California's overall strawberry acreage is up slightly
California's overall strawberry acreage is up slightly
The California Strawberry Commission's 2006 acreage survey reports different trends for fall-planted acreage compared to acreage planted in the summer months.
California strawberry acreage planted in the fall, which produces fruit during the traditional winter, spring and summer seasons, increased in 2006 by 193 acres (0.7 percent) statewide. Fewer acres were planted in Orange County-San Diego and San Joaquin compared to the previous year. Acreage in Orange County-San Diego decreased by 600 acres, San Joaquin decreased by 135 acres. Oxnard and Watsonville-Salinas showed the largest increases in acreage planted with 162 and 778 acres respectively. The Watsonville-Salinas district continues to be the largest producing area with 12,775 acres planted in the fall. Fall- planted acreage in Santa Maria decreased slightly compared to 2005.
Watsonville-Salinas, still the largest producing district at 37.8 percent of the state's acreage, showed an increase of 660 acres. Propriety varieties lead the district with 39.2 percent, or 5,055 acres. Diamante decreased by 1,254 acres in 2005 to 4,379 acres in 2006. The Camarosa variety decreased slightly to 856 acres, while the Ventana variety was not reported in the district this year, replaced by Albion comprising 1,917 acres.
The Santa Maria district showed an increase of 993 acres compared with last year. Camarosa is still the primary variety despite a slight decrease in acreage. The Diamante variety decreased 239 acres, now comprising 22.6 percent of the district's acreage.
Proprietary varieties total 16.2 percent of this district's acreage. Albion has 878 acres, comprising 12.1 percent of this district.
Other varieties increased to 532 acres.
The Oxnard district showed a 5.3 percent increase from 2005. The Camarosa variety continues to decrease, now comprising 12.8 percent of the district's acreage. This is being offset with plantings of Ventana and proprietary varieties. Proprietary varieties dominate the district with 6,985 acres, an increase of 285 acres over the previous year. Ventana is the second largest variety planted, with 3,095 acres. Other varieties have increased slightly.
Russ Widerburg of Boskovich Farms Inc., which grows strawberries and vegetables in the Oxnard district, told The Produce News in mid-March that rain didn't seem to have caused much damage to the fruit.
"The storms have been forecasted pretty well, so growers have been able to see the storms coming and pick ahead, knowing that the rain is coming, and get all the ripe fruit off of the plants," Mr. Widerburg said. "The fruit that has been left on the plants has been the harder fruit that hasn't turned color yet." That fruit is less susceptible to rain damage, he said.
Rainfall in Oxnard has not been as heavy as further north in Santa Maria and Watsonville. "They get an inch, we get half an inch," Mr. Widerburg said. There have been "some cold spells" along with the rain, he added. But again, the growers have been able to anticipate that, "so they are staying ahead of the picking to make sure they don't leave any good fruit on the plants."
As of the second week in March, there were "lots of flowers on the plants," so Mr. Widerburg expected that in another two to three weeks, "if we do get some warm weather between now and then, we will probably see good volume."
Among the southern districts - Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties - the Orange County area remains the primary location for acreage at 1,301 acres despite decreasing from last year's total of 1,598 acres as a result of land development and rising property costs in the area.
Additionally, San Diego area acreage decreased to 279 acres from the previous year. Coachella showed 275 acres, a decrease of 98 acres in 2005.
These districts show that the Camarosa variety decreased from 1,201 acres in 2005 to 718 acres in 2006.
Ventana remains the top variety in the district, despite a decrease of 172 acres from 1,036 acres last year.
Proprietary varieties represent 5.2 percent of the district. Other varieties have all but disappeared in Orange County-San Diego.
Proprietary varieties represent the largest single variety type statewide, consisting of 39 percent of the state's acreage. However, the sum of University of California developed varieties -- Albion, Camarosa, Ventana, Diamante and "other" -- total 20,841 acres compared with 13,314 acres of proprietary varieties. Diamante, the state's second-largest variety, decreased to 6,023 acres, replaced primarily by Albion. Camarosa has decreased to 5,675 acres.
The Ventana variety decreased to 4,634 acres. The latest UC variety, Albion, planted in the Santa Maria and Watsonville-Salinas districts, showed 2,795 acres. Due to declining acreage, the Chandler, Selva, Aromas and Camino Real varieties are counted as "other" varieties and combined for 6.5 percent of the state's acreage.
