It’s that time of year when many of San Benito County’s crops
are being harvested before the colder months set in, including some
apples, head lettuce, bell peppers, cauliflower, mixed greens and
tomatoes.
HOLLISTER
It’s that time of year when many of San Benito County’s crops are being harvested before the colder months set in, including some apples, head lettuce, bell peppers, cauliflower, mixed greens and tomatoes.
County Agriculture Commissioner Paul Matulich talked about this year’s crops and had this to say: As far as quality and quantity, (the harvest) has been good.
Matulich said that walnuts probably will begin harvesting after the San Benito County Fair this weekend. And the bell pepper harvest will continue, he said, until the first good frost.
Weather plays a role in the harvest season, he noted. Of farmers, Matulich said that in a typical fall season, they try and harvest it before the rains. Optimally, harvesting tomatoes and grapes should be done before the rain sets in to avoid mold and fungus. But rain doesn’t affect the harvesting of crops such as bell peppers and walnuts, he said.
Matulich also noted how this year’s tomato harvest will be a good one – adding that the price of tomatoes is up and there are more people growing this year.
F&S Farms co-owner Patrick Fancher agreed, saying that this is a pretty good crop. His business, which does just transplanting and harvesting services, hadn’t been operating in this area for a long time before this year, said Fancher of the company that does a lot of its work in the San Joaquin Valley. But they’re out working for two farmers on tomatoes in 2008.
One of the major problems pointed out by many growers is the lack of water. The water problem was bad enough this summer that the State Emergency Office recommended that San Benito County be designated as a federal drought area, Matulich said.
Bonnie Swank, of Swank Farms, said they were lucky this year because they have two wells on their farms. After not being in operation for a long time, however, it did cost thousands of dollars to restart them.
Winemakers also are having difficulties from lacking water. Al DeRose, an owner and winemaker for DeRose Vineyards, said that their crop is down 40 to 60 percent below normal.
Grape growers are having the same problem … big declines … lack of water, DeRose said.
