Central Coast farmers are dealing with the fallout from last week’s winter storm. Heavy rain caused the Salinas and Pajaro rivers to spill into nearby strawberry fields.
The floodwaters are still present, affecting California’s strawberry production.
Strawberries are one of the most valuable crops produced in the state. According to the California Strawberry Commission, the state produces nearly 2 billion pounds of this fruit every year.
Jeff Cardinale is with the Commission. He said about 20% of the strawberry farms surrounding the Salinas and Pajaro Rivers on California’s Central Coast have been affected by the winter storms.
“In some instances the farm is completely underwater and that also includes the roads going in and out of the farm so they can't even access the farm at all,” Cardinale said.
Cardinale said he is unsure when the farms will be able to restart production.
“You may have land that has been eroded to the point where there's sediment that's on top of the strawberry plants. So there's really no telling as to how long it will be for the entire industry,” Cardinale said.
For now, the California Strawberry Commission will be increasing strawberry shipments from places that didn’t flood, like Oxnard and Santa Maria. But, Cardinale said it's only a temporary solution.
“The whole community has to pick up and start over and it's very unfortunate,” Cardinale said.
Not only do farm owners in the area have to worry about their flooded fields, they also have to worry about replacing equipment. Cardinale said flood waters got into things like tractors and barns, which disrupted production even more.
Meanwhile, some farmworkers are out of work until things get back to normal.
“I can tell you that when the strawberry operations get back in underway the workers will be welcomed with open arms,” Cardinale said.
Right now the US Department of Agriculture is offering farm owners information on winter storm recovery here.
