Challenging conditions in Fresno, California have forced Fresno County lettuce growers to scale back production by nearly 50% from last year. Less water and diseases have forced local farmers to reduce the crop. Fresno county's once $40 million crop now stands at a approximately $28 million, according to KMJNOW.
The report notes that preliminary estimates show acreage dropping from last year’s 8,200 acres to 4,400 this year. If the West side receive zero water allocation, there is the potential for a 70% decline in Spring lettuce acreage resulting in fewer jobs and a reduction in local tax revenue.
A California grower tells AndNowUKnow that historically shippers have gone to Huron or the West side of the San Joaquin Valley for the month of April in the spring, and mid-October to mid-November in the Fall as the growing conditions in Salinas and Yuma are not ideal during these two transition periods. The last few years, many processors and shippers have extended the harvest windows on the front end and back end of Salinas and Yuma deals without having to go to the West side. This is risky, the grower notes, but with the water shortage crises some growers have no choice.
Lawmakers have called on Governor Jerry Brown to declare a drought declaration for the valley, as California is in the midst of its driest year on record. California has experienced dry winters for the past two years and the result has been a depletion of water reserves, according to USA Today.
"Soil moisture is depleted, reservoir storage is down and even if we had average rainfall statewide, we probably wouldn't see average runoff just because soil moisture is so depleted," California Department of Water Resources deputy drought manager Jeanine Jones said last week.
The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that 94.25% of the state of California is experiencing drought conditions and that most of the Central Valley is in a condition of extreme drought. There have been drought conditions in at least 90% of the state since early May.
Growers all over the state have been feeling the pinch of water regulations, pricing and the drought… what does this mean for growers in 2014?
