San Joaquin County officials requested a disaster declaration from the state because of the weather's impact on the 2025 cherry crop.

Compared to previous years, the cherry crop in the county is not in the best condition.

Cherry growers said that while the quality is alright, the quantity is not ideal.

The San Joaquin County Agricultural Commissioner, Kamaljit Bagri, submitted a request to the California Office of Emergency Services seeking a disaster declaration due to poor climate conditions that impacted the crop.

Officials said excessive rainfall during the pollination period and long stretches of extreme heat created the problem.

James Chinchiolo is the first Vice President of the San Joaquin County Farm Bureau Federation and Owner of Lodi Blooms. He's all too aware of the problems created by the climate.

"Several days over 100 degrees that we, as an industry, believe put a tremendous amount of stress on the trees," Chinchiolo said. "During bloom, there was quite a bit of rain and more so wind, that may have put the pollen in a situation where it's not as viable as it could, or should have been, to create cherries."

County officials said the county experienced a 43% decrease in production with an economic loss of more than $100 million.

Chinchiolo said his farm is experiencing at least 50% less cherry crop this year.

Drew Cheney, the operations manager at Machado Family Farms, said his crop had a 20% to 30% decline in cherries in its larger commercial block, while its smaller U-pick block was not affected.

He said some growers lucked out with a decent crop, while others were not as lucky.

"You'll hear some folks go, 'we have a reduction we're okay.' Other folks, they have very, very, very little cherries to pick at all and unfortunately it just comes down to sometimes geography. It's not a choice that they made," Cheney said.

Bagri said the state has not yet granted the requested declaration.

In a statement, Bagri said:

“San Joaquin County is currently experiencing significant crop loss for the 2025 cherry crop season. We recently submitted a formal request to Cal OES seeking a Secretarial Disaster Declaration for San Joaquin County due to a combination of excessive rainfall during the pollination period and prolonged heat events exceeding 80°F, both of which significantly hindered pollination, damaged blossoms, and reduced fruit development during the months of March and April. Additional rainfall during fruit growth and harvest led to widespread fruit splitting and reduced shelf life. Based on cherry grower and packer surveys, the county experienced a 43.41% reduction in yield compared to the five-year average, with an overall crop loss to be 1.39 tons/acre, resulting in an estimated economic loss of over $101 million. If the State approves the request, the appeal will go to the Secretary of the USDA. If approved by the USDA, farmers will get financial help through grants or low-interest loans."

There are still enough cherries for picking at Lodi Blooms and in Linden for the cherry festivals happening this weekend and U-pick cherries are underway at Machado Family Farms.

Source - https://www.kcra.com