USA: Strawberry fields flooded in California’s Central Coast communities

Published Mar 21, 2023

Tridge summary

A broken levee in the Pajaro river has caused significant flooding in California's Watsonville and Salinas areas, affecting around one-third of the state's strawberry production. The incident has disrupted thousands of residents and hundreds of acres of strawberry farms, with the extent of plant recovery unknown. The incident is part of a series of extreme weather events California has faced this winter, following years of drought. The flooding has also impacted other crops and led to job losses for farmworkers. Driscoll's, a major company in the area, has supported the community by raising funds for essentials and providing financial aid to local organizations. Additionally, record rainfall in Southern California's Oxnard, a key strawberry-growing region, has caused damage to current fruit production and raised concerns for decay issues.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

A broken levee is having a huge impact on California's farming communities in the Watsonville and Salinas areas. This region is estimated to grow about one-third of California's strawberries. A levee that ruptured in the nearby Pajaro river last Friday caused more than 8,000 people to evacuate and flooded hundreds of acres of strawberries. It is estimated about a fifth of California strawberry farms in the Watsonville and Salinas areas have been flooded. At this point, it is unknown if the plants will be able to recover. In the Pajaro Valley, strawberries were planted last fall, which means the berries would have hit stores this summer. The wet fields are hard to imagine as California farmers have been impacted by drought for many years. However, this winter, the state has witnessed everything from intense rain storms to snow storms and flooding. While strawberries are a key crop in this area, other crops like lettuce and other greens are also impacted. Photo credit: Driscoll's ...

Source: Hortidaily