Extreme heat takes a toll on summer crops in the Central Valley

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Joe del Bosque of del Bosque Farms produces melons connected the westbound broadside of the San Joaquin Valley.

He says the vigor is taking a toll connected workplace workers and his summertime crops.

“These fruits, well, you know, they're not made successful a factory, truthful you can't spell retired determination and say, marque me, you know, a 1000 boxes. the works has to marque them, and that, you know, that's similar parent nature," helium said. “Anytime it gets implicit 103 oregon 104, it tin airs a batch of challenges for us.”

bosque says that excessive vigor tin airs the aforesaid threats to his melon crops arsenic vigor does to humans.

“When it gets highly hot, and if the foliage doesn't clasp up, they tin get sunburned,” helium said.

Certain measures are taken to assistance combat the issue.

“All of our fields person drip irrigation truthful we tin crook the h2o connected and springiness them a small spot of h2o conscionable to support them, support them up,” Del Bosque said.

But still, helium says sometimes the crops can’t beryllium salvaged.

Besides taking a toll connected the crops, the vigor also takes its toll connected workers. If conditions go excessively extreme, he’ll nonstop the unit location early.

“Sometimes if that happens excessively galore days successful a enactment and we get down connected our harvest, we tin really suffer immoderate of our crops.”

This causes issues for market stores similar Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's, who banal his fruit.

“If radical are buying melons, they privation to person melons connected the shelves and they privation america to get them, get the melons picked and sent to them,” helium said.

He says this is simply a task that is sometimes conscionable not doable.

“It's a situation to conscionable demands similar that erstwhile you person blistery days and you person to halt picking early.”