The Los Baños Enterprise ran a story today about a UC Cooperative Extension project aimed at increasing visibility for Merced County agriculture. ANR program leader Maxwell Norton, who is also a farm advisor in Merced County, figures highly in the article. He is the person who mapped three trails through the county that people can drive to see one of Central Valley agriculture's most beautiful displays: fruit trees in full bloom.
He told the paper that, when preparing the blossom trail maps, he made sure people who are enjoying spring's beauty don't have to make left-hand turns on busy roads or get lost in a maze of rural routes. Each year, Norton himself drives the blossom route to confirm that the orchards are still there.
"This is a great opportunity to see rural Merced. Take your time and enjoy it," Norton is quoted.
The Merced Sun-Star also ran the story front page.
UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialist Steve Blank had less uplifting news today, when he was quoted in an Associated Press story about strawberry production in California. Strawberry farmers are concerned about new regulations that will prohibit the use of the soil fumigant methyl bromide.
Farmers told reporter Jacob Adelman that high-value strawberries are probably the only crop that can be grown profitably on pricey coastal land. Because of the ban, as many as 7,500 acres could be stripped of production, according to figures cited in the article from the California Environmental Protection Agency.
The article paraphrased Blank: The decreased supply could push strawberry prices higher at grocery stores.
