That pricey lettuce: a virus transmitted by thrips and amped up by climate chnge? Does NOT sound good. LA Times today:
Farmers who grow lettuce, spinach, kale and other leafy greens in California and Arizona say the last few years have been “noticeably bad.” In October and November, dual outbreaks of a soil-borne disease and an insect-transmitted virus ravaged the Salinas Valley and caused thousands of acres of lettuce crops to wilt.
Now, winter growing schedules and changing weather patterns mean the bad luck has migrated from the Central Coast valley to the desert farming regions near the U.S.-Mexico border. As a result, consumers across the country may see stark price increases in lettuce.
