Crews for Joe DelBosque Farms harvested cherries under a bright, California sun the last day of April. This year’s cherry crop looked good, and was not the crop failure many growers experienced last year.

As with other crops, cherries were a bit early this year. Bloom was good and the weather generally cooperated.

Rain that fell on Central California the weekend before harvest did hurt the crop.

DelBosque farms permanent crops, including almonds and cherries. He also has a limited amount of melons in the heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Water is tight this year for California farmers. To say every drop counts is an understatement. 

DelBosque’s name may sound familiar as he hosted President Obama early last year as growers faced unprecedented cutbacks of irrigation water from state and federal sources.

He also serves on the California Water Commission, which will soon decide how to allocate the $2.7 billion portion of the California Water Bond for storage projects.