, and I didn'tbelieve it up until this past
summer.
I kind of noticed every time I'dgo home, it was a few degrees
hotter.
SPEAKER_04 (24:18):
I'll agree with that.
I've never lived either place,but just driving through, I
always feel like Reading'spretty hot for where it is.
Yeah.
Okay, guys, just a couple morequestions for you both.
But just love to ask for each ofyou, what does the future look
like?
Do you have any plans, anylong-term goals, or is it pretty
(24:42):
wide open?
I'd
SPEAKER_05 (24:42):
say I'm pretty wide open, but currently I've been
entertaining the idea of gettingmy master's in something like
food systems.
Doing this research, it reallymade me aware of actual research
in, I guess, agronomy.
I was comparing that with thework I'd done previously which
(25:03):
was at the organic vegetableproject on the university farm
over here and how differentthose two are.
And I loved working with Whitneyand the rice team, but I don't
think weed research is somethingthat would like fulfill me
personally.
So I was kind of thinking like,I want to do something more
(25:24):
related to sociology, but stillin crop science.
So I'm leaning towards foodsystems.
I'm looking at university ofVermont, I believe.
they have a graduate programwith the food systems lab and
everything.
SPEAKER_04 (25:38):
Excellent.
Okay.
You said it was wide open, butit sounds like you've got a
pretty good idea of what youwant to do with your life.
SPEAKER_05 (25:44):
Yeah.
I'd say I'm wide open in thesense that I can always change
my mind or maybe that wouldn'twork out.
I'd go somewhere else, but Iwould enjoy that, I think.
That's excellent.
And
SPEAKER_04 (25:55):
what about you, Oscar?
I
SPEAKER_02 (25:56):
mentioned earlier, I want to do whatever I can to
stay in school.
So that's a master's program forme.
My My problem is right now is,is I love everything acts so
much.
I'm stuck.
Like, I don't know whatdirection to go in.
Cause I think any direction I goin would be fulfilling, you
know?
So I'm at that.
That's
SPEAKER_04 (26:15):
a pretty good problem
SPEAKER_02 (26:17):
to have.
Oh, do I want to do genetics?
Do I want to do weeds?
Do I want to do tomatoes?
Like what do I, I could doanything I want and I can't, I'm
just, I'm at that point whereI'm going to put everything on
the wall and just randomly throwa dart at it.
and that's going to be whateverI head into.
That and finding a master'sprogram is my hunt.
(26:39):
So now I've barely begun my coldcalling, my harassing, my kind
of, you know, whatever it takesto get somebody's attention to
give me a shot on their researchprogram.
That's where I'm at right now.
So where I would like to stay inNorthern California, but like I
previously mentioned, I'veraised my kids.
I can do and go anywhere.
(27:01):
So it's kind of like, who wantsme and what can I do?
And that's, I feel like once Ihad a direction, it might be
easier, but I'm kind of stucklike what direction I want to go
in, you know, because like Isaid,
SPEAKER_04 (27:14):
Another pretty good problem to have, I have to say,
that you're excited by the work
SPEAKER_02 (27:20):
you're doing.
Yeah, people can have, you know,there's worse problems besides
being unable to choose amaster's program, you know.
So I'm happy I'm even herebecause, like I said, I came to
school for a certificate.
Here I am actively planning mymaster's program.
Like, who thought?
Who would have thought?
And then if you were to see mein person, you'd be like, you
(27:41):
wouldn't expect that fromsomebody with my history and my
background, you know.
Right.
I haven't always been the personthat I am.
I've been on the moredestructive side when I was
younger, and I'm glad I don'thave that in me anymore.
I'm pursuing more academicthings, you know, better things.
SPEAKER_04 (27:59):
Yeah.
I mean, you said in your bio,and I'm going to put the bios in
our show notes just so everybodyhas a bit more information about
you too, but Oscar said in hisbio that he's passionate about
agriculture.
And if you were to meet Oscar inperson, yes, Yep, that's 100%
it.
And I think it's truly been apleasure working with you both.
(28:22):
I think you might have learnedsomething from our programs.
We've definitely learned thingsfrom you both.
