Specialty crop growers in California say they dodged a bullet with Tropical Storm Hilary.
The tropical storm brought historic rainfall and wind to producers, but one orchard producer is optimistic they will be ‘okay’. He says the damage to his dates was muted because the fruit is in early ripening state and less susceptible to splitting.
However, if the storm would have come a few weeks later, the impact would have been devastating not only for him, but also for celery and artichoke producers.
The tropical storm relieved almost all drought for those Golden State producers this week! However, we know farmers are still dealing with flooding, mud and rock slides from that event.
Farm country across the Midwest and the South have deteriorated rapidly in dryness due to lack of rain and this current heat wave. During the past two weeks, average temperatures have been six to ten degrees above normal across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi, leading to severe impacts to cattle, crops and pastures.
