Raisin farming

Two trends appear to characterize the modern farming of raisins: Regenerative practices and mechanization.

The traditional method of producing raisins from Thompson Seedless grapes requires a substantial amount of seasonal labor especially for pruning and harvesting. Over the years, several methods have been developed which would mechanize at least a portion of the raisin production process.

Farms are making this shift by focusing on different trellises, soil enrichment, using indigenous grape varieties, and empowering farmers through fair employment and financial literacy.

A second trend is that raisin farmers are increasingly adopting regenerative practices to improve soil health, enhance biodiversity, and create sustainable agricultural systems. These models emphasize natural farming, minimal tillage, and the use of biological sprays, aiming to regenerate the land rather than deplete it.

A California farm transitioned into raisin cultivation during the pandemic by sun-drying surplus grapes. It employs regenerative agriculture to transform arid, rocky land into fertile soil, using local varieties like Sharad and Sonaka grapes. The farm is almost entirely staffed by women, who are trained in natural farming and financial literacy, promoting wellness farming by (women) farmers.

The farm practices regenerative organic agriculture, focusing on holistic systems that improve natural resources rather than depleting them. They transitioned from a sustainable model to a regenerative one, rejecting the term sustainable due to its industrial connotation.

Their approach is based on the main principles of regenerative agriculture and permaculture design, aiming to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that benefits animals, the land, and the community. It turns out this farm is competitive in terms of yield and quality with the industrial raisin farms that are tied to the two main commercial raisin producers.

US share of raisin production is declining

In the US, the industry’s value is estimated at around $500 million, with Sun-Maid controlling about 40% of the annual crop. It has faced persistent economic pressure from competition, especially from lower-cost foreign producers such as Turkey, Greece, Iran and South Africa. The US share of the global raisin market has in recent years fallen from 50 percent to about 20 percent, with Turkey now exporting more raisins than the United States.

Over the past decade, acreage planted to raisin-type grapes in California has declined by more than 33 percent, leading to a corresponding drop in production and a 15 percent decrease in per capita availability of dried raisins.

Worldwide, by 2010, 45% of the raisin crop was harvested using mechanized approaches, a significant increase from just 4% a decade prior. As of 2020, 31 percent of California’s raisin grape acreage was harvested mechanically, amounting to approximately 42,383 acres.

While the percentage of mechanically harvested raisins has increased, the majority of California’s raisins are still produced using traditional hand-harvesting methods, where grapes are placed on paper trays for sun drying.

Dried-on-the-Vine system

The industry as a whole is adopting technologies like the Dried-on-the-Vine (DOV) system, primarily driven by the desire to reduce labor costs and minimizing rain damage. This method, tested by growers like Lee Simpson and Sun-Maid Growers, can increase yields and reduce the need for rain insurance, though it requires significant upfront investment. The costs per acre (exclusive of land costs) for planting, trellising, ground preparation and installation of subsurface drip irrigation is about twice that of conventional planting.

The process is focussed on using trellises that allow mechanical, rather than manual, harvesting. It also involves allowing grapes to ripen fully on the vine, possibly with an additional short period of sun-drying on the ground, resulting in raisins with superior flavor and texture.

Additionally, more data is collected and analyzed to help make adjustments to the type and amount of herbicides and soil improvement additives.

In the US, raisin farming is likely to be at lower volumes than in previous decades, but there’s no reason to assume worldwide volumes will decline.

These advancements, mechanization and regenerative practices, are shaping a more sustainable future for raisin farming.