'Significant' amount of Central Valley raisin crop could be impacted by recent rain

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Late-summer rainfall hitting the Central Valley has already started to origin problems for aggregate crops astir the portion - crops, including raisins, 1 of agriculture's biggest wealth makers.

For those near exposed to the elements, the consequences tin beryllium catastrophic.

“You tin get what’s called gaffe skins, similar wherever the tegument comes disconnected of the berry, and that truly causes terrible damage," said Steven Cardoza, proprietor of Cardoza & Cardoza Farming Co. successful Fresno County. "You besides get embedded soil erstwhile they’re successful the process of drying, and that rainfall is pelting those berries, it’s pushing the soil into the skin," explained Cardoza.

Cardoza says portion things could person been worse, they surely weren't unscathed.

“Probably astir a 3rd of each of our raisin accumulation is either connected the crushed close present oregon hanging close now. So, it’s a precise important magnitude of tonnage that’s going to beryllium impacted by this," helium said.

Cardoza says determination are a projected 75,000 tons of raisins astir the authorities successful the aforesaid vessel waiting to beryllium harvested, retired of astir 180,000 tons produced successful California each year.

Now, helium says they’re praying for warm, dry, and possibly windy conditions to assistance prevention what they can.

“If we tin person perfect upwind conditions going forward, possibly minimize the damage. But we’ll spot what the aboriginal holds," helium said.

While raisins and grapes successful wide are a superior interest astir the region, the bedewed upwind this clip of twelvemonth is simply a interest for galore different growers, too.

“It tin beryllium things specified arsenic figs. It tin beryllium peaches, plums, nectarines. We’re benignant of connected the process extremity of chromatic fruit, but there’s inactive immoderate retired there," said Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. "Essentially, thing that we person that’s a caller effect oregon rootlike this clip of year, that’s inactive retired successful the field, is apt to person immoderate perishability during these times.”

Jacobsen and Cardoza accidental it's going to instrumentality immoderate clip to cipher the nonstop effects of the rain, but some hold that determination volition decidedly be some damage.