And if the Asian citrus psyllid comes to town, expect to pay more for your oranges and lemons this winter, too. The bug, which carries and spreads a pathogen that causes "citrus greening disease" among orange and lemon trees, has wreaked havoc on citrus farms in Florida and Brazil, and it crossed the Mexican border at Tijuana last summer. The state's agricultural officials have ordered quarantines on citrus farms in parts of San Diego and the Imperial Valley -- fruit can still be shipped, but it must be cleaned first. If the psyllid escapes north, it could cause massive damage to California's citrus industry, which supplies 85% of the U.S. orange crop and nearly all of our nation's lemons. That's some sour grapes for fruit and veggie eaters to swallow.
Expect to pay more for your melons
Posted 4:30PM 02/08/09 World Food Price Index, Retail, Food, Family Money
It's a relief to be watching the rain clouds pass over Northern California, where I live, for the next few days. Unfortunately, say weather experts, we may not get enough rain this winter to fend off the worst drought in 20 years. That's bad news for the rest of you, too. California farmers, who grow the majority of America's fruits and vegetables, are leaving thousands of acres bare, for fear they won't be able to water their crops later. That means you'll probably be paying more for your produce this year, starting this spring.
Some hard-hit crops include lettuce (California acres devoted to those greens dropped by 50 percent) and melons (the state supplies all of the nation's canteloupes during the summer). Farmers are switching from water-intensive crops, like rice, to ones that can rely on drip irrigation, like almonds. Feel like a nut?
And if the Asian citrus psyllid comes to town, expect to pay more for your oranges and lemons this winter, too. The bug, which carries and spreads a pathogen that causes "citrus greening disease" among orange and lemon trees, has wreaked havoc on citrus farms in Florida and Brazil, and it crossed the Mexican border at Tijuana last summer. The state's agricultural officials have ordered quarantines on citrus farms in parts of San Diego and the Imperial Valley -- fruit can still be shipped, but it must be cleaned first. If the psyllid escapes north, it could cause massive damage to California's citrus industry, which supplies 85% of the U.S. orange crop and nearly all of our nation's lemons. That's some sour grapes for fruit and veggie eaters to swallow.
And if the Asian citrus psyllid comes to town, expect to pay more for your oranges and lemons this winter, too. The bug, which carries and spreads a pathogen that causes "citrus greening disease" among orange and lemon trees, has wreaked havoc on citrus farms in Florida and Brazil, and it crossed the Mexican border at Tijuana last summer. The state's agricultural officials have ordered quarantines on citrus farms in parts of San Diego and the Imperial Valley -- fruit can still be shipped, but it must be cleaned first. If the psyllid escapes north, it could cause massive damage to California's citrus industry, which supplies 85% of the U.S. orange crop and nearly all of our nation's lemons. That's some sour grapes for fruit and veggie eaters to swallow.
- FALSE HOPE: Dow Takes Worst Fall Of 2012 As Greek Deal Unravels - FOX Business
- 'GO AHEAD, MAKE MY DEBT': Clint Eastwood Weighs In On Deficit Struggle - CNNMoney
- LOVE IN RESERVE: #FedValentines Goes Viral On Twitter - IBTimes
- WHO? Tech Stocks To Buy Not Called Facebook Or Apple - The Motley Fool
- IMITATION AROMA: HBO, U.S. Clamp Down On 'Sex In the City' Counterfeit Perfumes - The Huffington Post
- IN TIME FOR VALENTINE'S: 10 Best Cities To Be Single In - CBS News
- KODAK MOMENTLESS: Iconic Company Ceases Digital Camera Production - InvestorPlace
- THE FORCE: Star Wars Franchise Worth Over $30 Billion And Growing - 24/7 Wall St.
Add a Comment
DailyFinance Wire
- 4 Money-Etiquette Questions Answered
- Walmart's New Health Food Push: Is It Too Hard to Swallow?
- Newlyweds, Don't Let the IRS Spoil Your Honeymoon
- Bonds Are a 'Safe' Investment: A Big Lie Gets Even Bigger
- Why Groupon Will Never Be Great Again
- Why Used Car Bargains Are Getting Harder to Find
- 5 Reasons Facebook Stock May Be a Better Buy Than You Think
Newswire
- Iraq opens new oil export terminal in Persian...
- Boeing says it's frustrated with Dreamliner...
- Greece's grim choice: deep budget cuts or...
- Greek premier defends bailout deal, painful...
- Faces beyond the numbers of long-term...
- Staff at The Sun tabloid arrested in bribe...
- Obama to submit his budget to Congress on...
- Obama budget seeks to boost trade enforcement

- Getting paid $35,000 to short sell
- What the $26B settlement means for you
- Investing your emergency cash: Return vs. risk
- First Premier's $400-a-year credit card
- Big banks' bloated mortgage tab
- Fewer young adults hold jobs than ever before
- Government assistance expands
- Bob Rodriguez: The best advice I ever got

- 24/7 Wall St. Top Analyst Calls of the Week (AONE, ALU, AMSC, NLY, AAPL, CSCO, COH, CSTR, COP, DLR, IBM, LF, MMM, M, OPEN, POST, SIRI, SOHU, TRLG, ZOLT)
- The Force: Star Wars Franchise Worth Over $30 Billion and Growing
- 24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (COP, GILD, AMSC, MA, COH, LNKD, ATVI, CPST, GPRE, KONA, TRLG, LGF, MOVE, NBL, PCYC, ALU, FLIR, RUTH, FSLR, CIE, TBAC, RPXC, AMRS)
- Mid-day Movers (CIE, AMRS, IPSU, MOVE, LNKD)
- Petrobras Shares Volatile on $225 Billion Development Plan (PBR)
- Morning Movers (CIE, ALU, LNKD, AMRS, XIDE)
- AEP Dividend Growth Still Looks Safe Ahead (AEP)
- Arch Coal Tumbles on Earnings, Forecast (ACI, ANR, PCX, BTU, CNX)

Follow Us

The Money Man Behind Rick Santorum: Who Is Foster S. Friess?
Why Your 2012 Tax Bill May Jump By $8,000
Wrecks to Riches: Hunting Sunken Treasures from Cape Cod to the Costa Concordia








