California Produce Problems Continue

June in Los Angeles. 21 degrees Celsius with not a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze coming off the ocean. The perfect weather for my trip this week, but the source of stress and worry amongst Californian farmers and ranchers. With a rainy season lasting only from December to March, residents have no relief in sight. Farmers react by planting less and less crops, leaving now over 800,000 acres (over 324,000 hectares) barren and empty. Previous estimates for this year’s growing season had only 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) left unplanted. 

These dry fields quickly suck up what little rain does fall and increase the risk of dust-bowl conditions. When the hot dry winds blow through the San Joaquin valley, whirlwinds kick up dust and cut a swath across the landscape. It isn’t anywhere close to the Dust Bowl conditions seen in the 1930s, where storms of dust clouds trapped people indoors and droves of farmers fled their homes with only what they could carry with them, but it certainly isn’t looking good  for the future either.

As if the drought conditions from lack of rain haven’t been bad enough, researchers have been looking at other factors to see what else may be impacting produce growth in California. While growing up, even during the hottest weeks of August, there was always a bank of fog covering the entire coastline in the early mornings. It burned off as the sun rose, but it made those early mornings in summer nice and cool. Fog was especially prevalent in the valleys during the late winter and early spring, where it would get trapped by the mountainous ridges on either side and create lower temperatures and shade the newly planted sprouts.

Researchers looking at satellite images have found that over the last 15 years, the amount of fog appearing in the valley areas of California has decreased by 46%. What does this mean for growers? Less fog means more hot sun and warmer temperatures that can scorch and wither more sensitive plants. Without shade for part of the day, lettuce greens are struggling significantly and many fruit and nut trees are producing less quantities than they would without constant direct sunlight. More direct sunlight during the day also means that what ground water is available is evaporating more quickly, contributing to the drought conditions.

These cooler temperatures before the spring growing season starts are necessary for almonds, pistachios, cherries, apricots and peaches. The trees use the cool and shaded days to develop the buds that eventually become the nuts and fruit we eat. Without the sufficient “rest period” the trees become stressed, produce less buds, and those buds that do form have a harder time developing properly. Already, many farmers are looking for alternate locations to replant established groves where they will have a better chance of producing higher yields. 

Some farmers may still be saying “if I can survive this year, then the rain will come,” but for most farmers… they have already been just “surviving to the next planting” for a couple years and have now reached the tipping point that could put their farms under for good.

Watching my mom unpack the latest haul from the local Santa Monica Farmer’s Market was just as enlightening. “These were really expensive,” she stresses as she pulls a small bag of rainier cherries and two white peaches from her bag. “I’ve never seen them so expensive.” Even here in California, where the produce is locally grown, prices have skyrocketed, people are noticing and all the average person can do is keep hoping for rain.

Rising Produce Prices

As the growing crisis in California drags on through what should be their rainy season, the forecast is looking bleaker and bleaker for produce growers. As of February, the entirety of California has been suffering at least “moderate drought,” 71.78% of the state experiencing “extreme drought” and 22.37% is even worse off with “exceptional drought” conditions. The most recent “severe” drought in the last two decades was in 2007 and even then only approximately 35% of the state experienced “extreme drought” with 0.0% reaching the “exceptional drought” conditions we are seeing now.

As a country, we rely a lot on imported produce, especially in the winter months when our farms are covered in snow. Approximately 80% of organic food is imported to Canada and the majority of that comes from California. General manager Alexandra Brigham of Eternal Abundance organics told The Province that, “last year around this time, a box of oranges cost (wholesale) $60 to $65, and this year, we’re paying $75 a box.”

In the same Province article, Randy from Discovery Organics said that rising prices are due more to the weakening Canadian dollar than by shortages caused by the drought. However, many Mexican farmers have already taken advantage of the crisis by raising prices on their exports.

Now that spring is officially here, local farms have slowly begun sending out produce. Already early potato crops are coming in from PEI and strawberry crops are reported to be right on schedule for the season. Programs are being introduced that will allow BC to have greater self-reliance by requesting local farms to can, freeze, and store their produce for the winter months and reduce our reliance on U.S. imports.

For now, the numbers of farms in BC are still too low to support the huge population all on their own. There is hope that seeing the results of the California drought will create more interest in self-sufficiency and cause local farmers to adjust their practices accordingly.

The Impact of California's Drought Conditions

Drought. A period of dry weather, an extended shortage of water, in other words a huge problem for food production. The western United States, California especially, has been experiencing record low rainfall for the past five years with this year being the worst to date. There isn’t a single aspect of water usage that hasn’t been impacted by the shortage.

10 communities have been put on emergency water rationing; taking five minute showers and squeezing every possible re-use out of the water they’ve been allotted. Even with the rationing, it is predicted that their water reserves will run dry within the next two months. The rest of the state has been under voluntary water restrictions, but there is already talk amongst the government of implementing mandatory regulations until the drought is over.

Farmers will be leaving over 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) empty this year. Those fields that have already been planted show little to no growth without vital rain water. Ranchers and Dairy farms are already struggling to feed their herds and have begun selling off their livestock to pay for feed for those precious few they can afford to keep.

What does this mean?

For farmers it means they will have to cut back, let workers go, scrimp and save as much as they can to keep their farms afloat until the rain returns. Dairy farmers and ranchers are sending livestock east where there are still green pastures to feed them. Those whose livestock are remaining in California are relying more on hay and feed mixes instead of the meager fare available in the dry fields. Those lucky to have foreseen  the shortage stockpiled hay during the previous year, but how long will those supplies last before they too are forced to pay to bring in feed from out of state?

For you, the consumer, the impact will be to your table and your wallet. The demand for food is only increasing, but with fewer crops are being planted the supplies are going to be low. Row crops especially, like tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce, cantaloupes, garlic, peppers and corn, will suffer a drop in production and cause prices to rise. Long term crops, like almonds, grapes/raisins, walnuts and olives, will also see a sharp decline as farms are forced to prune back trees and vines to cut back on water consumption. Pruning will allow the plants to survive on less water, but that means they won’t be producing anything. For nuts especially, this will impact supplies for years.

Expect to see California wine prices soar as well as wineries fight residents to use water for a “luxury item” or are forced to look for alternative water sources by digging new wells and implementing irrigation systems in areas that used to only rely on rain fall.  Considering that California produces over 90% of wine in the United States, we can expect to see less wine from our southern neighbour and more imports from overseas hit the shelves as retail locations balk at higher prices.