The weather is making it challenging for Central Coast farmers

The Central Coast skies have cleared for now, but the storms have left a few marks on the AG community. Farming is in full swing for many- but, the rain hasn’t made it easy.

You would think with all the rain we’ve had, it would be a dream come true for those who need it to make their crops grow. But Juan Gonzales, with Lakeside Organic Gardens, says when it happens all at once, “It’s just hard to get in there. Normally, say, I’d take broccoli. Broccoli is about 15 thousand pounds per acre, you use a machine to get in there, but during the wet months, you’ve got to get in there and do it by hand.”

And that doesn’t just take longer, but also drives up labor costs. The rain isn’t just taking a hit on the business side of things, either. “It yellows all the plants… so our lettuces aren’t coming in as strong,” says Gonzales.

With the sun finally showing it’s face for a few days, the workers are taking advantage of it. They are catching up and tending to the crops. But this morning, there was yet another challenge.

Antonio Merino is worker in the field, he says, “It was too cold, my harvest crew called me to not come in early.”

This morning’s frost had the crew on standby, with all the plants nearly frozen. And before Merino and the rest of the crew can start work, they have to wait for the plants thaw out first.

Lakeside Organic Gardens say this type of activity happens in the wintertime, so it’s not catching them off-guard.