Central California farmers tackle flood cleanup during harvest
During spring months, Tulare County, Calif., growers are typically busy with citrus harvest. This year recent floods have demanded extensive cleanup for the top citrus-growing region — nestled between Bakersfield and Fresno, Calif. — known for producing the largest share of the state’s navel and valencia oranges and mandarins, according to the California Farm Bureau Federation.
Tulare County farmers are faced with standing water in groves, mucky sediment several inches deep and chunks of driftwood strewn across their ranches. Flooding from multiple levee breaks in the Yokohl Creek even carried away newly planted trees, ripped out irrigation systems, washed away valuable topsoil and scattered debris across the farming landscape, according to a news release.
The sudden rain caught the Central California farming community off guard.
“We weren’t prepared for this much water,” farmer Bob Ward said in the release. “We were prepared for another dry year.”
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Ward’s family farms 500 acres of pistachios, olives and citrus in nearby Exter, Calif. He said water was flowing 6 inches deep in the groves near his home. Ward estimated that 150 acres on his farm suffered damages, saying in the release that he anticipates a minimum $100,000 of repairs to irrigation systems, tree replacement and eroded farm roads.
Flood Recovery, by the numbers
Thankfully, more than 60% of the state’s citrus crop is picked, according to Casey Creamer, president of California Citrus Mutual. But the wet weather has slowed harvest across the industry and export windows have been missed, he told the California Farm Bureau Federation.
“It’s been a little bit of an up and down roller coaster,” Creamer said in the release. “The wet weather has caused a lot of problems, but we don’t like to complain about rain and snowpack because we’ve been praying for that. There have been some missed opportunities for export markets because it has been difficult to get into certain fields.”
Localized impacts will be felt for months, but Creamer stressed that shoppers won’t notice much difference in grocery stores.
“Our packinghouses are good at picking the right blocks at the right time and have systems in place to keep a steady supply of fruit,” he said in the release. “I don’t expect the average consumer will see much difference based on rain and flooding.”
In the months ahead, looming over many central California farmers is the possibility of snow melt from record snowpack. This snow melt potentially could bring more flooding along uncontrolled waterways such as Yokohl Creek and other drainages, according to the release.
On April 1, the California Department of Water Resources confirmed the snowpack is one of the largest on record. In the southern Sierra region, the snowpack is 300% above average.
