Wet Weather Causing Concerns For Bay Area Cherry Farmers
BRENTWOOD (KCBS) – The cherry crop in the farm-rich city of Brentwood in east Contra Costa County is holding up, despite recent rain and cold weather.
But a continued cold stretch could set businesses back, as it will take longer for their crop to ripen.
KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:
That includes the Wolfe Ranch in Brentwood, which is currently open for business. The family-run ranch has been around since the mid-1930's and third generation farmer Cathy Wolfe said despite the cold stretch, she expects a good summer.
"From what I've seen in Brentwood and on our crop and from a lot of farmers' crops, they are a beautiful size and there's a lot of cherries out there," she said. "There's not a shortage of cherries this year."
Despite the optimism, Wolfe said more rain could put a damper on the season.
"Any rain that we get from this point could potentially be an issue," Wolfe said. "When you have green and pink cherries, they can handle a little moisture."
But she said that too much moisture can cause the cherries to split, meaning they'll have to be thrown away. Other farmers in the area have echoed Wolfe's sentiments agreeing that so far, the cherry crop is holding up to the wet weather.
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