Is Latest Freeze Final Squeeze on Waning Crop?

By George Watson, San Bernardino County Sun, Calif.

Jan. 20–A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt found himself struck by the sight of lush green trees blanketing the valley east of San Bernardino.

“Redlands is a sight for the gods,” he reportedly exclaimed in 1903.

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But this abundance of green was more than mere beauty. The plentiful citrus trees were part of the industrial lifeblood that powered a growing regional economy of vast agriculture. For example, orange crops in the county were valued at nearly $20 million in 1950 — a bountiful sum at the time.

The Inland Empire had become a place of opportunity. Farmers grew fruit throughout the valley, but primarily in Redlands. Others raised pigs and rabbits in Fontana, while still more grew grapes for wine-making purposes in Rancho Cucamonga or produced dairy products in Chino.

Over the past week, citrus growers struggled to save what remained of the local industry from the chilly temperatures that threatened to ruin this year’s crops.

But the multiple nights of 20-something-degree freezes might well do far more — kill off the fading citrus business, adding it to a lengthy list of industrial casualties that have come and gone in the Inland Empire.

Profits can still be had — the crops were valued at $7.5 million in 2005 — but last year’s results were lacking, and the freeze could damage or destroy many of the oranges this year.

At the age of 100, citrus grower Ed Patterson was born not long after Roosevelt’s visit.

His family has cultivated oranges since 1918 in such places as below Crafton Hills in east Redlands, and he has watched as most of the competition gave up and sold grove after grove to hungry developers wanting to fill a burgeoning need as Southern California’s population swelled.

“I firmly believe that 50 years from now, there will still be navel oranges growing in the groves and doing well in Crafton,” said Patterson, who still lives in Redlands.

His voice quieted for a moment as he reflected. Reality began to settle in.

“At least, I hope so,” he added.

Bob Break is 82 years old. Many of those years were spent cultivating oranges. Like Patterson, owning and operating citrus groves was Break’s family’s occupation for many decades.

“I don’t have any left,” Break said. “Thank God, I sold them all. The orange business is dead in this area.

“Thank God, it died. If I hadn’t been able to sell to developers, by God, I’d have gone broke.”

One hundred years ago, the valley to the east of San Bernardino was filled with hundreds of citrus groves and several dozen packing plants. Now, one packing plant remains, and while groves still remain, the sea of green that filled the valley has become far smaller.

John Gardner, the county’s deputy agricultural commissioner, described the situation as simply the nature of the “fruits” of the Inland Empire, coupled with the reality of the need to make a profit.

“This whole area had such a diverse base,” Gardner said. “We could grow anything, and we could raise just about anything.”

Take grapes, for example.

Settlers of Italian and French ancestry developed vineyards first in Redlands, but then they expanded into Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario.

The family of county Board of Supervisors Chairman Paul Biane, who represents the 2nd District, has been involved in wine-making for decades.

“Most people don’t know how important they were because there are so few vineyards left these days,” Gardner said.

Vineyard owners even survived Prohibition by selling grapes to individuals across the country, Gardner said. People were not allowed to buy alcohol, but it was legal to buy grapes and make your own wine, he explained.

Yucaipa became home to a significant egg industry. It was so prevalent that residents there would say the city’s “official bird” was the common house fly, recalled county Supervisor Dennis Hansberger, who represents the 3rd District.

“When I was young, there were 52 egg ranchers in Yucaipa,” said the 65-year-old Hansberger, who grew up in Redlands and Yucaipa. “Now, there are two or three.”

Today, there are about 3.3million egg-layers, as they are termed, in the county. But that figure is less than half of what once could be found, Gardner said.

The need for room to build was particularly tough on the poultry industry. With more people coming, the sights and smells of the coops became a growing issue.

Similar situations were found in Chino and the dairy industry. In 1970, at the height of the local industry, the value of milk-producing dairies surpassed $77million from the county’s 327 dairies.

Today, about 135 dairies remain.

Fontana was home to numerous pig ranches. But over time, development became too profitable, and they eventually disappeared.

Some industries disappeared so long ago that the fact they were here has mostly been forgotten.

Most people might be surprised to learn that rabbit farms were plentiful in places such as Fontana. And these weren’t for pet rabbits. They were for human consumption.

The industry was strong enough that the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened an office there to study ways to improve rabbit production.

“When was the last time you went into the market and saw a rabbit for sale in the meat department?” Gardner asked. “People’s taste change, I guess. And some things just go out of style.”

For local citrus growers, the question now is how long will their industry last before going out of style?

Leroy Hansberger, the father of the county supervisor and a renowned developer, believes the groves will remain, but to a far smaller extent.

“Whether we like it or not, the citrus that remains will be run by medium-wealthy to wealthy people who can afford it,” he said. “They will treat it as they do landscaping — something to pay for, not make money off of.”

The market demands are just too great, he said. He likened it to Orange County, which 60 to 70 years ago was filled with agricultural industries.

In Redlands, grove owners are repeatedly hit up by interested builders, said Bob Knight, general manager of the lone remaining citrus-packing plant in the county, Redlands Foothill Groves. He compared their efforts to that of a submarine, which uses sonar to find viable targets.

“They are always pinging around here,” Knight said.

For the most part, they avoid Patterson, the centenarian citrus grower.

“I put the word out that I’m not too interested,” Patterson said.

But Patterson understands why some grove owners might give up. It’s hard work, he said, with year-to-year fluctuations that can be hard to survive. And those frustrations can be eased when an acre of groves in Redlands is going for about $100,000.

Supervisor Hansberger hopes that citrus groves will hold on, one way or another.

One idea he has had is to use groves as wildfire breaks. Groves could be used both as “green space” and as a barrier from fires that roar out of the San Bernardino Mountains, just as the 2003 Old Fire did when it ravaged homes in north San Bernardino.

“It would be worth studying because all I know is anecdotally, healthy orange groves don’t seem to burn,” he said. “We should look at how effective it could be.”

Contact writer George Watson at

(909) 386-3884 or via e-mail at

george.watson@sbsun.com.

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Copyright (c) 2007, San Bernardino County Sun, Calif.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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