Information Sourced from the USDA
Weather
Average low temperatures for California ranged from 31 to 56 in the mountains, 44 to 61 along the coast, 45 to 74 in the desert, and 50 to 69 in the Central Valley. Average high temperatures for the state ranged from 47 to 81 in the mountains, 54 to 90 along the coast, 73 to 99 in the Central Valley, and 74 to 100 in the desert.
From the California Department of Water Resources, the snowpack water content in the Northern Sierra was 24.30 inches compared to 1.70 inches this date last year; Central
Sierra was 31.60 inches compared to 1.00 inches on this date last year; Southern Sierra was 22.70 inches compared to 0.00 inches on this date last year.
Field Crops
In the northern mountains, growers began cutting some grass hay. In the Sacramento Valley, rice planting remained behind schedule compared to previous years. Wheat was drying down. In the San Joaquin Valley, alfalfa, wheat, and oats were cut, dried, and baled. Wheat and oat silage harvests neared completion. Corn for silage and cotton continued to be planted. Corn and sudangrass fields were sprayed for weeds. In Southern California, wheat straw was harvested.
Fruit Crops
Grape buds continued to open and leaf out. Some bloom clusters were present. Grapes were
sprayed for weeds and mildew. Stone fruits including plums and nectarines continued to develop. Apricots and early peach varieties were harvested. Peaches for processing were treated for phytophthora and nematodes. Valencia orange harvest continued while the Navel orange harvest was wrapping up. Lemons, grapefruit, and mandarins continued to be picked and packed. Seedless varieties of mandarins were netted to prevent pollination. Kiwi growers placed bee apiaries in groves as kiwi vines started to leaf out and bloom. Dates continued to ripen. Cherry harvest began. Olives were treated for nematodes. Blueberries and strawberries continued to be picked.
Nut Crops
The weather became more stable, allowing growers to catch up on fertilizing and weeding orchards. Many growers treated their orchards for Navel Orangeworm and other pests. Pistachios, walnuts, and pecans continued to mature. More walnut orchards were removed. Some pistachio growers started small plant bug treatments to protect nutlets from damage. Almond meat fill was almost complete in some areas. Almonds were treated for nematodes.
Vegetables
Asparagus harvest came closer to completion in the Capay Valley. Cherry tomato harvest delay continued in the Sacramento Valley. In Tulare County, sweet corn, eggplant, okra, onions, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, and garlic continued to grow. The transplanting of tomato and sweet potato fields continued in Stanislaus County.
Livestock
Rangeland grasses and forbs began to dry out in some locations. Foothill rangeland and non-irrigated pasture were in good to excellent condition. Bees were active in kiwi vineyards and melon fields. Cattle grazed on lower elevation range as snowy and wet conditions persisted in higher range. Sheep grazed on fallow fields, retired farmland, and some locations needing fuel reduction for fire prevention.
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