California farmers paying close attention to potential summer tropical system
Farmers are keeping a close eye on future weather forecasts as Tropical Storm Hilary swirls to our south.
Stonefruit and other crops can be negatively impacted by rain this time of year. For Justin Miller, whose family runs historic Twin Peaks Orchard in Placer County, they are watching the weather closely.
"Farming is kind of in Mother Nature's hands, you just kind of got to role with it. But for us, it makes us really nervous," Miller said. "So, I'm checking the weather constantly. If you get enough humidity or sprinkles or rain, you'll lose that whole crop. Nectarines and peaches especially."
Twin Peaks Orchard sits on 100 acres of land and has been in the Nakae family for over a century. They have seen their fair share of ups and downs over the years, but recently things have been especially difficult. They grow 45-50 varieties of peaches, pomegranates, mandarins, blood oranges and much more.
"Each piece of fruit is a blossom, and each piece of fruit is susceptible to blossom rot or botrytis," Miller said. "Seeing what control measures we can do as far as picking sooner or cutting the grass down really low, try to remove some of the humidity."
While it is still too early to tell if the remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary will have impacts this far north, the humidity in recent days has been enough to already impact some farms.
Placer County was once the fruit bowl of the United States, and now farmers are watching and hoping they don't have another bad year.
"Farming is the ultimate game of gambling, it's like playing Blackjack every day," Miller said. "Some days you get a good hand and sometimes it's a bad hand, you got to keep persevering."
Miller said it's important now more than ever to support local farmers to help keep them in business.
You can learn more about Twin Peaks Orchard here: twinpeaksorchards.net
