HMC News – October 2022

California table grapes are still in full swing, but the import season is swiftly approaching. Shipping flow and port delays have been issues in the past. While we don’t anticipate large volumes of Peruvian grapes to arrive until mid to late December, more Peruvian grapes are headed to the US this year. Some companies have already begun shipments, which is historically earlier than normal. In regards to grape volume, this is the first year Peru is set to eclipse Chile in total table grape production. For California, the California Table Grape Commission has dropped their estimate from 97 million total boxes to 92.5 million. Even though the overall volume has dropped, the remaining volume is higher than previous years. This means we should see no shortage of availability through most of December the same as in previous years.

We are officially into our late season varieties on grapes, Allison and Autumn King. The fruit is looking great and we are continuing to harvest a bit ahead of schedule. Planning is already well underway for next year’s planting. Varieties have been selected, plants have been ordered, the new irrigation systems are being designed, and trellis install is in process.

With the tree fruit season winding to a close, now is the time we focus on replenishing the soil for the season to come. Earlier this year, when flowers and leaves were present, tissue and soil samples were taken from the orchards and vineyards. This gave us a snapshot of the plant nutrients status. Samples were studied so that each block could receive a custom blend of fertilizer to keep it healthy and performing at its peak. Now that harvest is almost complete, we continue to replenish the soil with compost. Compost enriches the soil with carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, while also improving soil pH and the biological properties.

HMC hosted our annual blood drive. Blood donations are in short supply. We found by providing an opportunity to donate on site, many who would not have the time are able to contribute to the ever-present need for donations. It is always exciting to see people come together from every part of the operation and support such a great cause.

HMC Farms recently had the opportunity to attend the IFG Field Day. IFG is one of the prominent table grape breeders based out of California. The field days are designed to provide growers and retailers the opportunity to view and sample new grape varieties. The feedback and dialogue will help shape the future of the grape breeding program. The most exciting part of the Field Day included touring the new Fruitworks facility, their new research and breeding center. The planted experimental vines are grafted on to several different rootstocks which allows us to analyze each vine’s characteristics and help us decide which variety and rootstocks combination will work best in our soils.

Noticias del HMC - Noviembre de 2020

Huerto de frutales de hueso de alta densidad - mitad podado, mitad sin podar

Estamos podando los árboles de nuestros huertos de frutales de hueso para prepararlos para el invierno. La poda nos permite dar forma a los árboles para preparar el nuevo crecimiento y la cosecha del próximo año. En la foto de arriba, el lado izquierdo de este bloque de frutales de hueso de alta densidad está podado y el lado derecho aún no se ha podado.

Equipo agrícola que nivela la tierra

La preparación de los bloques se lleva a cabo en nuestras granjas. Antes de las nuevas plantaciones, realizamos múltiples pasos para preparar la tierra. En la foto de arriba, una gran máquina llamada ripper excava más de 1,5 metros en el suelo con un mango largo para romper las vetas duras o compactadas en el suelo, lo que proporciona un mejor entorno para el crecimiento de las raíces.

La familia McClarty de pie en el viñedo con cubiertas para la lluvia

Este es el momento del año para reflexionar y dar las gracias. A pesar de los muchos desafíos de este año, tenemos mucho que agradecer. Esos retos nos han dado la oportunidad de adaptarnos y crecer, y hemos superado con éxito un verano sin precedentes. Aunque el Día de Acción de Gracias puede ser diferente este año para muchos de nosotros, esperamos que pueda pasar algún tiempo de calidad con sus seres queridos, ya sea en persona o virtualmente.