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With planting and harvesting schedules disrupted, and date packinghouses sending less volume to market, some laborers say they are working fewer hours or struggling to find work altogether.
Tropical storm Hillary brought high winds and flooding to farms in southern California over the weekend, but specialty crop growers in the impact zone say the damage could have been worse.
The 2022 date season experienced something of a curveball according to Albert Keck, chairman of the California Date Commission. “Tropical Storm Kay came up the coast of California and made a beeline right into southeastern California, so it effected things,” he said. “It was a strange year. We had a lot of storms throughout the season, all the way through Yuma and the Coachella Valley, so we’ve had to deal with the effects of that.”
In areas like Vista Santa Rosa, farmers do what they can as national and global forces threaten their livelihood.
Ali Montazar/UCANR Fruit bags protect dates from insect damage and dust and prevent the fruit from falling to the ground. Despite efforts by growers to conserve water, data was lacking on date palms' actual water use. California's $86 million date industry produces more than half of the nation's dates. Most of the fruit is grown in the arid Coachella Valley. Despite efforts by growers to conserve water, data was lacking on date palms' actual water use to refine the best irrigation management for the crop until a recent research project led by Ali Montazar, UC Coopera...