Avocado growers in San Luis Obispo County, California, are counting their losses following a cold, dry winter, according to local agriculture experts.
Groves in Morro Bay and along the county’s North Coast have been hardest hit, with losses adding up to 60-70 per cent of the entire crop. The freeze was so severe that the fruiting wood - which creates the crop for 2008 - was also damaged. Avocado farms may not recover fully until 2009.
In 2005, avocados brought in more than $7.5 million to the county, according to the annual Agriculture Report.
In the more southern regions of Arroyo Grande and Nipomo, lemon orchards have lost as much as 50 per cent of this year’s crop. “Our young fruit is a complete loss,” said Todd Talley of Talley Farms, a 1,500-acre plot in Arroyo Grande. He estimated the family farm would lose $150,000 in revenue this year, and predicted the freeze would have a larger knock-on effect in the county.
“With fewer fruit and crops to harvest, we will have less work for our employees,” Talley said. “With less income, they’ll spend less in the local economy.”
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