The hot valley sun has started beaming down on area farms, ripening fruits such as blueberries, cherries, apricots and strawberries. Through fall, fresh and locally produced fruits will fill farm stands and markets.
Fruit harvested in Merced County brings in a gross return of $132 million, according to the county agricultural department's latest annual crop report.That's nowhere near the more than $1.1 billion provided by the county's top farm commodity, dairy, but agricultural officials say such crops are an important part of the area's economic landscape.
