- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
California's cool, wet spring is putting a damper on the state's agricultural industry, the Sacramento Bee reported today. Watermelon may not be ready for the Fourth of July, and tomato harvests likely will be delayed.
The problem for tomato growers has been persistently wet fields, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Gene Miyao told the newspaper.
"Under wet conditions, (planting) causes soil compactions. That affects root growth. Irrigation (water) doesn't infiltrate as well," Miyao was quoted. "I think it certainly is a concern."
Waiting for soil...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Farmers reeling from three years of drought and an unseasonably warm January are now worried about rainfall at the wrong time of year, according to a story in today's Redding Record Searchlight.
Almond trees that bloomed early because of warm January weather suffered some frost damage. Now, rain during spring bloom is inhibiting pollination. (Who can blame bees for curling up with a good book on rainy days?) Wet weather also raises concerns about fungal diseases. But despite these abnormal weather patterns, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Bill Krueger assured writer Debra Moore that almond farmers will still...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
California's January weather was exceptional in 2009. While many enjoyed the unseasonably warm days, farmers fretted about the impact on their crops. According to an article in today's Santa Rosa Press Democrat, horticulturists say some plants and trees are budding two weeks to a month earlier than usual.
“Spring is coming earlier and it has been doing that the last three or four years. But this year is astonishing,” the article quoted Bob Hornback, a garden educator and adviser to a Sebastopol farm.
Press-Democrat writer Meg McConahey also sought comment from UC Cooperative Extension farm...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
It's cold in Washington, D.C., where the bulk of today's excitement lies, but since this is the ANR News Blog, I'm writing about the unseasonably warm weather in California. We can't really pin this unimaginably delightful January on global warming since many parts of the nation have been shivering under an Artic blast. But perhaps it is a harbinger of things to come if, indeed, scientists' predictions about global warming come to fruition and warm January days become the norm.
Warm winter is nice for picnics and the beach, but winter warmth can reduce crop yields later, according to an article in the San...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A story about California's dry spring weather in the Sacramento Bee today cited two UC Cooperative Extension experts: natural resources advisor Glenn Nader of Sutter, Yuba and Butte counties; and rice advisor Chris Greer of Sutter and Yuba counties.
The article, written by Chris Bowman, said spring 2008 was the driest in California history and has produced the most flammable landscape fire forecasters have ever seen this time of year in the Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills.
"The rest of fire season does not bode well," Nader is quoted.
"We have a long summer and fall to get through, and we just hope for less wind and cooler...