00:00Rats. Large portions of almond orchards in California have been infested with rats, where 80% of the world's supply is grown.
00:07And the damage is costing growers $110 to $310 million.
00:12A survey from the California Department of Food and Agriculture found the infestation is impacting more than 100,000 acres across the southern and western San Joaquin Valley.
00:21That includes parts of Merced, Fresno, Kings, and Kern counties.
00:24The survey monitored several areas of those counties and found up to 32 rats per night in some locations.
00:30Now the crazy part is, this isn't the first hit the almond industry has taken this year.
00:34You see, China is the third largest market for buying almonds, so President Trump's retaliatory tariffs on China cost California almond growers hundreds of millions of dollars.
00:43Now as of right now, it's unclear if the infestation or the tariffs are going to cause almond prices to rise, but what we do know is that those rats are eating good.
00:51But what do you think? Can the almond industry persevere? Will the trade war affect the price of almonds?
00:55Let us know in the comments and follow us here for more.
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