Ray Delgado has worked in almost all types of construction and it has taken its toll through the years.

Feral cattle on a remote Arctic island may provide breeders with genes to improve American beef herds. The wild herd has existed for more than 100 years on Chirikof Island, where forage is sparse and temperatures are cold. Scientists hope to develop a strain of beef cattle that can thrive on existing forages when dry conditions prevail.

This is National School Lunch Week - an ideal time to reinforce good eating habits among schoolchildren. Two business school graduates have developed a new method of providing healthy, farm-fresh meals to students through a program called "Revolution Foods." They provide more than 12,000 breakfasts, lunches and snacks each day for students in the Bay Area, with plans for expansion into the Los Angeles area this winter. Schools report students are more alert in the afternoons since healthier food has been available.

The Marek wildfire in Los Angeles County has so far damaged about 6,000 acres, including areas where horses are raised. An animal evacuation center has been established at the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center in Sylmar. It is uncertain if any animals have been injured. The fire, which began early Sunday and remains uncontained, also threatens a tree farm. Firefighters are hampered by high winds.

There were freezing temperatures in vineyards at higher elevations of Lake and Mendocino counties over the weekend. Growers are assessing damage. If the grapes had sugar content high enough to harvest, workers can quickly gather the fruit with little damage. However, warm temperatures are needed to elevate the sugar content, meaning that grapes with lower sugar could be harmed by frost. Damage estimates will take a few days to compile.

Broccoli, cauliflower, celery and carrots should be in plentiful supply in retail stores this fall. A government report says the fall crop, October to December, in California is in excellent shape. Growing conditions have been good. There should also be good supplies of sweet corn from California fields. Cantaloupe and honeydew melons have benefited from ideal weather and are in excellent condition. In addition, ample supplies of lettuce and tomatoes are anticipated.

California strawberry production is shifting from Salinas-Watsonville to Oxnard as the season changes. Southern growers say the warm weather has the crop ripening more quickly than anticipated. For consumers that means there will be strawberries a-plenty at retail outlets. Growers say the fruit quality is good. At the same time they pick berries now, farmers in the Oxnard area are planting berries for the spring harvest. California leads the nation in strawberry production, harvesting year-round.

Los Banos FFA and many supporters from the community came together on Sept. 27, for the second annual Lia's Dash to Fight Neuroblastoma.

Research scientists have developed new varieties of sugarcane that have high sugar and fiber in their stalks. Estimates are that an acre of the high-energy canes could produce more than 1,200 gallons of ethanol. California farmers in Imperial County have grown sugarcane experimentally and long-term plans are for an ethanol plant to be built nearby. Sugarcane offers advantages to corn as the sugar can be directly fermented into ethanol.

Farmers throughout the state continue to cope with water shortages. In the San Joaquin Valley growers have fallowed some of their land. Farmers used well water to supplement the loss of canal water, but that increased costs, as they needed to pump the water out of the ground. Expenses increased as the water table fell, requiring more energy to pump it. Luckily, prices farmers earn for most crops were higher, helping offset some of the increased water cost.

Sisters Liza and Ginny Madden are animal lovers.

Farmers in the hard-hit Westlands Water District have shelled out an estimated $500 million on water-saving measures in the past decade.

Consumers rely on plant breeders to provide affordable food. Yet, most consumers are unaware of that profession. Seed companies say there is a shortage of qualified plant breeders. The University of California, Davis, has developed a plant-breeding academy to quickly fill industry needs. Participants from all over the world develop new skills through on-site classes and individual study. Breeders are developing new plant varieties that produce more food for consumers and are easier for farmers to grow.

A quarantine zone including a large area of San Diego County is being established to contain the Asian citrus psyllid. The insect has been found in several residential neighborhoods. There are several hundred acres of commercial citrus orchards in the quarantined area. Farmers will have to comply with shipping regulations before sending fruit out of the zone. The insect can carry citrus greening bacteria, which destroys citrus trees, but so far the bacteria has not been detected.

Farmers will earn 8 cents a gallon less for their milk Oct. 1, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Declining cheese prices were the driving force, although powdered milk and whey also declined. The $1.58 price is 43 cents less than producers earned in December. Although retail prices are not set by the state, consumer prices have declined slightly in recent months. Farmers have petitioned state regulators to change the formula used in setting milk prices.