Local strawberry farmer feels the impacts of Valentine’s Day

ROYAL OAKS, Calif. (KION-TV)- Strawberry production is on the rise across the state, and many farmers breathing a sigh of relief after flooding put a hold on working in the AG industry.

Strawberries are a key ingredient in California.

According to the California Strawberry Commission, 90% of strawberries in the U.S. Come from the Golden State during peak season.

However, that peak season is being pushed back a few weeks because of the weather.

Staff at JSM Organics say one of the hardest parts of the job is dealing with unpredictable weather.

"Because of the rain and, the really cold nights, things are getting a little stunted. They're not growing much outside, so it's kind of put in a little bit of a delay when it comes to harvesting time," said Javier Zamora, JSM Organics owner.

Zamora says he lost 60% of his crop during last year's storms and is still recovering.

"That's over $1.2 million for a small farm," said Zamora. "I'd like to speak with you and it's just crazy."

According to the California Strawberry Commission, most of the strawberries you'll see at local stores are coming from the Oxnard area.

The behind-the-scenes work to have locally grown strawberries available for Mother's Day is going well so far.

"The rain helps to mix the soil and get rid of some of the salt that's in the, in the ground. And so right now the rain is a good thing," said Jeff Cardinale, Director of Communication for the California Strawberry Commission. "That will change of course if the rain continues much further into you know, the calendar year."

In the photo below show stats from 2022 to 2024 on strawberry production in California.

Shipments decreased significantly from 2022 to 2023 by about 3 million. But are slowly coming back up this year compared to last year by about 1.3 million.

Despite the weather being more favorable, farmers have another battle is inflation.

"The cost of production and labor is just off the roof? I believe the end consumer is going to start seeing higher prices, more than what you have already seen," said Zamora.

97 cents of every dollar generated in the strawberry industry goes right back to the communities they serve, most importantly to the field workers who are invaluable to the industry.

Harvesting time in the Watsonville area will start in April.