The rainy winter in California was perfect for snow cover in the mountains as well as rain runoff during the spring and summer. But, colder temperatures has pushed the harvesting of stone fruits to a couple of weeks behind and it is anticipated that production will fall by around 30. “Rain on the day of bloom did not make the best pollination conditions and resulted in a decline in the amount of fruit produced,” says Magnus Olson who runs Olson Family Farms. Olson Family Farms grows a variety of kinds of stone fruits that are organic which include nectarines, peaches Apricots, plums, and apricots and the majority of kinds have seen their production go down nearly one third in the current season.

^{Different nectarine varieties.}

More uniform and larger in size

Although the volume has decreased, Olson is extremely satisfied about the quality of his product. “In the months of June and May the weather was ideal. The combination of moderate temps during the day, and cool temperatures in the evening ensured that the fruit flourished. Sometimes, the fruit gets too hot and early however, not this year. Because of these circumstances, the fruit has increased in size and also is more evenly distributed. The rains arrived earlier in the process that they did not hamper the fruits. Actually, the rainy weather has enhanced the quality,” he added.

^{Magnus Olson and his father.}

Pricey

“Because stone fruit became readily available at the grocery store two weeks later, customers were waiting with anticipation and the it has been a very popular item,” Olson shared. The result is that pricing has gone up and more expensive prices have held longer than previously. The beginning of July the price of a pound of peaches is between $28 and $33. At at the same time in the past, a box cost between $22 and $27. Higher prices aid in the cost of labor and other price increases. Although demand remains high, Olson Family Farms is capable of meeting every customer’s requirements.

“Record rains and snowfalls due to winter storms are an immense blessing. The snow in the mountains is essential,” said Olson. “As the result, we’re being able to utilize surface water this year, instead of pumping groundwater.” In times that were dry, the Olson farm was sometimes without amount of water allocated and relied upon groundwater to irrigate for the whole season. The last time it was 4 weeks. However, 2023 is expected to see a complete year of service water. “I cannot recall the last time we had surface water that helped us get through the whole season, but I think it probably was in the early 2000s.”

“All is said and done this is a great blessing for an year. If it had been more in line with the normal, it could be one of the best years of my life,” he finished.

The winter that was this one, Tulare Lake was formed in response to record amount of rainfall. The lake is expected to store the water for more than one year.

The Olson family emigrated to Sweden in 1889, and later moved into the state of California’s Central Valley. They began with dried fruit then moved into the production of fresh stone fruit. The business was early adopters of organic farming, and for many years, their whole stone fruit harvest was organically cultivated. It is owned by a family and currently in its fifth generation.

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Magnus Olson

Olson Family Farms

Tel: (+1) 559-393-7225

www.olsonfamilyfarms.com