From the Fields

Southern San Joaquin Valley table grape growers have been challenged with many hurdles this growing season. Lack of labor has been a topic at every dinner table across California. With hand-labor-intensive commodities like table grapes, it has been very challenging to get enough labor to perform crucial cultural tasks throughout the growing season. Along with cultural work, labor has affected cost and availability of input goods, chemicals and freight. Now, as we get into a larger volume of harvest, it has been a balancing act to find enough labor to get fruit picked, packed and shipped.

Dry springs brought minimal precipitation with little snowpack in the mountains. Surface water has been in short supply. Water storage district allocations have been prorated due to the lack of snowmelt. To have enough water to finish this year's crop, growers are having to fire up deep wells and buy water on the open market.

Despite the hurdles, bunch counts throughout the valley were high and there is a lot of really nice fruit out there. Grape bloom moved very fast this season with good berry set and growing conditions during sizing. Some regions up and down the valley saw some secondary effects from last year's wildfires. With lack of stored carbohydrates from post-harvest, some growers have struggled with shoot growth and canopy development. Record-high temperatures and late July showers have added to the list of challenges this season.

Fruit maturation is advanced and is moving very rapidly. Still trending from the first variety till today, fruit is more mature than its looks. We are quite a bit ahead of harvest dates from last year and seem to continue to remain ahead of schedule. Regardless of the speed bumps, the market demand for good quality table grapes has held strong.