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Citrus Emergency in California

by clorenz1 | January 17, 2007 at 09:49 am

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With severely cold weather everywhere, as well as on the West coast, the mild weather loving citrus trees are in big trouble. The losses are so bad that the governator has called a State of Emergency.

The freezing weather already has driven up the price of citrus fruits and other produce, which might cost consumers two or three times more this season.

The cold spell is expected to ease today, but estimates put the statewide damage at up to $1 billion, including damage to oranges, lemons, avocados, strawberries and other fruits. Some farmers expect to lose up to 70 percent of their crop, which prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to proclaim a state of emergency in 10 counties Tuesday and ask the federal government to speed aid to affected farmers.

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ibii

at 23:17 on August 6th, 2008

Kind of strange considering I live in the San Joaquin where we grow a large variety of produce and it's been a consistent 100F+ all summer, though limes were missing from the supermarket the other day. Guess I'll have to take note if the price of citrus has actually gone up or not around here the next time I go to the store. Strawberries make more sense as a lot of them are grown in Oxnard where the weather is cooler, it being near the coast and all