ARE Cooperative Extension economist, Ali Hill, had the opportunity to join a cohort of representatives from the UC system at the annual conference in Washington, D.C. for CARET (Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching) and APLU (Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities).
Beyond participating in the conference, which provided vital updates on the current and upcoming policy landscape relevant to the nation’s land-grant universities, a key component of this annual trip is visiting the offices of California’s congressional and senate representatives, as well as House and Senate committees related to the land-grant mission.
Ali joined the UC delegation to share how the University’s research is making a difference in California communities and beyond. Our group thanked our representatives for their continued support for research and extension services and urged them to boost the capacity and grant funds that enable our important work. For more details on the trip, see the UC ANR Connected Update from February 2026.