http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/Press_Releases/Press_Release.asp?PRnum=13-022

A portion of Tulare County has been placed under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) following the detection of psyllids at three locations in the Porterville area.

The quarantine zone measures 178 square miles, bordered on the north by an area near Blue Ridge Drive and Campbell Creek Drive; on the west by an area near State Highway 190 and Coyote Dr.; on the south by Avenue 68 near State Highway 65; and on the west by an area near Avenue 104 and Road 192. A link to a map may be found at: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp/maps/quarantine/3435ACP_Tulare_20130730.pdf

The quarantine prohibits the movement of host nursery stock out of the quarantine area and requires that all citrus fruit be cleaned of leaves and stems prior to moving out of the area. An exception may be made for nursery stock and budwood grown in USDA-approved structures designed to keep ACP out. Residents with backyard citrus trees in the quarantine area are asked to not remove fruit from the area.

In addition to Tulare County, ACP quarantines are now in place in Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Imperial, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. A total of more than 45-thousand square miles are under quarantine.

The ACP is of grave concern because it can carry the disease huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening. All citrus and closely related species are susceptible hosts for both the insect and the disease. There is no cure once a tree becomes infected. The diseased tree will decline in health until it dies. HLB has been detected just once in California – last year on a single residential property in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County.

Residents in the area who think they may have seen the Asian citrus psyllid are urged to call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. For more information on the Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing disease please visit: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp/index.html

One of the programs at the just-completed California State Fair was a youth media project, which provided young people with an opportunity to work under the mentorship of video professionals. Together, they promoted the State Fair through a series of pieces posted on the fair’s web site. Among the vignettes is this one on the Junior Poultry Competition.

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/Press_Releases/Press_Release.asp?PRnum=13-020&print=yes

http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/26/2829199/local-ag-has-room-to-grow-chief.html

The state’s top ag official talked over lunch this week with the Modesto Rotary Club.

Her topic: the importance of lunch — not to mention breakfast and dinner — to the health of people around the world.

Karen Ross, secretary of food and agriculture for Gov. Jerry Brown, noted the growth in California farm exports during her remarks at the DoubleTree Hotel.

She also cited the growing interest among Americans in how their food is produced, something they can learn about at produce stands, farmers markets, festivals and other venues.

“We are in a time and a place when consumers here and across the country are yearning to reconnect with their food,” Ross said.

She said agriculture is considered by some to be a “legacy” industry that the state is moving beyond, but nothing could be further from the truth. Gross farm income statewide went from $38.5 billion in 2010 to $43.5 billion in 2011, according to statisticians in her department.

(A few hours earlier, the 2012 figure for Stanislaus County was announced — a record $3.28 billion.)

The secretary talked of efforts by schools to improve the nutritional value of what students eat — and in some cases to source the meals from local farms as much as possible.

She singled out the Manteca Unified School District, where the leadership believes that kids who eat well score well on tests.

The state’s farmers can help the estimated 4 million Californians without access to enough healthy food, Ross said. And they can do the same with “the 220,000 new mouths” born each day around the world.

Ross said China now has about 300 million middle-class people — close to the entire U.S. population — and food imports from California are growing fast. She cited almonds, walnuts, dairy products, wine and a few other products.

“When a family has more discretionary income, what do they want to do? They want to feed their family better,” she said.

Ross listed challenges for the state’s farmers, such as strained water supplies, development threats to farmland and a changing climate. But she also noted its strengths, such as technology, academic institutions and a reputation for consistent quality and safety.

“The desire for California agricultural products is off the charts,” Ross said.

She directed the crowd to a new series of videos at www.cdfa.ca.gov that highlight farm products.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2013/07/california_

grows_all_of_our_fruits_and_vegetables_what_would_we_eat_without.html

By Brian Palmer

On The Today Show this morning (July 25), NBC News correspondent Jane Pauley reported on the Giacomini sisters of Marin County, who have returned to the family dairy farm in Point Reyes and are emerging as a leading producer of artisan cheese.

This video content is no longer available.

Several years ago, the late public television personality Huell Howser produced a series of reports called California’s Golden Fairs. One of the segments featured the Amador County Fair in Plymouth, which begins its four-day run tomorrow.

California’s Golden Fairs #101 – AMADOR COUNTY from Huell Howser on Vimeo.

External video – no longer available

“Managing for Wildlife Habitat on Rangeland” is one of a series of videos on conservation from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The series is called, “There’s a Plan for That.”