California Citrus Growers Brace For Disaster As Freeze Lingers

[Herman Munster]

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=state&id=4894541

1/13/07 - California citrus growers braced for potential disaster Saturday as temperatures across the state dropped to record lows that forecasters predicted could linger until the middle of next week.

Temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley, where much of the state's nearly $1 billion citrus crop is grown, dropped into the teens overnight as growers burned fires, sprayed warm irrigation water and ran giant fans to keep cold air away from their oranges, lemons and tangerines.

"I'm hanging in there trying to survive," said grower Ron Turner, 52, of Exeter, who estimated he had lost about 20 percent of his 400-acre crop to the cold so far.

"Overall, I don't think it was a catastrophe last night," the Tulare County farmer said Saturday. "But how this thing plays out in the next few days is going to be the key."

Forecasters predicted the cold spell that began Friday would last through Monday morning for most of the state, but rural areas could see freezing temperatures until Wednesday.

A three-day freeze in December 1998 destroyed 85 percent of California's citrus crop, a loss valued at $700 million.

[tularetom]

1. We have a very small citrus orchard - less than 1 acre

and we haven't slept in 2 days. We've had relatives and neighbors picking oranges and lemons all day, We gave most of them to the people that helped and the rest will go to local food projects. It was 24 in our orchard last night and we are a couple hundred feet above the cold sinks where most of the commercial citrus crop is grown on the east side of the valley.

[Scout1071]

2. What about grapes and the wine biz?

[Webster Green]

3. I don't think the vines care much about a little freeze...

The harvest is done, and most vines have been pruned and tied.

[Scout1071]

4. Beeeeeeeautiful.

Obviously, I'm unfamiliar with the process, but quite familiar with the end result. :)

[BrotherBuzz]

5. This season's grapes have been harvested...

and the vines are totally dormant right now. The real threat to grapes is a freeze later in the spring when the vines awaken and the small buds are at risk.