We all have seen the
chilling headlines: “California farmers brace for drought, unemployment;” “California drought: farmers, ranchers face
uncertain future;” and “Farmer loses 1,000 acres of almond trees.”
It reminds us of a tale almost 25 years ago when the San
Francisco Bay Area was hit by a devastating earthquake. A stretch of elevated
freeway in Oakland had collapsed. A section of the Bay Bridge had fallen. The
million-dollar homes in San Francisco’s Marina District had caught fire. And
the Bay Bridge World Series was suddenly interrupted.
In the days that followed, Bay Area residents were bombarded
by frantic telephone calls from worried friends and relatives across the globe,
asking them if they were OK and how much of San Francisco has slid into the
Pacific Ocean. Yes, there was devastation. No, the quake didn’t wipe out the
Bay Area.
Growers are starting the season irrigating their alfalfa fields. |
Like the Loma Prieta
temblor of ’89, the Great Drought of 2014 is big news. Yes, farmers are going
to be impacted. Water is going to be a precious commodity. Fields are going to
be fallow.
Aphid damage on alfalfa. |
Yet contrary to what the headlines may lead folks to
believe, the Valley’s agriculture isn’t going to vanish overnight. Crops are
going to be planted and harvested. Farmers are farming.
Last week, for
example, some growers were irrigating their alfalfa fields, reports field scout
Carlos Silva. They could start doing their first cutting, or harvest, of the
season in the middle to the later part of this month. Remember, there are still
dairy cows and cattle to feed. With acreage expected to be lower this season,
growers could be fetching more money for their crop because of less supply.
Recent rains were a welcome sight for Valley farmers. |
The early-year aphid problem we discussed in recent weeks
appears to have moderated in the alfalfa. Carlos has found fewer pests on the
stems and a lot more lady bugs in the field. Perhaps the rain and cooler weather
is helping with natural pest control. We’ll continue to monitor the fields and
keep everyone updated.
We all welcomed the arrival
of more rain last week. Areas around the Valley recorded up to an inch of rain
through the weekend. That will help some growers stretch their water supplies a
bit.
In the meantime, let’s remember that growers are still
farming and working hard to keep local agriculture going in spite of the
drought.
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