February’s frost has led to the pits for some San Joaquin County cherry growers. As a result, the county has filed for an emergency declaration with the state of California, which the San Joaquin Farm Bureau hopes will help farmers financially.

Growers such as James Chinchiolo now have some cherry trees that experienced frost damage. What should be a fruitful sight is almost tough to bare.

“This is the first freeze I've been through. It's a lesson learned — big one. And certainly, we'll adapt and go from there,” Chinchiolo, the owner of Lodi Blooms, told KCRA 3. “We're just in a situation here again of needing to adjust to a really light crop."

Chinchiolo added that he might take steps to prepare for the next freeze by buying devices such as wind machines and machines that blow warm air onto the orchards to prevent frost.

The fourth-generation cherry grower stressed that Lodi Blooms is still tabulating just how much fruit they will harvest, and they are ever optimistic.

“There's also this bit of, 'OK, hunker down, become a warrior, and get through these challenging times,'” Chinchiolo said.

Bruce Blodgett, executive director of the San Joaquin Farm Bureau, said these are challenging times for many growers in the county, as some growers have lost half their crop.

“What that means in pure dollars rather than a $200 million crop, about a $100 million crop, so, a lot of impact to that industry,” Blodgett said. "Those that were just starting to bloom, getting in and really just trying to get that crop set — that freeze just came in and just wiped them out."
 

Blodgett added that this is the third year in a row that cherry growers have had to contend with factors leading to a lighter harvest. In 2021, Blodgett explained growers had to cope with drought. He also said that the freeze impact varied from orchard to orchard, crop to crop.

“Another person actually has a pretty good crop, who was actually doing some thinning, so we see some real differences based on where they're at in the county,” Blodgett said. “At least those that are going to get a crop are going to get a decent price for a change, so that’s a positive thing, but it is going to drive prices up at the store.”

Blodgett said the county should know in the coming weeks if the disaster declaration has been approved by the state. The declaration should make funding available to impacted growers.

Chinchiolo said his cherry orchards are expected to be in season from May through June, while the entire cherry season lasts until April to June. While Lodi Blooms is still calculating, if the harvest is lighter, at the very least Chinchiolo said, the cherry may be sweeter.

Source - https://www.kcra.com