Farmer of the Month: Vince Bernard of Bernard Ranch

It may be powerful to get a farmer on the cellphone throughout their busiest season. However when The FruitGuys known as Vince Bernard of Bernard Ranch to examine in on how his household farm in Riverside, CA, was doing, he was glad to talk about the whole lot from his specialty citrus crops to his farm’s continued restoration from the pandemic.

“The Kishu mandarins are simply completely phenomenal, and that season goes to be over in a month — it’s simply that fast!” he informed us.

The Tiny, Tasty Kishu

Kishu mandarins are tiny walnut-sized citrus fruits. They arrived in California by the use of Japan in 1983. A single Kishu makes a scrumptious one-bite snack, but it surely’s exhausting to withstand consuming them by the handful. Vince mentioned:

“It’s cute as may be. The little sections come off actually simply and the flavour is magnificent. It’s mild, delicate, and candy. It bursts in your mouth like a bit of snow cone!”

Kishus are seedless and really easy to peel {that a} baby can do it.

“Moms actually like them for his or her littler youngsters,” Vince mentioned. “You’d be amazed what number of moms say, ‘That is superior! My little 5-year-old gobbles them up 3 or 4 at a time and I don’t even must peel them.’”

Kishus have a brief blink-and-you’ll-miss-it season. Bernard’s citrus harvest retains rolling from there with crops like blood oranges and their well-known heirloom Cara Cara navel oranges, which The FruitGuys typically provides to its fruit packing containers. Vince’s voice glows when he talks about his fruit — however ask what it’s prefer to farm in California proper now and his tone turns grim.

Water Worries In Citrus Paradise

In 2020, Bernard Ranch’s gross sales fell nearly 70% resulting from COVID-19 restaurant and farmers market closures. Vince needed to tear out 500 of his citrus timber so he may afford to water the remainder. (You would possibly do not forget that The FruitGuys additionally bought 10-pound baggage of Vince’s oranges to assist him attain a bigger market.) Right this moment, Vince mentioned most of his restaurant and farmers’ market enterprise is again, however water stays a major problem. He informed FruitGuys that the difficulty is twofold: It’s costly and there isn’t sufficient of it. 

As of January 2024, Riverside County isn’t at present experiencing a drought in response to the Nationwide Built-in Drought Data System. However greater than 5 years of utmost drought have already created fierce competitors for the western area’s water. Californians are going through depleted aquifers and strain to cut back water use from the Colorado River. 

For farmers like Vince, this has manifested in steep irrigation charge will increase, typically twice a yr, from Western Municipal Water District and Valley Heart Municipal Water District with “no reduction in sight.” 

In Could 2023, California, Arizona, and Nevada agreed to cut back their water use from the Colorado River by 13% by way of 2026. Cal Issues reported that “Growers within the Imperial Valley [which includes Imperial and Riverside counties] are anticipated to climate the majority of California’s cuts.” 

“I haven’t been capable of decelerate,” mentioned Vince, noting that he’s nonetheless working 20-hour days, similar to he did through the COVID-19 disaster. “We’ve actually been addressing this water problem, desperately making an attempt to get some water out of the bottom and doing any and the whole lot to avoid wasting the long-term development [of our trees]. … If we don’t get extra water and extra assist getting water from our federal authorities and state authorities, you’re actually telling individuals, ‘You possibly can’t develop fruit right here, you possibly can’t develop your meals right here. You’re going to must develop it in different components of the world.’” 

Vince can be having hassle sourcing younger citrus timber from native nurseries due to a federal quarantine of the Asian citrus psyllid — a disease-carrying invasive pest that threatens California citrus.

Shiny Spots on The Farm

There may be some excellent news on the farm, too. Vince is hopeful that his son, AJ Bernard — who has been working with him on the farm for years — will take over the groves sooner or later. Within the meantime, Vince and his spouse Vicky love connecting with their common prospects on the many farmers markets they attend, together with the recently-added Campbell Farmers Market. 

Markets are “simply nice social time, and it feels significant to develop fruit and watch individuals you already know consuming your fruit,” Vince mentioned. 

Vince additionally turns to his tractor when instances get powerful. When FruitGuys final visited Bernard Ranch, he informed us that tractor rides are his model of remedy.

How You Can Assist Household Farmers Like Vince

For those who’d like to assist household farmers like Vince, contemplate investing in contemporary fruit supply from The FruitGuys. We supply from greater than 200 small, regional farms and producers throughout the U.S. together with Bernard Ranch. It’s also possible to assist organizations like The FruitGuys Group Fund, a nonprofit that gives annual grants to small farms for sustainability initiatives together with water conservation.