09/06/05 Funds for school fresh fruit and veggies

Washington Ag September 6, 2005 Some K-12 schools in Washington are among 225 nationwide that will be sharing nine-million dollars from the USDA to encourage consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. The participating schools will be able to purchase locally grown product. The 2002 Farm Bill established a fresh fruit and vegetable pilot program for schools. An evaluation showed the program was popular with students and administrators and improved students' eating habits. The tuber moth is the newest pest facing potato growers in the Columbia Basin and Andrew Jensen of the Washington State Potato Commission says the moth has negatively impacted some potato fields this year. Jensen: "We are starting to see fields being harvested with tuber moth damage in them. Some fields not being harvested or not being used for their intended purpose because of the tuber moth damage. Things are just getting underway on just how serious it is going to be." Jensen says the tuber moth is spreading but not very well established north of Othello with the exception of the Warden area. Populations are expected to build up in the southern Basin this fall. Research is underway to learn more. The tuber moth can affect yields but its biggest impact is from the larvae, the worm, which invades the tuber and can make the potatoes unmarketable. I'm Bob Hoff.