A large part of Fresno County is now under quarantine because of the pest that can devastate vineyards and other crops. Growers in the quarantined area must sign compliance agreements before any produce is moved out of the area.
The meetings this week will provide an open time block where growers can submit government compliance forms. There's a meeting Monday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fresno County Farm Bureau on West Hedges Avenue in East Central Fresno.
For more information, contact the Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner's office at 456-7510.
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The pomegranate harvest will soon be here.
Pomegranate trees bloom later than most other fruit trees, and the wonderful variety is now in bloom in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. At the same time, early varieties are quickly nearing maturity.
The California Farm Bureau tells us the harvest of early pomegranates is expected to start in a couple weeks so shoppers can expect to find fresh, California-grown pomegranates in stores in the first week of August.
California leads the nation in pomegranate production.
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Fresno State is set to host North America's largest high school environmental education competition.
The 2010 Canon Envirothon is from August first through the sixth on the university campus. It's an environmental education competition for high school students throughout North America.
More than 500,000 students are expected at the program which combines classroom instruction with hands-on field experience. Students complete training and testing in soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and current environmental issues.
The U.S.D.A.'s Natural Resources Conservation Service is seeking volunteers and sponsors.
For more information, contact Amy Rocha at 209-223-6535.
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Crowds couldn't wait for a California Festival that's proud it stinks.
Garlic lovers gathered in Gilroy for the 32nd Annual Garlic Festival this weekend. There was live music, the crowning of the garlic festival queen, and of course, lots of food containing garlic. In fact, about two tons of garlic were eaten during the festival.
While Gilroy and Santa Clara County have long been considered the garlic capital, more garlic is actually grown here in Fresno County than anywhere else in the country.
