Drought expected to disrupt California’s olive harvest

The 2014 California table olive forecast is 50,000 tons, down 45 percent from last year’s crop of 91,000 tons, according to a survey conducted by the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The California table olive crop is down due to a variety of setbacks after last year’s harvest, including a hard freeze in December, another freeze and wind during bloom, and the lack of water to allow the crop to fully produce.

Some growers were not even sure they would harvest what they had due to lack of sufficient production or the lack of labor. The southern growing areas in particular have been impacted by the drought.

There were 306 growers sampled for the survey. Reports from 172 were used to establish this forecast. The sample is designed to provide a State estimate of all varieties; estimates by variety are less precise.

(Photo: UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources)

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