Weeks of Rainfall Weaken Northern California Crops

By Tanya Rose, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Apr. 7–Robert Cecchini is a second-generation asparagus farmer in Brentwood — and at 68 years old, he’s never seen it like this.

Recent rain storms, combined with erratic weather earlier this year, have wiped out 85 percent of his family’s 800-acre asparagus crop, the only such crop in all of Contra Costa County.

This time of year, Cecchini & Cecchini Farms should be packaging 1,200 boxes of asparagus per day, a fiercely popular vegetable during the Easter season. These days, they’re lucky to get 300 boxes per day.

"It’s been horrible for us," said Barbara Cecchini, Robert’s wife, who noted that asparagus represents 60 percent of the operation’s income.

"Because it’s been raining so hard, it’s tough to get out there and harvest what’s left. The guys will come in tired, with 20 pounds of mud stuck to their boots. … There’s really not a lot we can do but watch and hope."

Asparagus crops throughout the state took a turn for the worst in February, when uncharacteristically warm weather caused the fleshy spears to grow more quickly than usual. Then, eight days of freezing in March ruined much of the crop, leaving what was left to drown in rain storms.

Fruit crops such as apricots and peaches have also suffered, blooming too early on the trees and then freezing, said Cathy Roybal, deputy agriculture commissioner for the county. And because of the rain, she said, bees haven’t been able to pollinate the way they’re supposed to, which causes spotty blossoming and, in some cases, the trees "abort" their fruit. In other words, they send premature fruit falling to the ground.

"Usually, trees are in full bloom this time of year and we’re finding some have blossomed and some haven’t. Or even on individual trees, one side will be OK and another side won’t," Roybal said.

Strawberries are also suffering, with farmers statewide saying they’re losing as much as half of their crops. And what’s not lost is delayed.

But that information is largely anecdotal; farm industry experts say it’s too early to tell how bad the damage is, numbers-wise.

"There’s a concern, in that trees don’t like to sit in water," said David Kranz of the California Farm Bureau Federation. "Rain causes ‘root rot’ in all orchard trees, but that’s something that won’t manifest itself for weeks.

"We know crops will be thin, but just how much is the big question," he said.

In the last six weeks alone, Contra Costa has had seven inches of rain, with 24 inches since October. Normal rainfall for an entire year is around 19 inches.

Local farmers are hoping for sustained sunshine so their soggy fields can dry, but the National Weather Service says no such luck. David Soroka, a meteorologist there, is expecting rain showers tonight, continuing through Sunday.

"Then we’ll have a break, but it’ll start up again," he said, predicting a new spate of storms to begin sometime Tuesday.

This is bad news for U-Pick fruit farmers gearing up for throngs of fruit-picking tourists in May and June.

Local cherry farmer Len Del Chiaro said that for him, the delay has been most problematic. Bad weather has pushed his harvest schedule back about three weeks; and as a result, his fruit stand off of Marsh Creek Road probably won’t be open for the historically busy Memorial Day weekend.

"Who knows?" he said. "We’ll have fruit, but we’re not sure how much."

Kristie and Rick Knoll of Knoll Farms have lost a lot of apricots and nectarines this season, but some of their other crops — garlic, figs and artichokes — are loving the extra rain.

"It’s like everything else; there’s some good and some bad," said Kristie Knoll.

Ken Hagan, president of the U-Pick organization Harvest Time in Brentwood Inc., is optimistic. He said that while the season may happen later this year with perhaps a lighter yield, the area is uniquely situated.

"There have been years when farmers throughout the state were decimated, yet we still came out with some nice crops," he said. "We’ll have to wait and see."

Reach Tanya Rose at 925-779-7139 or trose@cctimes.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.

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