CALIFORNIA, USA — As the harvest of fall fruits and vegetables begins, the drought and high labor costs have combined to put the squeeze on California farmers.
Farmer David Vierra on Wednesday could be seen prepping his pumpkin patch for visitors when it opens over the weekend. Vierra said his crop of pumpkins needed roughly twice as much water as usual this year.
"Everybody is cutting acres next year. As far as the fresh produce is concerned, that’s the talk," Vierra said.
Though Vierra says he is fortunate to have the water he needs to continue producing, what's putting the squeeze on his operation is the high cost of labor.
"Farmers look at their bottom line and say, 'I don't see how this pencils out with high costs of labor," said UC Davis professor and agricultural economist Daniel Sumner.
Sumner said farmers across the state are not just struggling to pay increasing wages, but to find workers in the first place.
"You really need people who know what they're doing out in the fields, and it's hard to find folks, particularly at a wage that farmers feel like they can afford to pay," Sumner said.
Vierra says the lack of labor and the the cost of labor are taking its toll.
"It’s getting so expensive. Especially in your hand harvest, which is most produce," Vierra said.
Vierra and Sumner agree that down the line, higher production costs could eventually be passed down to the consumer.
"So don't complain if your jack-o-lantern is an extra 50 cents or so this year," Sumner said.
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