Cold overnight temperatures not a concern for crops, yet

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- An Accuweather Freeze Warning is in effect for parts of the Central Valley Monday night.

While cold temperatures are coming, they're not quite cold enough to raise concerns for farmers, at least not at this point in the season.

"When it comes to our greatest susceptibility on the blossom side, so when it's in bud but not open yet, those can definitely withstand the coldest temperatures," said Ryan Jacobsen, Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO.

"And that's kind of where we are right now. Somewhere in the 30 to 29 for short durations of time should not be problematic at all."

Jacobson said those same temperatures could become more of a problem for crops like almonds, peaches, and plums if they return later.

"There are flowers out there, but we're looking at, typically, less than 5% of the orchard opening up. But a week from now, you start having these temperatures, becomes a lot more of a risk," said Jacobsen.

Jacobsen said blossoms are most susceptible right after pollination when the fruit or nut is very small.

When it comes to vegetables, he said it takes even colder temperatures to cause damage.

"We're probably realistically looking down at 28 being really problematic," said Jacobsen. "You typically don't sustain too much damage when you get down to 30. It all boils down to both temperature and time. If you're just dipping down right before sunrise and then going right back up, very minimal damage."

Jacobsen said the damage is more severe when below-freezing temperatures last more than six hours.

For smaller farmers who might experience severe impacts from weather, The Asian Business Institute and Resource Center offers grants and other resources to help growers overcome hardship, including the California Underserved and Small Producers Program.

"That program is designed to help farmers who have been negatively impacted by the drought," said Danny Vang, Asian Business Institute and Resource Center. "They also actually just released a new program that is geared towards extreme weather and other impacts, and that includes natural disasters, such as flood, rain, and even freeze."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization started a crop buyback program to help farmers who were struggling to sell their produce.

ABIRC still offers a scaled-back version of the program.

While the cold isn't too much of a concern, Jacobsen said he is hopeful the upcoming rain can help with our watersheds and snowpack since we had a historically dry January.

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