AGRICULTURE

Frost damage hits state's crops

Unseasonably cold weather has caused considerable frost damage this spring to a variety of crops around California.

Farmers are reporting losses for walnuts, peach and prune crops, as well as to beans, squash and other items bound for farmers' markets, the California Farm Bureau Federation is reporting. The most significant damage appears to be in Northern California.

The frost has affected North Coast vineyards, including Mendocino County, where the Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission says growers are reporting losses from 30 to 100 percent.

County agricultural commissioners said it may take until the middle of May before they can accurately estimate the extent of the damage.

Apple moth infestations spreads

In the past year state officials have confirmed trapping 19,426 light brown apple moths, including two in Sonoma County.

The numbers of the trapped pest from Australia have grown substantially in the past year as state and federal officials launched a $75 million eradication effort.

A year ago the state reported nearly 1,600 confirmed cases of the moth. During that time the number of the pheromone-baited traps in use increased from nearly 15,000 to 43,000 today.

Ninety-nine percent of the moths have been found in Monterey, Santa Cruz, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has backed plans to fight the pest with aerial spraying of a synthetic moth pheromone. But this week he agreed to delay more spraying until the the spray chemicals undergo acute toxicology testing.

A recent state health study of last year's aerial spraying over Monterey and Santa Cruz counties examined 463 cases of people complaining from various health problems that might be related to spraying. However, the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that 90 percent of the reports lacked key information, including in many cases time and location of exposure, so that overall the officials "were unable to link the reported symptoms with exposure to the pheromone formulation."

Tentative deal on farm bill

Congressional negotiators reached a tentative agreement Friday on a multibillion-dollar farm bill that includes a hefty increase for nutrition programs at a time of rising food prices.

An intense series of closed-door bargaining sessions over how to pay for the five-year, roughly $280 billion bill ended Friday afternoon with senior Democrats expressing optimism that they would soon be sending the measure to President Bush.

Senior lawmakers agreed on a $1.7 billion package of tax breaks to be included in the bill, and on how to finance the overall package.

The outline includes an $861 million increase for nutrition programs, partially paid for by slashing crop subsidies by $400 million and cutting a program to pay farmers for ruined crops by $250 million.

Hours before the deal, Bush signed a one-week extension that expires May 2.

-- Staff Writer Robert Digitale

and the Associated Press