Winter Rains Put Damper on Harvest in O.C.

The winter rains that flooded streets, buried cars in mud and washed houses down hillsides also brought headaches for Orange County farmers.

So many harvesting days were lost to bad weather that the peak strawberry season has been pushed back a full month--into mid-April. The dampness also forced heavy use of costly chemicals to kill molds and fungi.

The weather interrupted the avocado harvest, too, and damaged locally grown produce such as bell peppers, leaf lettuce and celery.

Strawberries have been “devastated” by the rain, said Larry Simmons, president of State Wide Sales Co., which farms 250 acres along the Santa Ana River. “We should be right at our peak,” he said, “but we’ve thrown away 60% of the berries that we would have harvested to this point.”

The berries have been damaged by rot and their skins pelted and broken by rain. “We’ll have berries for Easter,” Simmons said, “but they’re not as pretty as if we had had 75-degree days.”

Though Simmons and other local berry growers are reporting fruit losses, the yield through the end of March was 1.3 million trays, compared to 1.2 million trays on the same date last year. Part of the reason is that more acres have been devoted to strawberries this year, said Teresa Thorne of the state Strawberry Advisory Board in Watsonville. In Orange County, she said, 2,128 acres are planted in berries this year, compared to 1,971 last year.

Strawberries are selling for $1.49 to $1.79 a pint in grocery stores, about the same as last spring, which also was rainy. In a more typical year, prices would be as low as 79 cents a pint.

Retail prices for other produce, though, are up considerably. Green bell peppers are selling for $1.29 a pound, contrasted with 69 cents last year. Leaf lettuce is 89 cents a bunch, up from 69 cents. And celery prices are as high as they have been in 20 years: $1.19 a stalk.

The reason, grocers say, is that much of the crop has been drenched and rotted by the rain. Supply is down, so prices are up.

Matthew Kawamura, vice president of sales for Western Marketing in Fullerton, said celery growers are receiving $12 for each 60-pound box, contrasted with about $6 last year.

Other factors beside the weather are involved. Fewer local growers planted celery this year, and Hurricane Andrew last year delayed the Florida crop long enough to provide a window of opportunity for Southern California growers, said State Wide’s Simmons, whose firm ships celery for Sakioka farms in Santa Ana.

Also, Florida celery was hit in December by black heart disease, a rot that radiates from the center of the stalk.

Orange County growers usually combine so-called row crops such as celery with strawberries, which can turn a profit on a small patch of land when other crops cannot. High celery prices this year do not quite make up for the loss in strawberries.

“They say we’re recession-proof and that everyone has to eat,” Simmons said. “But they don’t have to eat the higher-priced produce. They can stick to onions and potatoes.”

Two products for which prices have actually fallen are avocados and Orange County’s biggest cash crop: ornamental plants and trees.

In spite of a late avocado harvest, prices are much lower. Last year, avocados rarely sold for less than $1 apiece at grocery stores. Now, shoppers are picking up three or four for $1.

That’s because the 1993 crop is huge, said Alan Reynolds, orchard manager for Treasure Farms on the Irvine Ranch property. That means lower prices--a benefit for consumers, if not for farmers.

Last year’s rain and warm temperatures nurtured this year’s crop, which was in bloom a year ago, Reynolds said. Another factor is that Ventura County’s trees have recovered from a crippling 1991 frost.

Ornamentals, too, have felt mostly benefits from the heavy rains, despite some fungus and rot. Because the seven-year drought is now over, plants such as roses and privet that must be watered regularly are selling well.

“Demand is steady, but it’s not overwhelming,” said Lynn Strohsahl, owner of Bordier’s Nursery in Irvine.

Nursery stock and cut flowers grown in Orange County fetched $141 million at the market in 1991, the latest year for which figures are available. That compared to $44 million for strawberries, which were No. 2, and $24 million for Valencia oranges, No. 3. Avocados, which rank fourth, brought in $22.6 million.

Retail prices for ornamentals have fallen for the past two years, said Candy Gruber, vice president of merchandising for Armstrong Garden Centers Inc. in Glendora. She blamed the decline in home-building--and thus the need for landscaping--during the recession and water restrictions during the drought.

The effect of the recent rain on the Valencia harvest, which just began, is not clear yet. Reynolds of Treasure Farms, which grows avocados and Valencia oranges, predicts a good season. The quality of navel oranges picked in March, the end of that season, was poor, he noted. That, he said, will likely increase demand for high-quality, fresh Valencias.

Rains’ Impact

Late-winter storms that drenched Southern California delayed harvesting and affected the quality and yield of some crops. The result for consumers: Some products are priced higher than last year, some lower. Market prices for the region’s top cash crops:

Retail price Crop 1992 1993 Strawberries (pint) $1.49 $1.49 Valencia oranges (pound) 0.59 0.59 Avocados (each) 1.00 0.25-0.35 Green bell peppers (pound) 0.69 1.29 Celery (stalk) 0.79 1.19 Nursery stock, cut flowers Rosebush $9.99 $9.99 Lily of the Nile $3.25 $2.49 Privet $3.89 $2.99

Note: Figures are for Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Diego counties

Sources: Orange County agricultural commissioner, California Avocado Commission, California Strawberry Advisory Board, Armstrong Garden Centers Inc., California Assn. of Nurserymen