Drought and dry weather conditions have been making it more difficult than usual for Coastside farmers to grow crop yields common in prior years. Complicating the situation, the downturn in the economy is causing something of an anxious stir among the coastal farming community. For some, the prospect of profit has taken a backseat to ensuring that the ends meet.
With pumpkin season on the horizon, the long-awaited time of year when many local growers see the bulk of their business, farmers are keeping their fingers crossed when it comes to the pumpkin crop and turnout for the annual festival.
 A small green pumpkin grows in a Half Moon Bay field farmed by the Giusti family while workers harvest leeks in the background. |
Even with a decrease in watering due to the drought, pumpkins can grow plump and heavy by absorbing moisture from the fog. The problem, however, is that the Coastside has been seeing more blue sky than normal in recent weeks.
“If it can stay cool we’ll be OK,” local farmer Hank Pastorino said. “But we’ve had more heat this season than we have before. Warm weather gets (pumpkins) to be a nice crop, but with less watering there can be an issue.”
Pastorino said that he thinks the warm weather cycles will likely continue to increase through November and could have grim implications for future growing seasons.
“We are concerned that this year and a few more years like this could have an adverse effect on crops in Half Moon Bay,” Pastorino said. “If we had to cut back on water usage one more time then it would hurt, but we’re not there yet. I’m trying to stay positive. The pumpkins have been good before and they’ll be good again.”
Pastorino said he is looking on the bright side to keep things in perspective.
“I don’t think we’ve hit doomsday yet, but we’ll probably have to make some changes,” he said. “The pumpkins should be OK this year — they look very, very good.”
Other farmers, in response to the drought and in anticipation of diminished consumer spending, have invested in family-oriented seasonal festivities and less in actually growing crops.
“To say that (this year’s drought) has interrupted quite a bit of farming is an understatement,” said Chris Gounalakis, owner of Arata Pumpkin Farm and a veteran of Coastside pumpkin patches. “Lots of people have done away with their horses and cattle — they can’t feed them or water them. Farmers are being hit in all directions. This year, due to the price increase (of hay), we’re going to end up paying double what we paid last year for straw.”
Over the past few years, in light of the changing atmospheric and economic climates, Gounalakis has refocused his business on family recreation — his locally famous hay labyrinth, for example — as opposed to crop production.
“Pumpkins are more of a luxury,” he said. “People don’t really depend on them for food, but farmers depend on them around here for money. We’re in a peculiar predicament here (because) we have an audience that’s been coming for years, so no matter what, we’ll probably sell the same amount of pumpkins. But some people aren’t in that position.”
Planting alternative crops requiring less water is also a possibility for struggling farmers looking to re-coup expenses next year if weather conditions persist. Potential substitute crops include sprouts, fava beans, peas and artichokes. But for farmers dependent on the hoopla surrounding pumpkins, Gounalakis raises a valid point:
“What can take the place of a pumpkin? I can’t think of anything,” he said. r
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