From the Fields - Peter Johnson


Peter Johnson

By Peter Johnson, Mendocino County winegrape and pear grower

 

Most ranches are trying to finish up with some pruning, and we are repairing equipment and getting ready for spring. We are also doing some frost protection.

Labor has not been a problem in the last few months, but it always is something that has to be addressed. There has been less and less skilled labor over the last few years. It is more difficult now with the added cost of overtime hours. This is a big change for a lot of ranches, which are trying to figure out how they are going to manage paying overtime or not paying overtime. That is something relatively new that I think everybody in the state is dealing with, and we are no exception.

The pear market was good this last year, so hopefully that will continue. The winegrape market is a little more of a question.

Farmers in our area are happy that we’re getting the rainfall that we have and are feeling confident about having good water supplies going into this season. It has been a great relief compared to the last couple of years, so I think we’re all feeling like it’s going to be a normal water year.

We’re having continued changes with California water regulations, specifically with groundwater protection agencies, so that is new for our area. There are still questions about how these regulations are going to be implemented in the future. At least water districts have some water to work with this year, so growers are happy about that.

Permission for use is granted. However, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation