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This is from an older post, but the recent fire in Ventura reminds me that orchards always need to be ready for fire, especially with the dry weather and Santa Anas that are in store for us. There is promised rain forecasts, but those arrive when they arrive, not when they are projected.

This is a recent opinion piece in the Ventura Star, Santa Paula Times and Thousand Oaks Acorn by grower Lisa Tate: OPINION (https://www.vcstar.com/opinion/) Letters to the editor: Be an Ag hero with fruit flies Ventura County Star Keep your fruit in your backyard Re: your Oct.

An agricultural quarantine in Ventura County, due to the discovery of a potentially destructive insect pests, has been expanded. The quarantine was declared in parts of Ventura County in October following the discovery of two Queensland Fruit Flies (QFF). The flies are native to Australia.

I am frequently asked if I can recommend a book on Soils. And yes, I can. It is Soils: An Introduction by Michael Singer and Donald Munns. The sixth edition recently came out so there's a lot of older used copies floating around on the wed for under $10.

Common Plants to Attract California Native Bees Nearly 1600 species of native bees can be found in California's rich ecosystems and this colorful pocket-sized card set will help you select plants for your garden or landscape to support bee populations year-round.