In Lodi, California, farmworker Lorena Pérez Guzmán is grappling with an unprecedented harvest season.
As a single mother of two, Guzmán has relied on the predictable cycles of fruit and nut harvests to support her family.
However, this year has proven devastating; the cherry crop suffered its worst yield in decades, walnut harvests were disrupted by rodent infestations, and a significant portion of grape vines vanished without explanation.
In a remarkable turn of events, Guzmán finds herself scrambling for work amid a chaotic agricultural climate.
While she usually shifts from one crop to another, this year has been characterized by periods of frantic job searching as she faces new financial constraints in an era of rising grocery prices.
In the Central Valley, where half a million individuals labor in fields, the agricultural industry’s estimated worth of $50 billion is being challenged.
Farmworkers like Guzmán are finding themselves without consistent work due to failing crops while competition intensifies for the shrinking number of available positions.
Guzmán, an immigrant from Mexico with legal residency, faces a myriad of challenges beyond just weak harvests.
Climate change has wrought havoc on traditional harvest patterns, leaving farmworkers in uncertainty.
Unusual weather events this year, including torrential rains that disrupted cherry tree pollination and a warm winter that confused peach trees, have compounded the crop failures.
Moreover, some grape crops are now afflicted with a mold that threatens their viability.
María Zuñiga, who has worked in Central Valley fields for over a decade, began noticing alarming changes last year.
Climate-related disruptions have thrown off natural plant rhythms, leading to a cascading failure in crop yields.
This year’s cherry yield dropped 50% in the region, resulting in losses exceeding $100 million in San Joaquin County alone.
The county declared an emergency, prompting the California Department of Agriculture to intervene and purchase $3 million worth of dried cherries for distressed farmers.
The uncertain climate has forced seasonal workers like Zuñiga to pause their lives sporadically as they search for new job opportunities.
She noted the peach crop was not just a failure in terms of quantity but also quality; the fruits remained immature and watery when they finally matured.
Over recent years, heat spells have resulted in the deaths of farmworkers, with temperatures often climbing above 100 degrees during critical harvest periods.
In addition to climate issues, escalating costs are further squeezing the budgets of those reliant on farm labor.
Guzmán recalls that a typical grocery bill of $100 has skyrocketed to as high as $500.
With inflation, farmworkers strive to make ends meet, often compromising their diets to ensure their families have enough to eat.
The decline in wine grape sales is another blow to Central Valley farmworkers, as changing consumer tastes lead vineyard owners to abandon grapes in the field.
Adam Mettler, who manages a family farm in Lodi, shifted from growing grapes to almonds, only to find that this year’s almond crop also failed.
Mettler reports that the demand for wine grapes is at its lowest in 70 years, resulting in a disheartening 50% drop in the farm’s income.
Estéban, a tractor driver in the grape vineyards, reveals that he now must juggle multiple jobs for financial stability, a stark change from his previous years solely dedicated to fruit harvests.
“My work shifts are much longer now, spanning multiple locations, all just to scrape by,” he noted, reflecting a broader trend among farmworkers forced to adapt to a harsh economic climate.
Harvesting grapes demands exhaustive effort, with laborers waking before dawn and often working in challenging conditions.
While they are compensated per box of grapes picked, the fluctuating market prices introduce uncertainty into their earnings on a daily basis.
Oscar Hernández, a migrant worker, expressed frustration over the unpredictability of how much he will earn each day, highlighting the precariousness of farm work.
Amid these relentless challenges, some migrant workers, like Noé Gutiérrez, report being entirely sidelined with no work available this season.
With the family relying solely on Gutiérrez’s son, they are cutting costs amid less income and rising expenses.
At a previous cannery job, Gutiérrez noted that wages have decreased significantly from $20/hour to the current minimum wage of $16.50/hour.
He pointed to former President Donald Trump’s economic policies as contributing factors to their hardships.
While Gutiérrez received COVID-19 relief funding during Trump’s presidency, he sees the current economic environment as unsuccessful for farmworkers.
Retaliatory tariffs instituted during Trump’s first term devastated the almond industry, resulting in losses exceeding $875 million.
Gutiérrez and Zuñiga observe that some farmers have opted to abandon full crops due to insufficient budgets for harvesting and difficulty selling produce.
This year, many farmers have left fruit on trees, knowing they won’t be able to afford to hire workers to pick them.
Compounding these economic realities is a heightened culture of fear affecting farmworkers, often exacerbated by the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
María Consuelo Gutiérrez, a former farmworker now reliant on disability benefits, fears the consequences of being detained without proof of her residency status.
She lives in constant worry, only leaving her house for medical appointments.
Reports indicate that ICE agents have been seen near nearby medical facilities, heightening the anxiety within vulnerable communities, even if no arrests have been made.
Guzmán also shares similar fears about potential changes in immigration policies.
The prospect of returning to Mexico has instilled anxiety about not being allowed to return to her children or retain her residency status.
Undocumented workers, like Hernández, choose to suppress worries over immigration enforcement, seemingly adopting a mindset of indifference.
“My first season here means I can’t let fear dictate my life,” he explained, focusing on the work at hand instead.
For Estéban, acknowledging the possibility of an ICE raid is part of his reality, albeit he tries to remain as inconspicuous as possible to avoid detection.
“I’ve accepted that if it happens, it happens. My children are grown now,” he remarked.
The community atmosphere of fear has led to alarming mental health impacts, particularly among children who fear losing their parents to potential immigration actions.
El Concilio, a local immigrant advocacy group, has observed significant changes in community behavior.
Families are increasingly hesitant to leave their homes during daytime for fear of encounters with ICE, instead, waiting until evening to go out.
In June, a directive from the Trump administration aimed to suspend ICE raids at farms and businesses, yet this initiative was abruptly canceled, leaving uncertainty for farmworker communities.
Farmers often maintain distance from workers, leading to further disconnect.
Mettler admitted not knowing many details about the hiring process or the workers who labor on his family’s farm, relying on a contractor to manage this aspect.
This lack of connection serves to highlight the feeling of isolation many farmworkers experience in their daily lives.
Gutiérrez, Guzmán, and Zuñiga express that returning to Mexico is not an option, given the violence and challenges that would separate them from their children and disrupt their lives.
They are left grappling with the question of whether they should voluntarily leave or wait to see if they will be forced out due to immigration enforcement.
Rodríguez, the director at El Concilio, remarked on the disturbing trend of anxiety among families regarding potential self-deportation as ICE enforcement efforts have increased.
Guzmán articulated her desire to alleviate her worries, expressing a conflicting longing to ensure her daughters remain in school and retain the opportunities they have in the U.S.
She stated, “Sometimes I think, ‘OK, let’s go [to Mexico],’ but I want my daughters to stay here in school.
I don’t want them to end up working in the fields like I do.”
image source from：timesofsandiego
