San Joaquin County issues disaster declaration for cherries
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY — Cherries are a favorite summer fruit. This year, however, the staple may be hard to come by.
"Right now, the cherry season is looking like we're definitely having a light crop overall," San Joaquin County Farm Bureau Federation Vice President and Lodi Blooms Owner James Chinchiolo said. "Some of the estimates are showing that perhaps half of what the industry is capable of producing."
Out of the 19,000 acres of cherry crops across San Joaquin County, it's estimated that 43% of crops have been damaged.
For a county that produces nearly 80% of all cherries in the state of California, it's hitting the entire cherry community hard.
"Us as farmers, we depend on pickers," Chinchiolo said. "We depend on people hauling the fruit. We depend on electricians. We depend on so many people that help support us in the mission of getting these cherries from the trees to market — and certainly there's a huge trickle down effect here in San Joaquin County."
It was all caused by the rain in March and April that affected pollination. After coming off an abnormally warm summer last year, it created the perfect storm for growers.
Since cherries are a very sensitive fruit, with the risk of rupturing if water stays on the fruit for too long, it's pushing the San Joaquin County Agriculture Commissioner to declare a disaster.
"Whenever the disaster is declared by the Secretary of USDA, the assistance can come in the form of grants to the growers, or most likely in this case, it's going to be low interest loans that are opened up for our grower community," San Joaquin County Agriculture Commissioner Kamal Bagri said.
Now that the declaration is submitted, the California Office of Emergency Services will look at the commissioner's data and analyze if the county saw abnormal conditions this season.
With the hopes this declaration is accepted, it will bring much needed support to growers across the county.
"We're open to accepting support," Chinchiolo said. "That'll help us maintain a healthy operation, keep the folks that work for us employed, and make sure that we can continue to take care of these trees to to produce again for another year."
The county estimates a financial loss of nearly $98 million.
Still, there are ways to support local. The Cherry Festival in Linden is happening this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also this weekend, Lodi Blooms will be starting their "Cherry U-Pick" event.
