SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — This avocado farm is home for Enrico Ferro. He has nurtured these 17 acres of land for two decades, and often gets little in return.
“It is a labor of love," Ferro said. "It would be nice for all the work you put into it that you could at least pay your bills with what you generate, and that’s not always the case.”
That’s because these are sensitive plants. Ferro said they need rain and a few sunny weeks to attract pollinators and properly grow. But over the last couple years, Ferro and other Valley Center farmers have struggled with unusually cold springtime weather.
“Last year, we didn’t really get over 94 to 100 degrees all the way into July," Ferro said. "We had more issues with insects.”
This year has also had a chilly start. On Friday, scattered hail hit some of Ferro’s crop.
“If there were a lot of little fruit on the tree right now, some of them would’ve been knocked down by the hail, or damaged.”
Ferro hasn't lost hope.
“I'm not too concerned because it seems like we’re coming to the end of the rainy season.”
He said recent rain has benefited his avocados, and he is expecting some sunny days ahead.
“This is the first year where the industry doesn't have a lot of fruit, and I happen to have a lot of fruit on my property so I consider myself lucky - first time in 20 years.”
