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Comments about dairy promotion and nutrition

Cool spring enhances orange crop

It has been a very good year for navel orange production. Farmers say this has been one of the best years ever for fruit quality. The cool spring weather has kept the navel oranges from becoming overripe. Farmers will be picking fruit through the last week of June. California mandarin harvest is finished for the season. Valencia oranges are being picked now, but most are being exported. More will go to the domestic market when navel orange production ends.

Report: Tomato crop will be smaller

Processing tomato farmers in California will plant fewer tomatoes this year than they did last year. A government report says the growers have contracts to produce just over 12-million tons of tomatoes, down 6 percent from last year. The cool, wet weather this spring has disrupted planting schedules. Most growers say they are about two weeks behind schedule. But, they are optimistic the crop will catch up when warm weather finally takes hold. California leads the nation in processing tomato production. The crop is used by canneries for many purposes.

Cool start for the California olive crop

Cool weather has also slowed development of the California olive crop. The Olive Growers Council says many Northern California olive trees are still in bloom, two weeks or more behind schedule. Olive growers had a tough year last season and hope for a good crop this year. Because of the cool weather, farmers do not know how much of a crop they may have. Olives are self pollinating, so any rain where trees are in bloom this week would damage the potential crop.

Dairy groups promote milk products

The California Milk Producers Advisory Board is releasing nine new television advertising spots featuring California dairy farm families. The spots show consumers how milk is produced on farms, 99 percent of which are family owned. They can be viewed online at www.realcaliforniamilk.com/ The Dairy Council of California is promoting healthy diets for children, outlining the nutritional values of dairy products and fresh fruits and vegetables. Additional information can be found at www.MealsMatter.org.

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