Ag News: California Avacados Down
**California Avocados are bracing for a light 2019 following July’s heat wave in southern California that seems to have affected many of the state’s avocado trees.
According to agnetwest.com, the California Avocado Commission told AgAlert Newspaper that they are estimating about 167 million pounds of production for 2019, or roughly half of the 334 million estimated for this season.
Vice President of Industry Affairs Ken Melban says areas in Ventura County, Santa Paula, Riverside, and San Diego were hardest hit by the heat.
**Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue is applauding the accomplishments made by the USDA in 2018.
Perdue tells agrimarketing.com, we fought for American farmers, ranchers, and producers by delivering new and improved trade deals like USMCA and a re-negotiated KORUS agreement, provided trade assistance to farmers due to illegal trade retaliation, and helped our fellow citizens through devastating natural disasters.
He says he’s proud to say we do our best to live by the USDA motto to "Do Right and Feed Everyone."
**African swine fever has been detected in some protein powders made using pork blood by a company in China.
Porkbusiness.com reports, the raw material for the contaminated products, mainly used for animal feed, came from 12 slaughterhouses.
Chinese customs has issued a six-month alert to strengthen ASF virus testing in exports of such products and urged farms in Hong Kong and Macau to tighten their checks on animal feed imports.
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