Food & Farm News
Real Audio» January 31, 2007 «
Plenty of avocados for Super Bowl Sunday
Shoppers will find plenty of avocados for guacamole on Super Bowl Sunday, despite the January freeze that ruined as much as one quarter of California's crop. The Hass Avocado Board says fruit from Chile and Mexico will assure ample supplies. It estimates Americans will consume 107 million avocados this Sunday ... enough to cover a football field in guacamole 20 feet deep.
Coastal farmers and ranchers welcome rain
Most of California has suffered through an unusually dry January, so farmers and ranchers along the central and southern coast say they welcome the rainstorms that reached their area this week. In Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, farmers and ranchers say the rain will help fields and pastures that have dried out this month. Strawberry growers say the rain will purge the soil of salts and benefit production in the long run.
Utilities offer aid to farmers and workers
Farmers and farmworkers suffering lost income because of the freeze may see some help with their utility bills. The California Public Utilities Commission authorized investor-owned utilities to offer deferred-payment plans to those affected by the freeze. The utilities have offered help to both farmers and farmworkers by deferring some of their utility bills until customers recover. Customers may contact their utility company for details.
Fire-ant fight continues in Orange County
Pest fighters report progress against the red imported fire ant in Orange County. The ants hurt people and damage crops. The Orange County Vector Control District says reports of people being stung by the ants have stopped because any remaining mounds are away from populated areas. The district acts to control fire-ant mounds, but says ants continue to re-infest Orange County from neighboring areas.
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