Post-holiday wrap-up

Following a long holiday weekend, there are a few ANR news stories to catch up on:

Last week, the Sacramento Bee ran an article about a price increase for another food commodity: eggs. The story, written by Jim Downing, says wholesale egg prices have shot up 27 percent since mid-May.

The story quoted UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialist emeritus Don Bell. He told the reporter that a sizable shipment of eggs last month to Japan and Iraq apparently tightened domestic supplies, driving prices up.

The Sacramento Bee today ran a story about a side effect of this year's dry spring: numerous dry fox tail weeds. The article, written by Blair Anthony Robertson, says barbed, missle-shaped, waxy tips of wild grass are annoying to humans, and dangerous to animals.

UC Davis Cooperative Extension veterinarian John Maas commented in the article about the fox tails' hazard to cattle.

"Oh, man, they are the bane of our existence," he is quoted. "The cattle have fur around their face and eyes, and they get those darn foxtails around their eyes. Oftentimes, they get into their eyes. It can cause quite a bit of damage. It can cause blindness."

Finally, a column by Ramona Frances for the Madera Tribune lamented society's lack of respect for farmers. She was commenting on an article in Grower Magazine by Vicky Boyd that suggested the baby boomer and previous generations more often than not considered farmers hard workers and essential contributors, but the younger generations do not share those attitudes. (The Tribune column cited the Grower commentary, but I couldn't find it on the Web site.)

Frances included perspective from Madera County UCCE director Neil McDougald. According to the article, he believes everyone in agriculture has a responsibility to educate others about it.

"The 4-H program we have right now is one that reaches out to youth in all generations," he is quoted.

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