California fruit inspections?

[rickmastfan67]

I'm surprised no one has brought up Florida yet.  Whenever you enter FL from AL or GA along I-95, I-75, or I-10, they have ag check stations a few miles past the weigh stations.  I believe the signs say something to the effect that all vehicles transporting agriculture and aquaculture must stop for inspection.  I guess they don't want an infestation of live Maine lobsters!

I've seen that one on I-95.  Never had to stop at it.  And the one on I-95 is right after crossing into FL before the first exit going SB (or after the last exit going NB).  Only seen trucks having to use it.  Have always just breezed by it everytime I've going to FL with my folks.

[Alex]

I'm surprised no one has brought up Florida yet.  Whenever you enter FL from AL or GA along I-95, I-75, or I-10, they have ag check stations a few miles past the weigh stations.  I believe the signs say something to the effect that all vehicles transporting agriculture and aquaculture must stop for inspection.  I guess they don't want an infestation of live Maine lobsters!

I've seen that one on I-95.  Never had to stop at it.  And the one on I-95 is right after crossing into FL before the first exit going SB (or after the last exit going NB).  Only seen trucks having to use it.  Have always just breezed by it everytime I've going to FL with my folks.

Only trucks are required to stop at Florida Ag. Inspection Stations. This includes rental box trucks though (like a U-haul).

[Scott5114]

I-10, Colorado River crossing, late December 1998:  "Are you bringing fruit or vegetables into California?"  I was then eating a carrot, and had the half-eaten carrot in my hand.  "No," I said, while chewing it.

You are awesome.

[jdb1234]

I'm surprised no one has brought up Florida yet.  Whenever you enter FL from AL or GA along I-95, I-75, or I-10, they have ag check stations a few miles past the weigh stations.  I believe the signs say something to the effect that all vehicles transporting agriculture and aquaculture must stop for inspection.  I guess they don't want an infestation of live Maine lobsters!

I remember there being one on I-10 near Live Oak, well east of where I-10 enters Florida.

[agentsteel53]

Only trucks are required to stop at Florida Ag. Inspection Stations. This includes rental box trucks though (like a U-haul).

except they say "all rental vehicles must stop".  I have run them many a time in my rented compact car, figuring there's no way in Hell they could detect the difference between a Chevy Cobalt owned by a private citizen and a Chevy Cobalt owned by the Hertz rental car company.

[myosh_tino]

IIRC, the agricultural inspections stations were put in place to protect California's lucrative fruit and vegetable crops from potentially devastating bugs, flies, critters, etc and they were to be located on each major highway entering California (I-5, I-8, I-10, I-15, I-40, I-80, US 50, US 97, US 101, US 395, etc).  These inspection stations have been around for a very long time pre-dating the med-fly crises from the 1980's.

The inspection station on I-80 was recently moved from downtown Truckee (between the Donner Pass Rd and CA-89 interchanges) to the truck scales located a couple of miles east of Truckee.  It's a fairly large facility given how much traffic is on I-80 at any given time.

The inspection station of I-15 is located between Baker and Barstow and causes significant delays on I-15 each Sunday as there are a large number of folks returning from a weekend in Vegas.  I did remember seeing a project on I-15 to move the inspection station to the Mountain Pass area of I-15.  Not sure if that's going to happen though.

My typical experience with the inspection stations on I-80 and I-15 have been nothing (unstaffed),  a quick wave through or the guy asking where I was coming from.  I can't comment on the whole border patrol thing,  Maybe this is common in southern California due it's proximity to the Mexican border.

[J N Winkler]

I-10, Colorado River crossing, late December 1998:  "Are you bringing fruit or vegetables into California?"  I was then eating a carrot, and had the half-eaten carrot in my hand.  "No," I said, while chewing it.

You are awesome.

It's kind of you to say so, but actually I had the carrots in the same bag they had come in from the supermarket, so if they had decided to give me a really hard time, I would have argued that the Privileges and Immunities Clause applies to fruit and vegetables purchased at supermarkets outside California.