So I think it's been a goodtwo-way interaction this last
summer.
And I think we all look forwardto seeing you guys along the way
and meeting with you again as wecome across each other.
Yeah, I mean, it was
SPEAKER_05 (28:39):
wonderful.
I
SPEAKER_04 (28:40):
learned
SPEAKER_05 (28:41):
so much.
Like, I didn't even know I wouldbe able to learn this much, you
know.
And, you know, I don't know,seeing Oscar, we transferred at
the same time.
So I've kind of seen him inclass.
I've had classes with him everysemester, actually.
We
SPEAKER_02 (28:55):
were part of team carbon.
Don't forget team carbon andorganic.
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (28:59):
Organic chemistry.
But even since the beginning,Oscar was very driven and
motivated.
I noticed.
And a lot of people don't havethat.
Like if someone's going to ask aquestion, it's going to be
Oscar.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (29:15):
Yeah, yeah.
No, because people will raisetheir hands and I'm always like,
oh, what about this?
What about that?
Like, I'm not embarrassed toraise my hand.
So thank you, Mia.
SPEAKER_04 (29:24):
Of course.
Okay, guys, I think this is it.
And Mia, this goes back to whatyou said about, you know, being
interested in food.
So get ready.
But the final question, thehardest question is what, if
any, is your favorite
SPEAKER_05 (29:38):
rice?
Honestly, the rice they weregiving away at the rice field
day.
I had some
SPEAKER_02 (29:44):
there.
Yeah.
It was
SPEAKER_05 (29:46):
a fragrant, aromatic, medium grain.
I think it was medium grain onthe bag.
Yeah.
Oh, wait, I have it right here.
Actually.
Yeah.
It says AM two Oh one fragrantCalrose
SPEAKER_04 (29:56):
aromatic medium grain.
Yeah.
Teresa is very, very impressedby that.
SPEAKER_02 (30:00):
Yeah.
I remember on the field tour,her, her, her speech.
And I really enjoyed it.
Like she's got a lot ofvarieties coming down the
pipeline and it's not, thesevarieties aren't developed in a
year or two.
They're years and year long.
development problem like thewhole process it was really
really cool so yeah feelsexciting to listen to her
SPEAKER_04 (30:21):
i'm glad you guys both like that variety you're
gonna have to tell me that nexttime you see her well with that
oscar mia thanks so much fortaking the time thanks for so
much for sharing your summerwith us and letting us be a
little footnote on your botheventual journeys i know you
both are going to do greatthings and it's been a pleasure
(30:42):
getting to know you both you toosarah
SPEAKER_02 (30:45):
thank you you Me too, Sarah.
SPEAKER_04 (31:02):
For more information about these and other upcoming
events, feel free to check outour resources, which include the
UC Rice blog and the UC AgronomyRice website.
In terms of other resources youmight want to take advantage of,
you can also look at ournewsletters, which include Rice
Briefs, which covers ColusaYolo, Rice Notes, which covers
(31:25):
Yuba Sutter, Rice Leaf, whichcovers Butte and Glen Counties,
and Field Notes, whichencompasses rice in the Delta
region of California.
Thanks for listening to Thoughtson Rice, a University of
California Cooperative Extensionpodcast from the University of
California Agriculture andNatural Resources.
(31:46):
You can find out more about thispodcast on our website,
thoughtsonrice.buzzsprout.com.
We'd love to hear from you,whether it's from using our text
link in the show notes, a surveysubmission in our feedback form,
Also in the show notes or in acomment or rating on your
podcast streaming service ofchoice.
(32:07):
Harvest is right around thecorner.
Remember, like the growers liketo say, have a rice life.
Mention of an agrochemical doesnot constitute a recommendation,
merely the sharing of researchfindings.
(32:28):
Always follow the label.
The label is the law.
Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.
The views, thoughts, andopinions expressed are the
speaker's own and do notrepresent the views, thoughts,
and opinions of the Universityof California.
The material and informationpresented here is for general
purposes only.
(32:48):
The University of Californianame and all forms are the
property of its owner, and itsuse does not imply endorsement
of or opposition to any specificorganization, product, or
service.
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