Taste Washington Day in Schools and Government Shutdown Delays

Bob Larson

**School cafeterias across Washington state will spotlight and serve locally grown foods this week as part of the annual Taste Washington Day celebration.

More than 35 farms and food producers and over 50 school districts are participating.

Wednesday, October 8th, Taste Washington Day highlights the important connections between farms and schools in our state, connections that are cultivated all year long across Washington.

Taste Washington Day helps launch National Farm to School Month.

##Florida avocados are under renewed threat from avocado sunblotch viroid, a disease that stunts tree growth, deforms fruit, and spreads silently through groves.

Researchers at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Ag Sciences are urging growers, industry partners and the public to stay vigilant and take proactive steps to contain the disease.

Consumers may see fewer Florida-grown avocados and rising prices, while growers face compounding challenges from laurel wilt and hurricanes.

**The federal government shutdown will stop some payments to farmers and also delay access to federal farm loans.

Reuters reports it’s one more blow for producers already struggling with low crop prices, record-high debts, and a trade war at the height of the fall harvest.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers couldn’t agree on a plan to fund the federal government, and this will last until one party gets enough votes for its funding plan.

**The White House Office of Management and Budget requires the USDA to maintain a plan for agency operations in the absence of appropriations in the wake of the government shutdown.

The plan shows a total of 85,907 USDA employees on board before the government shutdown took place, with nearly half placed on furlough.

The shutdown particularly affects employees who work face-to-face with farmers.

Two-thirds of the Farm Service Agency employees are going on furlough.