By this time of year, fields in the Imperial Valley, which straddles the California-Mexico border, should be bursting with ripe melons ready for shipment to markets around the U.S. Instead, 95% of the fall crop has been lost and much of the rest lies rotting on the vine. Harvests of lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, citrus fruits, table grapes, sugar beets, carrots and cabbages are threatened as well. Total crop losses in Imperial County and nearby Riverside County have already reached $90 million. Says melon grower Ben Abatti, who has been farming in the area since 1956: "It is total disaster."
The...
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