California Avocado Harvest Down and Organic Trade Higher

**With the 2022 harvest nearly done, California is expected to produce 270 million pounds of avocados this year, down nearly 12% from preseason estimates.

A big jump in avocado prices prompted many growers to harvest early, even though it meant picking avocados at smaller sizes than normal.

Scant rainfall was also a factor for the smaller yield.

**Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA is accepting applications for its ReConnect Program loans and grants to expand high-speed internet access for millions of rural Americans.

The agency is making over $1 billion available in an effort to connect every American to affordable and reliable high-speed internet.

USDA is accepting applications for loans with available funds of $150 million, grants with available funds of $700 million, and combination loan/grant awards using $300 million.

The application deadline is November 2.

**USDA’s Economic Research Service reports organic trade reached $3.4 billion in 2021.

Since 2011, there has been an uptick in the total value of imported organic products, partially because more products are being tracked and because more high-value organic products, like blueberries and squash, are being imported.

The U.S. also exports organic food, and those exports have been steadily rising since 2011, reaching $0.7 billion in 2021.