From the Fields - Jake Samuel

By Jake Samuel, San Joaquin County farmer and cherry processor 

Last month and before the first big storms of the season, we were able to get our cover crops planted and plant some open fields with winter barley. With wet weather finally here, we can start mummy shaking and winter sanitizing in the almonds. The almond bloom will be here before we know it.

Since we’ve had some cold days and fog in the past few weeks, chill portions are accumulating well. This cool weather should keep the cherries on track for bud break assistance applications around the 25th of January in our region. God willing, cherry harvest will be on time this season for a productive cherry harvest. In addition to waiting for chill hours to accumulate, we’re completing some minor pruning in our cherry orchards. We also applied some winter dormant sprays in late December.

For our dried cherries, we have seen an uptick in wholesale market demand in the past few months as the recession cools and new product innovations by our customers pick up.

Work in walnuts is at a standstill until we have a better indication of pricing for the 2023 crop. The market is still pretty tight, and shipments are slow. However, with the arrival of the new year, markets should get moving. Buyers will need product to fill the shelves for Chinese New Year. Historically, that’s how the market has worked. However, last year taught me nothing is going to happen based on historical trends.

As we approach our budgets for the year, we anticipate this year to be as lean as last year, if not leaner, especially with the high prices of inputs, such as for everything from packing material to fertilizer, which aren’t coming down much, if at all. Looking ahead, I’m excited about the demand for healthy products like our unsweetened dried cherries along with walnuts and almonds. The consumer wants healthy products to eat, and the Biden administration is looking at initiatives for healthy foods at schools and for consumers.