Farm labor shortage blamed on Covid-19. HLB cure: Australian Finger Limes?

Everything is getting thrown in the way of California farming in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic is causing a serious labor shortage on the state’s farms. Ongoing trade disputes have some growers worried if they will have a market for their crops this fall. The bureaucratic morass of federal relief rules for farmers seems to change constantly. In many rural areas of the state, including the far reaches of Sacramento County, schooling for the kids this fall will be at home, online. Does rural California have the broadband speed necessary to make that a success? Well, no. And, there are increasing areas of drought in the Western U.S. Some good news: a citrus specialty crop that you might not be aware of, Australian Finger Limes, just might contain the cure for HLB, also known as citrus greening disease. All those details, and more, on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.