9-1 AM Live Ag Report

FRESNO, Calif.

Agents with the Food and Drug Administration visited Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms Tuesday. Eggs from the two farms have been linked to as many as 1,500 cases of salmonella poisoning.

The FDA would not elaborate whether this new investigation is the first step in a criminal probe. The agency investigates crimes involving food that's been tainted.

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There's a new threat to Tulare County's walnut trees.

California is one of nine states where "Thousand Cankers Disease" has been found in walnut trees. The Visalia Times-Delta reports, six infected trees were found in Tulare County since last year.

UC Davis cooperative extension service says when walnut farmers begin their harvest next month, they should look for black fungal lesions on the branches and trunks. It says it could be a sign they are infected with the fungus that could kill the trees.

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U.S. food prices are expected to rise at their lowest rate in 18 years.

The Agriculture Department says the surge in agriculture prices for everything from hogs to wheat has not yet been felt at the dinner table. The Los Angeles Times reports, the USDA predicted food price would increase as much as two and half percent, but the department has revised its prediction to just one and a half percent.

The increase could be the lowest since food prices rose 1.2 percent in 1992.

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