I think the agricultural inspection stations are really just another example of security theater.  No-one dealing in fruit or vegetables on a commercial basis would be oblivious to the risk of agricultural pests, so importation of fruit fly, etc. into California would almost certainly be a hostile act carried out by agricultural terrorists taking all necessary precautions to avoid being caught at the roadside.  It's like the liquids ban on airplanes--no attempts with liquid PETN have been made since 2006 but it is only just now that the British (not the Americans, mind you, but the British) are thinking of removing the 100 mL restriction.  We are going down the same direction with underwear explosives, printer cartridges, etc.  Security agencies should be thinking ahead instead of letting terrorists set the agenda, but that point seems not to have filtered in.

States like Arizona and Colorado have large truck-gardening sectors but don't engage in agricultural inspections at the border--makes you think, doesn't it?

BTW, if we are to accept Grapes of Wrath as history (and I have no reason to believe it is inaccurate as regards transcontinental auto travel), border inspection in California dates from the 1930's at least.  The Joad family has to stop at Daggett (US 66 or US 466 back then, I-40 now) for inspection.  They are also hassled at the border near Needles and on entry to Arizona (also US 66) are told to keep moving until they are out of Arizona.  It's the same kind of ethical mindset that thought it was acceptable to direct water cannon at black people for not riding the buses and causing the bus company to lose money.

[realjd]

Only trucks are required to stop at Florida Ag. Inspection Stations. This includes rental box trucks though (like a U-haul).

except they say "all rental vehicles must stop".  I have run them many a time in my rented compact car, figuring there's no way in Hell they could detect the difference between a Chevy Cobalt owned by a private citizen and a Chevy Cobalt owned by the Hertz rental car company.

The signs say:
               ALL
      TRUCKS - TRAILERS
RENTED TRUCKS - TRAILERS
COMMERCIAL - CARGO VANS
          NEXT EXIT

As long as you aren't towing a trailer, cars/pickup trucks (rental or not) don't have to stop.

The concept of ag stations doesn't bother me too much. The inland border checkpoints like the one on I-5 between San Diego and Los Angeles make me angry though, even if I've always just been waved through.

[mgk920]

Only trucks are required to stop at Florida Ag. Inspection Stations. This includes rental box trucks though (like a U-haul).

except they say "all rental vehicles must stop".  I have run them many a time in my rented compact car, figuring there's no way in Hell they could detect the difference between a Chevy Cobalt owned by a private citizen and a Chevy Cobalt owned by the Hertz rental car company.

The signs say:
               ALL
      TRUCKS - TRAILERS
RENTED TRUCKS - TRAILERS
COMMERCIAL - CARGO VANS
          NEXT EXIT

As long as you aren't towing a trailer, cars/pickup trucks (rental or not) don't have to stop.

The concept of ag stations doesn't bother me too much. The inland border checkpoints like the one on I-5 between San Diego and Los Angeles make me angry though, even if I've always just been waved through.

Aren't the ones on I-5 also to help secure Camp Pendleton, if needed?

Mike

[vdeane]

I-40 is well north of CA-62.  wtf is the border patrol doing there, then?

Clearly they must have dropped all pretences of operating in relation to any border.

[sandiaman]

California  has had  fruit inspections  forever,  I remember them  from the 50's.  Arizona  used to have them  as well, they have a big citrus  crop.  There  is one standing  on I-40  near Holbrook, although it is used  as a  truck scales  today.  Not to be confused  with many  US Border Patrol inspection  stations  placed all over the Southwest  along interstate and US highways.  I have always wondered about the constituionality  of those  stations, they wave you thru quickly if you  look  "American "  enough.  If you don't,  well that's another story.

[Kniwt]

Ferrets Anonymous (yes, for reals) has a page with instructions on how to avoid the checkpoints where possible, with maps:
http://www.ferretsanonymous.com/checkpoints/checkpoints.html

[AZDude]

What the heck is wrong with ferrets going to california?

[corco]

Ferrets are supposedly an invasive species, which may have been true when the law was passed in the 30s, but as long as they're neutered they can't possibly be invasive

[myosh_tino]

What the heck is wrong with ferrets going to california?

The simple answer is, it is against the law to keep ferrets as pets in the state of California and as Corco said, they are supposedly an invasive species.