West Side melon deal set to launch
West Side melon deal set to launch
Inclement weather has delayed the start of this year's West Side melon deal in California, and production will be slightly off that of 2005, according to those involved with the deal.
J.D. Allen, assistant manager of the Cantaloupe Advisory Board, said that this year's estimate on the West Side melon deal is 20 million cartons of cantaloupes in 30- or 40-pound cartons, down from last year's production of 22.2 million cartons.
The West Side deal covers Bakersfield and points north, but doesn't include the Imperial Valley. Five hundred cartons of melons per acre is a typical baseline.
Everything will be two or three weeks later than normal this year because of inclement weather this spring. The melon deal will start in Kern and Kings counties in early July. In addition to those counties, Fresno, Merced and Stanislaus counties make up the West Side melon deal.
Mr. Allen told The Produce News in early June that it sounded like Kern County "would be down a little" this year.
As of seven or eight years ago, the advisory board no longer has a marketing arm. It just does grade standards and surveillance. Steve Smith of Turlock Fruit Co. in Turlock, said that after July 4, the company will start with honeydew and cantaloupe grown in Huron, CA. The company has 11 varieties of mixed melons, and its melon deal should continue until about mid-October.
Mr. Smith told The Produce News in the first week of June that Turlock Fruit lost a week of harvest this spring but that the "weather is outstanding."
The company's acreage will stay the same but Turlock has implemented drip irrigation and is getting "better yields and quality," Mr. Smith said.
One melon gaining in popularity for Turlock is its orange-flesh cantaloupe -- an heirloom-style cantaloupe from an Italian seed line that is high in sugar.
"We're noticing consumers value flavor," Mr. Smith said. "We ship fruit that is ripe and ready to eat. There's a trend toward flavor and sugar."
Mr. Smith said that for years storage capability mattered most, but he noted that now "customers are demanding more on flavor and maturity."
Donnie Blanton of Fresno, CA-based Baloian Farms, said that acreage is about the same for melons, which will start the week of July 4 and continue through about the second week of September. Rain hurt some of Baloian's other commodities, such as onions, bell peppers and red peppers.
The "crop and the vines look excellent," Mr. Blanton told The Produce News the first week of June. Baloian's cantaloupes start in Bakersfield and continue up to Huron, CA, where they didn't get as much rain fall, he said. The harvest in Bakersfield typically goes through July, and Huron continues into August.
Melon varieties that Baloian grows are Casaba, Sharlyne, Persian, Piel de Sapo, Juan Canary, Crenshaw, Galia, Orange Flesh, golden honeydew and regular honeydew.
"We use honeydews to supplement [cantaloupes]," Mr. Blanton said.
The company has a broad line of fruits and vegetables. Its California growing regions are in Blythe, Coachella and the San Joaquin Valley. The company has numerous processing and shipping points throughout California.
Speaking with The Produce News in early June, Mike Farrage, sales manager of Blythe-based Danna & Fisher LLC, said that the company's melon deal was slated to start around June 12 in Blythe. Its melon deal in Huron was going to be late, and the schedule was uncertain. The company's melon deal in Brawley was done, and Yuma, AZ, was nearly wrapped up. The desert melon deal went pretty well, Mr. Farrage said.
"We had pretty decent quality, but we didn't have the huge volume we usually do," he said. "Quality was good and prices were good." Danna & Fisher has cantaloupes, honeydews and mixed melons such as Crenshaws and Casabas. It will have Sharlynes in Blythe but did not have them in Yuma. Blythe looks "healthy" and should run to mid-July, Mr. Farrage said. The deals are roughly the same size in all areas, he noted.
"The Central Valley is a prime-time deal," Mr. Farrage said. The company will have "mini watermelons" at River Garden in Yuba City, CA. River Garden will start a trial of organic melons, Mr. Farrage said.
"The trend is toward new-variety melons," Mr. Farrage said. "Everyone's looking for the next new melon. Mixed [melons] have leveled out."
