HMC News – August 2024
In the Central Valley, weather patterns have become increasingly erratic, reflecting broader shifts in climate. Historically known for its hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, we are now experiencing more frequent and intense temperature extremes, with hotter heatwaves and unpredictable cold snaps. The once reliable winter rains have become less predictable, contributing to periods of severe drought interspersed with heavy, destructive storms. This variability disrupts traditional agricultural practices, threatens water resources, and challenges the resilience of local ecosystems. This has caused unpredictable shifts in pricing and availability produce. The biggest issue is that the quality can be affected in ways that cannot be anticipated since we are experiencing many of these extremes for the first time.
The summer is a busy time in our orchards. Throughout the summer months we are picking fruit that is ready for harvest, and we are also color and summer pruning. Color pruning is done in some fields leading up to harvest. We remove vegetative growth from the tree to allow more sunlight to make it to the fruiting area. This encourages better color, sugar, and overall fruit quality. Summer pruning is removing the vegetative growth after harvest. This prevents shading in the fruiting zones and allows for healthier wood and fruit buds for the next season. For early and early mid-season tree fruit, we typically color prune and then summer prune later in the summer. For mid-late and late season fruit, we tend only to color prune, but neither is a hard and fast rule.
School is back in session and our table grapes are being shipped to school kids nationwide. Lunch Bunch® portioned bunches and Grapes Escape® washed and ready to eat fresh grapes are perfect for schools and are a great compliment to our conventional grape program. Grapes on the school menus, encourage kids to eat grapes outside of the classroom as well.
2024 The F3 (Farms, Food, Future) Initiative is dedicated to transforming the region’s agricultural landscape through innovative and sustainable practices. It supports local farmers by providing access to advanced technologies and methods that enhance efficiency and resource management. Beyond agriculture, the initiative fosters economic growth through innovation, promotes environmental stewardship by conserving water and soil, and contributes to community well-being by ensuring a stable, nutritious food supply. Drew Ketelsen of HMC Farms, a board member of the initiative, was recently interviewed with Harold McClarty to highlight the value and significance of this Central Valley program, which aims to address these challenges in food production in our area and beyond.
