Cold Snap Destroys Most Calif. Citrus
Pastor Dale Morgan
Cold Snap Destroys Most Calif. Citrus*
Tuesday January 16, 2007 1:16 AM
By MARCUS WOHLSEN
Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Three nights of freezing temperatures have
destroyed up to three-quarters of California's $1 billion citrus crop,
according to an estimate issued Monday as forecasters warned the weather
could continue.
Other crops, including avocados and strawberries, also have suffered
damage in the cold snap, agricultural officials said.
``This is one of those freezes that, unfortunately, we'll all
remember,'' said A.G. Kawamura, secretary of the California Department
of Food and Agriculture.
The latest freeze will likely surpass the damage done by a three-day
cold snap in December 1998 that destroyed 85 percent of California's
citrus crop, a loss valued at $700 million, Kawamura said.
Overnight temperatures dropped into the teens again early Monday in
parts of the San Joaquin Valley, where many of the state's oranges and
lemons are grown, according to the National Weather Service. The
subfreezing conditions came after a weekend of record lows.
Growers should expect the mercury to dip into the mid-20s until at least
Wednesday night, National Weather Service meteorologist Daniel Harty said.
``Even though it's slightly warmer, it's still dangerous for the citrus
crops,'' Harty said.
Citrus growers already have lost between 50 and 75 percent of their
crops, said Philip LoBue, a farmer and chairman of California Citrus
Mutual, a 2,000-member trade organization.
``When you're already cutting ice within the oranges, you know those are
gone,'' LoBue said.
Growers hastened to pick as much fruit as possible before the chilly
weather hit Friday, but an industry labor shortage meant much of the
$960 million crop went unharvested, LoBue said.
The full impact of the freeze would not be known until inspectors check
fruit for damage, agricultural officials said. In the meantime, fruit
packers were asked to keep produce harvested during the freeze on hold
for five days to monitor for quality problems and keep damaged fruit off
store shelves.
After a weeklong freeze in 1990, the industry took two years to recover,
said Joel Nelsen, president of California Citrus Mutual.
Pastor Dale Morgan
Cold Snap Destroys Most Calif. Citrus*
Jan 16, 7:59 PM (ET)
By MARCUS WOHLSEN