Mother Nature Can Deliver Good & Bad News for Farmers

Around farm country you might call it as “Mother Nature’s Paradox”: What’s good for one grower may not be good for another.

It can crop up anytime of the year, especially during the Central Valley’s growing season: Hot temperatures may be good for cotton, but bad for lettuce. Rain may be good for alfalfa, but bad for almonds.

This past week is a good example.  Mother Nature dropped one-tenth to a half-inch of rain in various parts of the Valley – enough to turn orchards and fields muddy.

Last week's storms didn't lessen the drought fears.

Field crops welcomed the extra water during this drought year. But at the same time, the wet stuff – coupled by 60-degree temperatures – weren’t as welcomed by almond growers. Moreover, some long-range weather watchers are predicting periodic storms – a la the Midwest – into the summer months. Such talk makes nut growers a little nervous.

As a result, almond growers are looking into fungicide applications, says field scout Jenna Horine. Some may include it with their normal May sprays – something they normally wouldn’t do.

Here is an example of leaf rust. -- UC IPM photo

Unseasonable rains could trigger spring and summer diseases, including fungus, rust, scab and scale problems. (You don’t even want to think about rain during hull split this summer.)

For now, Jenna says the wet and cooler weather last week may have put a damper navel orangeworm concerns for the moment. She reports NOW eggs snared in traps were low compared to the worrisome counts found the previous week. Still, with the traps out only a couple weeks, it’s too early to determine any trends. Besides, the weather started heating up today and temperatures is predicted to top 90 degrees on Tuesday, which could change the pest picture again. Can you believe we could see a 30-degree temperature swing from April 1? Wow.

More growers are digging wells.

On the water front, Jenna offers this observation: More drilling rigs are popping up across the Valley as growers look toward wells as a short-term solution to tight water supplies. In fact, one grower who earlier this winter indicated the drilling a well wouldn’t be worth the investment for him has changed his mind.

Jenna also sees more growers implementing water-saving measures by eliminating weeds between the rows of almond trees.

Looking at the big picture, the state Department of Water Resources on April 1 took its monthly survey of the Sierra snowpack. Despite the late-season storms, the snowpack’s water content was only 32 percent of normal for this time of year. This month typically signals the start of the snow melt.

State surveyors measure snowpack.

“We’re already seeing farmland fallowed and cities scrambling for water supplies,” said State Water Director Mark Cowin. “We can hope that conditions improve, but time is running out and conservation is the only tool we have against nature’s whim.”

Yes, tight water supplies are no April Fool’s Day joke.

Almond Field Day: Growers concerned about the drought and wacky weather should attend this important event: “Monitoring Practices, Irrigation Tips, Pest and Disease Management” on Thursday, April 17 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Rushing Ranch, 11599 W. Shaw Avenue in Fresno. Speakers are: UC IPM Emeritus Walt Bentley, David Doll of UCCE Merced, Gene Brandi of the American Beekeeping Federation, Geurreet Brar of UCCE Fresno and Matthew Danielczyk, restoration project manager for Audubon California. As always, the event is free and 2 hours of continuing education and 2.5 hours of CCA CEU credits will be available. More details are at the Sustainable Cotton Project website. The event promises to be full of helpful information, especially during a drought year.