Be afraid, be very afraid.

Well now that the summer is almost "officially" over, I was thinking how this long hot summer had gone almost without a "hitch". We had water for our trees, the crop is looking good, and so far, all (the economy not withstanding) seemed to be working its way to what was hopefully going to be a pleasant Autumn. HOWEVER...as far as "hitches" go, some can be worse than others, as we (in the citrus farming world) would soon learn. It came to my attention (via the internet) that apparently California Citrus growers have much to fear in what was recently discovered in Los Angeles County. "Say hallo to my little friend"...the Asian Citrus Psyllid. The Asian Psyllid is actually a small little insect that often carries a disease that is devastating to Citrus. I have been keeping track of the psyllid's recent movements since it was first discovered in San Diego and Imperial Counties of Southern California. Sure it was alarming when it was found 350 miles away from the citrus growing region I am in. But now that we are talking less than 200 miles, I can't help but to have feelings of worry and a new twitch in my left eye. California's citrus industry is worth an estimated 1.6 BILLION dollars. To have that kind of money threatened in a state already strapped for cash sends a chill up my spine that could only be rivaled by free concert tickets to a double bill of the reunion tour of Menudo and The New Kids On The Block. Yes, it is that spooky. Kidding aside, Let me take a moment to ask all you "back yard citrus farmers" a huge favor. Please do not move citrus trees from one location to another. If you move to a new city and your tree is still small enough to take it with you, please don't. This is one of the easiest ways to spread the pest to a new location. That goes for oranges, lemons, and even grapefruit. In fact I urge all homeowners who have citrus trees in their yards in California to learn what to look for by going to www.californiacitrusthreat.org. Please help the rest of us in the orange industry by not spreading the psyllid even further north to the San Joaquin Valley of California where the "orange belt" still exists. There is quite a bit of information about the Asian Citrus Psyllid online if you are interested, but I thought I would save everyone else the boredom of posting on my blog. Thanks again for reading, and spread the word. Cheers, "Farmer Tony" :0)