Hollister - A diminishing number of acres of orchards coupled with unusually low yields have government officials predicting the lightest apricot harvest in California's history, which could make the sweet summertime fruit especially rare this year and more costly to buy at the supermarket.
The United States Department of Agriculture is predicting that apricot production will be down by 51 percent this year compared to last year, according to the June USDA report.
"This year it's a combination of things," California Farm Bureau Spokesman Dave Kranz said. "First it was the warm weather; the apricot trees didn't get the chilling hours they need for a good bloom. Then, as the trees started to bloom, they got whacked by the rain and cool temperatures."
Statewide, the number of acres of apricot orchards is down 700 from last year for a total of 13,800 acres. Also unseasonably warm winter weather this year has proved extremely detrimental to expected harvest yields. USDA statistics show that in 2005 the average acre of apricots yielded 5.21 pounds of fruit. This year, that number has been slashed to an estimated 2.68 pounds per acre, according to USDA statistics. California growers produced 94,000 tons of apricots in 2004, 75,500 tons in 2005 and the USDA is predicting a scant 37,000 tons this year.
All deciduous trees, such as apricots and apples, need a certain number of chilling hours - when the temperature is below 45 degrees - in order to bloom properly. A bad bloom coupled with less apricot acreage is to blame for the expected light harvest, Kranz said. The number of acres of apricot trees in California has been decreasing for the last decade as a result of increased foreign competition, mainly from Turkey, and because labor problems have forced many to stop growing the fruit, Kranz said.
Hollister apricot grower B&R Farms is feeling the effect of the bad weather, owner Mari Rossi said.
"We're expecting a lower than average yield, but what we do have is coming through very nicely," she said. "We just won't be able to meet the demand and prices will go up."
B&R farms has about 100 acres of Blenheim apricots, nearly all of which are dried and packaged for sale. Blenheim apricots are prized as the "most flavorful" variety of the fruit, but few growers still produce them, Rossi said.
"It's a fragile fruit and a challenge all the time," she said. "When it comes to Blenheim apricots, there are only a few of us left."
In the past decade, apricot orchard acreage in San Benito County have dwindled from 4,000 acres to about 1,000 acres
Rossi hopes to begin picking and packing during the usual harvest window in early July.
"I'll hold my breath until we're done picking," she said. "The apricots we have are high quality; we just won't have as many as usual."
Brett Rowland covers public safety and agriculture for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or browland@freelancenews.com.
Brett Rowland Brett Rowland is city editor for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 332 or browland@freelancenews.com
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