Food & Farm News
» July 6, 2011 «
Smaller crop pushes avocado prices up
A combination of low production in Southern California and a light season in Mexico has fueled an increase in avocado prices. Farmers have been earning record-high prices for California-grown avocados. The California crop is expected to be less than half the size of last year's. At the same time, information about the health benefits of eating avocados has increased demand. Analysts say avocado prices may stay elevated until late summer, when imports from Chile increase.
State aims to speed pest and disease response
The California Department of Food and Agriculture is preparing an environmental report it says would speed its response to pests and diseases that threaten crops. CDFA noted that the report will evaluate new developments and identify potential environmental impacts, while providing for public participation. Public meetings to discuss the scope of the report begin today in Chico, with additional meetings scheduled for Sacramento, Irvine, San Francisco and Fresno.
Inspection thwarts a pest invasion
Border inspectors say they stopped a dangerous citrus pest from entering Northern California through San Francisco International Airport. U.S. Customs and Border Protection specialists say they found five Asian citrus psyllids on a live curry plant carried by a passenger arriving from India. The insect threatens citrus trees and can carry a fatal plant disease known as citrus greening. The psyllid has been found in Southern California but the state has stayed free of the disease.
State Fair honors Gilbert
A longtime leader in the feed business will be honored this week as the Agriculturalist of the Year by the California Exposition and State Fair. Robert "Bob" Gilbert of A.L. Gilbert and Company in Oakdale earned the award for decades of contributions to agriculture, including his development of new feed combinations for livestock, cattle and poultry. At 87 years old, Gilbert continues to run the company his father founded in 1897.
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