Food & Farm News
Real Audio» March 14, 2005 «
Nursery operators see demand explode
Pent-up demand for nursery plants has exploded during the last few days, as mild weather encouraged Californians to go into their gardens. It's a big change from February, when nurseries say rains dropped demand virtually to zero. Now, they're scrambling to keep up with orders from retailers. One San Diego County nursery operator says his business has set single-day records for shipments during the past few days.
Traps find olive fruit flies starting to emerge
It's an unhappy sign of spring for California olive growers: Olive fruit flies have begun to emerge in the Central Valley. The season's first report from pest monitors shows two-dozen flies have been trapped, mainly in the Bakersfield area. One fly showed up in Northern California, in Tehama County. The olive fruit fly has spread throughout the state's olive-growing areas, requiring farmers to make extra crop treatments or be unable to sell their fruit.
Final work on Jones Tract levee nears end
Nine months after a levee break flooded farmland in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, crews are finishing work to stop water from flowing onto Jones Tract. Although the main breach in the levee had been filled in December, water has continued to leak through the large rocks used to plug the break. Now, crews are finishing work to fill the spaces between the rocks. Farmers may be able to plant corn on the land once it dries.
Study shows almonds boost vitamin E levels
Americans only consume about half of the vitamin E they should eat each day, but a new study shows that almonds can help fill that gap. University researchers showed that people who ate the equivalent of two handfuls of almonds a day increased their vitamin E levels by almost 20 percent. The Almond Board of California says the study is the first to show that eating almonds will boost vitamin E levels.
On the Calendar:
The California Pistachio Commission opens its annual meeting today (Monday) in Monterey.
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