With the California stone fruit harvest about a month away, the season is at an important point. Early signs point to a good season, but a single adverse weather event could set back the crop significantly.
There are signs that the season will be good, says Steven Trevino of Mountain View Fruit Sales in Reedley. He notes that orchards received a good amount of chill hours during the winter, usually an indicator of a good fruit set.
"The season looks good so far," he says, "but we're at the most dangerous part of the season. One freeze or hail storm could really damage the crop."
Some fruit, specifically nectarines and plums, have already experienced some damage, according to Doug Sankey, marketing manager at Sunwest Fruit Company. Although the damage wasn't widespread, it came at a time when fruit was especially vulnerable.
"We had some hail in growing areas for nectarines and plums," he notes. "The fruit was out of jacket when the hail came through, so we'll see lower volumes for nectarines and plums at first, we're just not sure how much." He's still optimistic about the upcoming season, however, and he anticipates good marketable volumes despite the problems with hail.
Early fruit is expected during the first week of May, but for now, growers are hoping there are no major storms left before harvest.
"We're crossing our fingers," says Trevino, "this next month will tell us a lot about fruit quality and price for the upcoming season."