Heavy Rains Have a Significant Impact on Key Agricultural Businesses in California

Recently, Mother Nature dropped an epic amount of rain on California. And while after years of drought it has been a welcome relief, these heavy storms hit unusually hard, fast and long, significantly impacting the state’s agricultural production.?

Dennis Lebow, the water resource manager at one of the state’s largest berry operations, told CBC News that while California can certainly benefit from the recent rainfall, hardship ensues when the state gets so much rain in such a short amount of time.

While not all-inclusive, the following is a short list of key agricultural industries in the Golden State that have been affected by heavy rainfall.?

Citrus?

In the Central Valley of California, citrus growers are struggling with the recent rainfall, citing that mud, heavy rainstorms and flood-like conditions are making it difficult for employees to get into the orchards to work. In late January, ABC Action News reported that Tom Barcellos, a dairy farmer and citrus grower in Tulare County, cited that due to the heavy rains close to 30% of his lemon crop would have to remain on the trees until conditions in the fields dried out.

Dairy

Water runoff and saturated ground are exposing California’s dairy cows to an increased risk of infections. Dairy farmers like Barcellos say that when a cow lies down in a sunny spot, the mud on the ground sticks to the udder and can create bacterial infections such as mastitis. In addition, prolonged exposure to moisture can cause hooves to soften, increasing the chances of bruising, puncture injuries and foot rot that can cause the animal to come up lame.?

Raisins

Record rainfall has also challenged the Golden State’s raisin crops. The fact is, the traditional method of hand harvesting and then drying grapes on trays to produce naturally dried raisins has changed very little over the decades. And while small amounts of water on grapes that are left out to dry can quickly dissipate, large stretches of heavy rain during the harvesting and drying process will prevent proper drying and lead to mold, mildew and crop loss. ??

Rice

On the other side of the spectrum, the recent rains have been a lifeline for rice growers in the Sacramento Valley — the center of California’s rice production. Since rice is a semiaquatic agricultural product, rice farmers welcome the recent abundance of water, which has transformed hundreds of thousands of acres of dry land into lush rice paddies. And while the recent rains have provided some degree of relief, rice growers know that it will take more than just a single season of rain to bounce back from years of drought-like conditions.

Wine Grapes

Most vineyards in the Napa Valley area are also finding the heavy rains working in their favor. Janson Haas, general manager and partner of Tablas Creek Winery in Paso Robles, told Fox Weather, “After consecutive drought-reduced crops, I’m hoping for a historically wet winter. [Ideally, a weather-related event] that [can help] replenish our aquifers and reservoirs, delay bud break to a more normal time frame, and set us up for a couple of years.” He goes on to say that while the soil anchoring his grapes remains saturated, it is filtering the water for storage in deeper levels. “[Our] calcareous soils are exceptionally porous, which means they transport massive volumes of water from the surface to deeper layers before they reach saturation. By the time they do saturate, the winter grasses tend to be well-enough established that erosion is minimal.”

Conclusion

For growers, dairy farmers and cattle ranchers in California, the recent heavy rainfall has delivered a mixed bag of optimism. And while it is impossible for your agribusiness clients to predict exactly how the weather may impact their operations, risks can be mitigated with the right insurance coverage.

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