- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Precipitation that would normally head toward California along the Pacific jet stream has for weeks veered north, burying Alaska in record snow, said an article by San Jose Mercury News reporter Lisa Kreiger. The story appeared yesterday in the Contra Costa Times.
The weather trend has left California drenched in sun this winter, but for many, sunny skies have worn out their welcome.
In the Central Valley, stock ponds are running dry -- and cows drink 10 to 15 gallons a day. Some ranchers are considering trucking in water or culling their herds, said Yuba...
/span>- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A report in Capital Press about California's fall 2011 weather pattern - sunshine and valley fog occasionally punctuated by several days of rain and snow - included comments from UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Josh Davy about the effect of this year's weather on rangeland.
Germination occurred as a result of the season's first rains in October, but it didn't hold in some pastures because of the lull in precipitation, Davy said.
"This ought to get it up and going," Davy said of the rain that fell before Thanksgiving. "It usually takes between half and 1 inch in a week to get it...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Temperatures across California's Central Valley pushed past the century mark in conjunction with the official arrival of summer yesterday. The warming weather is, for the most part, being welcomed by the agriculture industry, though some wished the warm-up hadn't been so sudden, Capital Press reported.
CP reporter Tim Hearden spoke with UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Rick Buchner about almond, walnut and prune orchards, which he said are holding up well, although gradual warming would have been better.
"We haven't found a whole lot of problems at this point,"...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Another chapter in California's unusual 2011 weather saga was added over the weekend when clouds dumped 1.64 inches of rain in Fresno, seven times the average for the month June, according to the Fresno Bee.
The story, written by Mark Grossi, said that the wet weather increases the potential for mold and mildew problems in vineyards. Growers may be applying additional treatments of mildew-fighting chemicals.
"Rain during this stage of the growing season is really unwelcome," the article quoted Matthew Fidelibus, UC Cooperative Extension viticulture specialist...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Manuel Jimenez, a lifelong San Joaquin Valley resident, said he can't recall another spring as cool as 2011's, according to the Porterville Recorder.
“It actually has slowed down everything,” he was quoted in the story. Crops are growing "at a turtle's pace."
Cotton and corn already suffered delays in planting because of wet weather. Backyard gardeners are seeing a slowdown in the development of tomatoes, squash and peppers. But cool springtime weather isn't all bad news.
For crops like blueberries and strawberries, the...