Fall-planted organic acreage statewide increased by 433 acres, primarily in the Watsonville-Salinas and Oxnard districts. Santa Maria showed organic acreage for the first time at 95 acres. Summer-planted organic acreage dropped slightly. Total organic acreage was shown at 965 acres, an increase of 424 acres, or 78 percent, compared with 2005. January and February volume "was very robust" out of the Oxnard district and came on "earlier than typical," thanks to mild mid-winter weather, according to Ed Haft of Sunrise Growers in Placentia, CA. But then cold, wet weather in the latter part of February and first half of March interfered.
"We are basically having January weather here at the beginning of March," Mr. Haft said March 14. "It slows everything down. But I am sure once we get out of this week, we expect the ramp-up to take place as it normally does."
The Santa Maria district has also been affected by weather, according to Mr. Haft.
"Santa Maria had two waves of freezes, so right now they are a little bit postponed," he said. "Normally that wouldn't have been a factor, but we had such great conditions in January and February that we had a lot more fruit on the plants in Santa Maria earlier than typical." When the freezes took place, they actually took some fruit out that would have been there for harvesting."
However, the Salinas-Watsonville district appears to be much more normal, according to Mr. Haft.
"The plants look great," he said. "Everything is on schedule." The timing is typical, he said, adding that last year, the Salinas-Watsonville harvest was "a little later than normal" because rains disrupted planting schedules. "We weren't able to plant as early as normal," he continued. "This year, our planting schedule is fine. The weather has been pretty cooperative."
Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce in San Diego has berries in Mexico and in the Oxnard, Santa Maria and the Salinas- Watsonville districts in California. According to A&W's Mark Munger, the growing area in San Quentin in northern Baja California, Mexico, has a climate similar to Oxnard. "We have had a lot of early volume fruit as a whole industry," Mr. Munger said, adding that it has been "very consistently high quality" and that the "stage has been set for a very good year."
In the northern districts, the plants "look very, very good," Mr. Munger said. The weather has been cool, but there has been a lot of good moisture. "We are optimistic that we are looking at a good season."
(A full report on California strawberries appears in the March 27 issue of The Produce News.)
California strawberry acreage planted in the fall, which produces fruit during the traditional winter, spring and summer seasons, increased in 2006 by 193 acres (0.7 percent) statewide. Fewer acres were planted in Orange County-San Diego and San Joaquin compared to the previous year. Acreage in Orange County-San Diego decreased by 600 acres, San Joaquin decreased by 135 acres. Oxnard and Watsonville-Salinas showed the largest increases in acreage planted with 162 and 778 acres respectively. The Watsonville-Salinas district continues to be the largest producing area with 12,775 acres planted in the fall. Fall- planted acreage in Santa Maria decreased slightly compared to 2005.
Watsonville-Salinas, still the largest producing district at 37.8 percent of the state's acreage, showed an increase of 660 acres. Propriety varieties lead the district with 39.2 percent, or 5,055 acres. Diamante decreased by 1,254 acres in 2005 to 4,379 acres in 2006. The Camarosa variety decreased slightly to 856 acres, while the Ventana variety was not reported in the district this year, replaced by Albion comprising 1,917 acres.
The Santa Maria district showed an increase of 993 acres compared with last year. Camarosa is still the primary variety despite a slight decrease in acreage. The Diamante variety decreased 239 acres, now comprising 22.6 percent of the district's acreage.
Proprietary varieties total 16.2 percent of this district's acreage. Albion has 878 acres, comprising 12.1 percent of this district.
Other varieties increased to 532 acres.
The Oxnard district showed a 5.3 percent increase from 2005. The Camarosa variety continues to decrease, now comprising 12.8 percent of the district's acreage. This is being offset with plantings of Ventana and proprietary varieties. Proprietary varieties dominate the district with 6,985 acres, an increase of 285 acres over the previous year. Ventana is the second largest variety planted, with 3,095 acres. Other varieties have increased slightly.
Russ Widerburg of Boskovich Farms Inc., which grows strawberries and vegetables in the Oxnard district, told The Produce News in mid-March that rain didn't seem to have caused much damage to the fruit.
