California strawberry growers roll with punches
California strawberry growers roll with punches
California's strawberry growers have taken a hit this season with an inordinate amount of rain. But though Mother Nature packs a punch, growers have been able to stay on their feet.
"Its been a challenge," said Tim Youmans, national retail sales manager for Watsonville, CA-based Driscoll Strawberry Associates. Theres been a loss in production thats impacting retailers. The uncertainty of supplies has affected retailers ability to market the berries, he said.
Weather-related problems this season have been the worst in at least the past five years, Mr. Youmans said. In addition to all the rain, colder weather has contributed to a slowdown in production, he said, at times thwarting attempts to pick ahead of projected rainfall.
The weekend of May 7-8 dropped rainfall in the Salinas-Watsonville area that stayed within the range of various forecasts. The intermittent rain gave way to clearing skies early in the week, once again throwing growers off their stride.
The number one goal is to get what you can and distribute it fairly among retailers, Mr. Youmans said. With a strawberry crop that has been sold weeks in advance, the industry as a whole is in the same situation, he said.
The whole country has got funky weather going on, Mr. Youmans said. Its not as if theyre pulling out the barbecues everywhere but here.
Cindy Jewell, director of marketing for Watsonville-based California Giant, said that the May 9 week in the Salinas-Watsonville area would start with stripping bad fruit off the plants that have been affected by rain.
Unseasonably heavy rain meant supplies were lighter than anticipated for Mothers Day. Everyone did the best job they could for the customers they had ads for, Ms. Jewell said.
Unfortunately, the stops and starts to the strawberry harvest make it difficult for the retailer to set a plan for the consumer, Ms. Jewell said. It all boils down to the consumer, who may choose to abandon strawberries in search of other fruit.
Strawberries have their day in the sun from March through May before other fruits crowd store shelves for space, she said.
Ernie Farley, a principal with Watsonville-based Sundance Berry Farms, said that he has not noticed any huge frustrations that at times accompany supply shortages brought on by rain, in part because everyone is in the same boat. He said rain took away volume at Mothers Day, but everybody did a pretty good job product was reasonably priced.
"Its been a challenge," said Tim Youmans, national retail sales manager for Watsonville, CA-based Driscoll Strawberry Associates. Theres been a loss in production thats impacting retailers. The uncertainty of supplies has affected retailers ability to market the berries, he said.
Weather-related problems this season have been the worst in at least the past five years, Mr. Youmans said. In addition to all the rain, colder weather has contributed to a slowdown in production, he said, at times thwarting attempts to pick ahead of projected rainfall.
The weekend of May 7-8 dropped rainfall in the Salinas-Watsonville area that stayed within the range of various forecasts. The intermittent rain gave way to clearing skies early in the week, once again throwing growers off their stride.
The number one goal is to get what you can and distribute it fairly among retailers, Mr. Youmans said. With a strawberry crop that has been sold weeks in advance, the industry as a whole is in the same situation, he said.
The whole country has got funky weather going on, Mr. Youmans said. Its not as if theyre pulling out the barbecues everywhere but here.
Cindy Jewell, director of marketing for Watsonville-based California Giant, said that the May 9 week in the Salinas-Watsonville area would start with stripping bad fruit off the plants that have been affected by rain.
Unseasonably heavy rain meant supplies were lighter than anticipated for Mothers Day. Everyone did the best job they could for the customers they had ads for, Ms. Jewell said.
Unfortunately, the stops and starts to the strawberry harvest make it difficult for the retailer to set a plan for the consumer, Ms. Jewell said. It all boils down to the consumer, who may choose to abandon strawberries in search of other fruit.
Strawberries have their day in the sun from March through May before other fruits crowd store shelves for space, she said.
Ernie Farley, a principal with Watsonville-based Sundance Berry Farms, said that he has not noticed any huge frustrations that at times accompany supply shortages brought on by rain, in part because everyone is in the same boat. He said rain took away volume at Mothers Day, but everybody did a pretty good job product was reasonably priced.
