“It hurts, but that’s farming.” Lambert also cited excessive summer heat and wildfire smoke as likely stressing his orchards. “In general, I am down at least 50% in my Tangos,” he said. Grower Mark Lambert of Exeter is experiencing the impacts. Several days of record summer heat caused many trees to drop what little fruit was forming. In 2020, average fruit set was 945 pieces of fruit per tree and an average fruit size of 1.488 inches in diameter.Īccording to this report, the lower fruit set is due to significant pruning and fruit drop in many of the sampled orchards. Results showed an average of 290 pieces of fruit per tree and average fruit size of 1.363 inches in diameter. Murcott mandarin trees-which produce the kid-approved citrus marketed under names such as Cuties and Halos-set an enormous crop, which is one of the contributing factors to the light crop for 2021.Ī National Agricultural Statistics Service survey in multiple California counties revealed smaller fruit sizes. The same holds true for the mandarin crop. It is definitely a shorter crop this year, and what we’re seeing from the field is that it will continue to be a shorter season.” Sun Pacific navel and Cara Cara field manager Gus Carranza said, “We’re going to have the opposite of last year. But whenever there is a heavier crop, Creamer said, it is naturally followed by a lighter crop. Shippers extended the market well into August in an effort to sell as much of the crop as possible. “When your fruit is not picked at all, the following year’s crop is down significantly.”Īccording to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Navel Orange Objective Measurement Report, 4% of last season’s crop was not picked or sold. “There were a lot of (navel) growers who still had fruit on the tree at the end of the year,” said Citrus Mutual president Casey Creamer. Yet several weeks into the season, the marketing committee for the California Citrus Mutual trade association predicted the navel crop will be down 20%, and the mandarin crop will drop as much as 45% from the 2020-21 season. On the bright side, a steady, manageable supply of fresh citrus is ready for consumers wanting healthy, vitamin C-packed fruit.
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