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Water shortages Southern California farmers could face
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This Week's Trivia Quiz

Blueberry production in California is expanding, as the state now ranks 7th in production. Which county produces the most?

Santa Cruz
San Joaquin
Tulare

(Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture)

Issue date: » August 21, 2008 «

State braces for mandatory water rationing

Water storage in California reservoirs is at 51 percent of capacity. The Department of Water Resources says that is 73 percent of average water storage for this date. Lake Oroville is expected to drop this fall to the lowest level since the dam was built. Unless there is a wet winter, conditions could cause mandatory rationing throughout the state. This could be a major problem for Southern California farmers, who could lose as much as 90 percent of their water allocations.

What's for breakfast?

It's back-to-school time, and dietitians are urging breakfasts that make the grade. Studies show that students who eat breakfast have higher test scores. They also concentrate better with problem-solving skills used in reading, writing and math. Dietitians suggest that breakfasts include protein-rich foods such as nuts, low-fat yogurt and milk, along with fiber from fruit and whole-grain cereals.

Cornfield pest keeps farmers hopping

A tenacious pest is waging a war in California's cornfields. The corn leafhopper damages the plants and also carries a disease that destroys them. The pest appeared most recently in 1996 and has continued to spread. Farm advisors say there is no material to control the leafhopper, but they hope to obtain funding to import a parasite that attacks the pest. Meantime, farmers cultivate their fields after harvest to curtail insect populations.

Crews continue to fight Oriental fruit flies

An eradication program has begun in a residential neighborhood in Santa Clara County after the discovery of two Oriental fruit flies. The 10-square-mile area includes parts of four cities. Small patches containing an insecticide and an attractant lure are attached to trees and utility poles. Male insects are attracted to the lure and die. Infestations are likely the result of residents bringing contraband fruit into the state from other countries. Similar eradication efforts are already under way in Alameda, Los Angeles and San Diego counties.