Crop Reports · October 2026 Edition · Oct 26

Post-Harvest Work Continues as Growers Wait on Rain

Most of the Valley has finished harvesting, and attention has turned to post-harvest nutrition, weed control and soil work. Late wine grapes are still coming off, citrus growers are wrapping up thrips sprays, and nearly everyone is watching the forecast: the next rain will set the timing for copper and pre-emergence work. Here’s what our PCAs are seeing out in the fields.

  • Grapes: Several late wine-grape fields are still being harvested and should finish as weather allows. In vineyards where boron levels ran low, growers are applying boron and fertilizer after harvest. Fields with heavier red blotch are expected to get leaf-removal treatments in the next few weeks. Vineyards that turned weedy after harvest are getting herbicide work now, and untreated fields are expected to get winter weed control after the first rain.

  • Soil and Salts: Soil tests from the West Kerman, Southwest Kerman and Pixley areas are showing elevated sodium and salt levels. The focus in those fields is on leaching and gypsum-based amendment programs.

  • Citrus: Growers are finishing thrips sprays, with the last few applications wrapping up this week. Copper is already being delivered to some ranches, but most applications are being held until rain washes the dust off the trees. Follow-up copper and fungicide timing will depend on rain, fog and weather patterns. Pre-emergence programs will start once there’s enough steady rain. In the Bakersfield area, lemon production is expected to be light after heat damage, and citrus sizing is uncertain after this summer’s heat waves.

  • Pistachios: Harvest is done in the Bakersfield area, and yields have varied widely from block to block. Prices remain weak, and growers have moved on to post-harvest fertilizer and strip spraying.

  • Berries: Berry prices are running around $13 per box, while labor and production costs remain high, putting growers under financial pressure.

  • Alfalfa: Prices have held relatively steady, which has supported some additional planting.

  • Water: Friant-Kern Canal deliveries are being reduced, and water will be cut off to growers on November 1. Growers are using the remaining days to irrigate and to fertilize through their irrigation systems where it makes sense.

  • Labor: Labor costs are extremely high, with H-2A wages reported at close to $30 per hour. In one case, a grower canceled an 800-acre winter strawberry planting because of labor conditions.

Rain is expected to bring about half an inch to some areas and up to an inch near the coast. When it comes, it will kick off copper and pre-emergence work across the Valley; a dry winter would make things harder and raise the risk of freeze damage. Our team will keep watching conditions as fall turns into winter.

Questions about how this applies to your fields? Reach out to your GAR PCA, or call us at (559) 638-6311. Follow us on LinkedIn for the full report.