Hot summers are nothing new to Kern County, but early extreme heat waves this year are taking a serious toll on pistachio crops, shrinking harvests across the region.
Fewer blooms on trees can mean a sharper drop in fruit production, leaving growers with fewer pistachios to harvest.
LaBorde’s business manager Jonathan Romero says pistachio trees naturally follow a cycle of higher-yield years followed by lower-yield years. Growers are currently facing one of those lower-production seasons, with extreme heat adding even more pressure…