"The storms have been forecasted pretty well, so growers have been able to see the storms coming and pick ahead, knowing that the rain is coming, and get all the ripe fruit off of the plants," Mr. Widerburg said. "The fruit that has been left on the plants has been the harder fruit that hasn't turned color yet." That fruit is less susceptible to rain damage, he said.
Rainfall in Oxnard has not been as heavy as further north in Santa Maria and Watsonville. "They get an inch, we get half an inch," Mr. Widerburg said. There have been "some cold spells" along with the rain, he added. But again, the growers have been able to anticipate that, "so they are staying ahead of the picking to make sure they don't leave any good fruit on the plants."
As of the second week in March, there were "lots of flowers on the plants," so Mr. Widerburg expected that in another two to three weeks, "if we do get some warm weather between now and then, we will probably see good volume."
Among the southern districts - Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties - the Orange County area remains the primary location for acreage at 1,301 acres despite decreasing from last year's total of 1,598 acres as a result of land development and rising property costs in the area.
Additionally, San Diego area acreage decreased to 279 acres from the previous year. Coachella showed 275 acres, a decrease of 98 acres in 2005.
These districts show that the Camarosa variety decreased from 1,201 acres in 2005 to 718 acres in 2006.
Ventana remains the top variety in the district, despite a decrease of 172 acres from 1,036 acres last year.
Proprietary varieties represent 5.2 percent of the district. Other varieties have all but disappeared in Orange County-San Diego.
Proprietary varieties represent the largest single variety type statewide, consisting of 39 percent of the state's acreage. However, the sum of University of California developed varieties -- Albion, Camarosa, Ventana, Diamante and "other" -- total 20,841 acres compared with 13,314 acres of proprietary varieties. Diamante, the state's second-largest variety, decreased to 6,023 acres, replaced primarily by Albion. Camarosa has decreased to 5,675 acres.
The Ventana variety decreased to 4,634 acres. The latest UC variety, Albion, planted in the Santa Maria and Watsonville-Salinas districts, showed 2,795 acres. Due to declining acreage, the Chandler, Selva, Aromas and Camino Real varieties are counted as "other" varieties and combined for 6.5 percent of the state's acreage.
Fall-planted organic acreage statewide increased by 433 acres, primarily in the Watsonville-Salinas and Oxnard districts. Santa Maria showed organic acreage for the first time at 95 acres. Summer-planted organic acreage dropped slightly. Total organic acreage was shown at 965 acres, an increase of 424 acres, or 78 percent, compared with 2005. January and February volume "was very robust" out of the Oxnard district and came on "earlier than typical," thanks to mild mid-winter weather, according to Ed Haft of Sunrise Growers in Placentia, CA. But then cold, wet weather in the latter part of February and first half of March interfered.
"We are basically having January weather here at the beginning of March," Mr. Haft said March 14. "It slows everything down. But I am sure once we get out of this week, we expect the ramp-up to take place as it normally does."
The Santa Maria district has also been affected by weather, according to Mr. Haft.
"Santa Maria had two waves of freezes, so right now they are a little bit postponed," he said. "Normally that wouldn't have been a factor, but we had such great conditions in January and February that we had a lot more fruit on the plants in Santa Maria earlier than typical." When the freezes took place, they actually took some fruit out that would have been there for harvesting."
However, the Salinas-Watsonville district appears to be much more normal, according to Mr. Haft.
"The plants look great," he said. "Everything is on schedule." The timing is typical, he said, adding that last year, the Salinas-Watsonville harvest was "a little later than normal" because rains disrupted planting schedules. "We weren't able to plant as early as normal," he continued. "This year, our planting schedule is fine. The weather has been pretty cooperative."
Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce in San Diego has berries in Mexico and in the Oxnard, Santa Maria and the Salinas- Watsonville districts in California. According to A&W's Mark Munger, the growing area in San Quentin in northern Baja California, Mexico, has a climate similar to Oxnard. "We have had a lot of early volume fruit as a whole industry," Mr. Munger said, adding that it has been "very consistently high quality" and that the "stage has been set for a very good year."
In the northern districts, the plants "look very, very good," Mr. Munger said. The weather has been cool, but there has been a lot of good moisture. "We are optimistic that we are looking at a good season."
(A full report on California strawberries appears in the March 27 issue of The Produce News.)
