Water Woes Are Drying Up Farm Economy In Southern San Joaquin Valley's West Side

FRESNO -- Life on the west side of the Southern San Joaquin Valley may be withering along with crops that farmers have left to die.

Hundreds of farmworkers have lost their jobs as growers idled or abandoned crops because of severe water shortages. Hundreds more will lose work because of crops that won't be planted this autumn.

Signs of trouble are everywhere. The Spreckels Sugar plant in Mendota, a fixture since 1963, will close in September unless a grower cooperative can salvage it. Closure would mean 200 jobs lost.

Fordel, a major grower-packer-shipper of melons and other produce, is selling its Mendota facility after more than two decades. It is not harvesting or packing a crop this year. City officials say the company accounted for as many as 500 growing and packing jobs.

St. Joseph's School in Firebaugh is closing this month after more than 40 years, a casualty of declining enrollment and a shrinking pool of farmers able to give money.

Weather and pest challenges, along with abandoned acreage, are cutting processing-tomato production for Fresno County, the state's top grower, by as much as 400,000 tons. In 2006, the last year for which figures are available, farmers in Fresno County produced 4.4 million tons of processing tomatoes valued at $248 million. This year's cut will mean shorter hours of plant operation and less work for truckers.

Thousands of acres of cotton are being abandoned at a time when planted upland cotton acreage was at its lowest level on record. In addition, windy weather and roller-coaster temperatures have taken their toll.

Enrollment continues to drop in the Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District. That means shrinking attendance funding from the state.

At the root of it all is the state's water crisis.

"Unless we deal with a way to reliably convey water from north to south, there will be no way to keep alive this agricultural marvel of the world," said Riverdale grower Mark Borba.

Several farmworkers gathered recently beneath the shade of a young tree outside a Mendota laundry. They talked about the grim economy and their hopes for a better future.

Rigoberto Fajardo is working just two to three days a week, weeding tomato and melon fields.

Like many in the Mendota and Firebaugh areas, the workers are hoping the season's upcoming cantaloupe harvest will bring them steady work.

"They tell us that there isn't as much work right now because the farmers don't have enough water," Fajardo said. "But how are we supposed to live? We barely have enough money to pay our bills or send money home to our families."

Fajardo and Jose Lopez said they've thought about returning to Mexico. Each has worked in the valley's fields for several years.

"You want to believe that things will get better, that the melon season will bring us good fortune," Lopez said. "But we just don't know right now. All we can do is hope that things get better."

Many fear it will get worse.

Sarah Woolf, a spokeswoman for the Westlands Water District, said at least 200 farmworker jobs have been lost in that district. She said an additional 300 jobs will not be filled this autumn because growers, lacking water, will cut back on planting.

Hard times for merchants

In Firebaugh, it was quiet recently inside Xavier & Sariah's Styles, a men's and women's contemporary clothing store. Manager Xavier Rivera relaxed on a sofa watching television. Foot traffic was slow, real slow.

"Business used to be good a few years ago," Rivera said. "I would go down to L.A. to pick up clothes every week. But now, we sometimes make just enough money to keep the lights on. It's crazy."