Yuba City will be 10-14 days late with a projected harvest start date of Aug. 1, Mr. Farrage said.
J.D. Allen, assistant manager of the Cantaloupe Advisory Board, said that this year's estimate on the West Side melon deal is 20 million cartons of cantaloupes in 30- or 40-pound cartons, down from last year's production of 22.2 million cartons.
The West Side deal covers Bakersfield and points north, but doesn't include the Imperial Valley. Five hundred cartons of melons per acre is a typical baseline.
Everything will be two or three weeks later than normal this year because of inclement weather this spring. The melon deal will start in Kern and Kings counties in early July. In addition to those counties, Fresno, Merced and Stanislaus counties make up the West Side melon deal.
Mr. Allen told The Produce News in early June that it sounded like Kern County "would be down a little" this year.
As of seven or eight years ago, the advisory board no longer has a marketing arm. It just does grade standards and surveillance. Steve Smith of Turlock Fruit Co. in Turlock, said that after July 4, the company will start with honeydew and cantaloupe grown in Huron, CA. The company has 11 varieties of mixed melons, and its melon deal should continue until about mid-October.
Mr. Smith told The Produce News in the first week of June that Turlock Fruit lost a week of harvest this spring but that the "weather is outstanding."
The company's acreage will stay the same but Turlock has implemented drip irrigation and is getting "better yields and quality," Mr. Smith said.
One melon gaining in popularity for Turlock is its orange-flesh cantaloupe -- an heirloom-style cantaloupe from an Italian seed line that is high in sugar.
"We're noticing consumers value flavor," Mr. Smith said. "We ship fruit that is ripe and ready to eat. There's a trend toward flavor and sugar."
Mr. Smith said that for years storage capability mattered most, but he noted that now "customers are demanding more on flavor and maturity."
Donnie Blanton of Fresno, CA-based Baloian Farms, said that acreage is about the same for melons, which will start the week of July 4 and continue through about the second week of September. Rain hurt some of Baloian's other commodities, such as onions, bell peppers and red peppers.
The "crop and the vines look excellent," Mr. Blanton told The Produce News the first week of June. Baloian's cantaloupes start in Bakersfield and continue up to Huron, CA, where they didn't get as much rain fall, he said. The harvest in Bakersfield typically goes through July, and Huron continues into August.
Melon varieties that Baloian grows are Casaba, Sharlyne, Persian, Piel de Sapo, Juan Canary, Crenshaw, Galia, Orange Flesh, golden honeydew and regular honeydew.
"We use honeydews to supplement [cantaloupes]," Mr. Blanton said.
The company has a broad line of fruits and vegetables. Its California growing regions are in Blythe, Coachella and the San Joaquin Valley. The company has numerous processing and shipping points throughout California.
Speaking with The Produce News in early June, Mike Farrage, sales manager of Blythe-based Danna & Fisher LLC, said that the company's melon deal was slated to start around June 12 in Blythe. Its melon deal in Huron was going to be late, and the schedule was uncertain. The company's melon deal in Brawley was done, and Yuma, AZ, was nearly wrapped up. The desert melon deal went pretty well, Mr. Farrage said.
"We had pretty decent quality, but we didn't have the huge volume we usually do," he said. "Quality was good and prices were good." Danna & Fisher has cantaloupes, honeydews and mixed melons such as Crenshaws and Casabas. It will have Sharlynes in Blythe but did not have them in Yuma. Blythe looks "healthy" and should run to mid-July, Mr. Farrage said. The deals are roughly the same size in all areas, he noted.
"The Central Valley is a prime-time deal," Mr. Farrage said. The company will have "mini watermelons" at River Garden in Yuba City, CA. River Garden will start a trial of organic melons, Mr. Farrage said.
"The trend is toward new-variety melons," Mr. Farrage said. "Everyone's looking for the next new melon. Mixed [melons] have leveled out."
Yuba City will be 10-14 days late with a projected harvest start date of Aug. 1, Mr. Farrage said.
