Coachella Valley row crops suffer freeze damage
Coachella Valley row crops suffer freeze damage
Bell peppers and other row crops in California's Coachella Valley suffered damage as a result of a cold snap that began in the area around Nov. 29.
The extent of the damage in part depends on where crops lie in the Coachella Valley and how long the cold lasts. Temperatures dipped to below freezing the morning of Dec. 5, and similar conditions were also being experienced in California's Imperial Valley.
Mike Aiton, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Coachella-based Sun World International, said that the hours of freezing or near-freezing temperatures have lessened with each successive day, thus lessening the damage to crops. The company has experienced little or no damage to its citrus crops -- lemons, tangerines and grapefruit -- but it had one block of red peppers that was affected.
"We see damage already," Mr. Aiton told The Produce News Dec. 5, adding that pepper plants had been damaged at the top but it was possible that the fruit at the bottom of the plants was still good. He said that there is "quite a bit of throwaway."
However, there is some upside. The cold hours are helping table grapes in the Coachella Valley "go into dormancy," Mr. Aiton said. The harvest is five months away, but the chilling hours now are going to help the crop, he said.
John Burton, sales manager for Coachella-based Peter Rabbit Farms, said that the company suffered some damage to its eggplant and red bell pepper crops, with eggplant hit most severely. The plants were "burned or fried," but the company was able to salvage some of the fruit, Mr. Burton said. The weak market for eggplant has minimized the company's losses, he noted.
On Dec. 5, Peter Rabbit's harvest on green bell peppers was 80-85 percent completed, Mr. Burton said. The extra-large green bell peppers -- in a range of $10.95 to $12.95 on Dec. 5 -- were fetching $3 to $4 more than the week before, he added.
Peter Rabbit had further to go on its red bell pepper harvest, but the market has been "very good" since the start of the harvest. Because growers are trying to salvage what they can of the crop, the market has done the reverse of green bell peppers. Where last week a choice bushel-and-a-ninth sold in the $16 to $20 range, on Dec. 5, red bell peppers were commanding a price between $10.95 and $14.95, Mr. Burton said.
"The red pepper deal could have a bounce to it around December 10 to mid- December," since most of the fruit already is in the pipeline, Mr. Burton said.
Romaine lettuce may suffer some epidermal peel down the road, but generally the quality is "extremely good," Mr. Burton said. But morning cold temperatures have delayed field crews from harvesting as early as they normally would, leading to lower quantities being harvested daily, he said. In late November, a two-dozen naked box of Romaine commanded around $7.95; on Dec. 5, the price had risen to $12.95.
Chuck Manfre, senior salesperson at Moss Landing, CA-based Capurro Marketing LLC, echoed Mr. Burton's comments on lower quantities being harvested on Romaine. Through Dec. 5, previous freezing conditions in the Coachella Valley may lead to some epidermal peel. But the product is "really nice," Mr. Manfre said.
The cold snap has slowed the growing progress of Romaine plants and has combined with fewer hours daily for harvesting and the sometimes-lighter work crews to result in lower quantities, according to Mr. Manfre.
In bell peppers, Capurro harvests only green bell peppers in the Coachella Valley. While freezing temperatures have affected the plants, the company already had harvested the largest portion of its crop by the time the frost hit, Mr. Manfre said.
The extent of the damage in part depends on where crops lie in the Coachella Valley and how long the cold lasts. Temperatures dipped to below freezing the morning of Dec. 5, and similar conditions were also being experienced in California's Imperial Valley.
Mike Aiton, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Coachella-based Sun World International, said that the hours of freezing or near-freezing temperatures have lessened with each successive day, thus lessening the damage to crops. The company has experienced little or no damage to its citrus crops -- lemons, tangerines and grapefruit -- but it had one block of red peppers that was affected.
"We see damage already," Mr. Aiton told The Produce News Dec. 5, adding that pepper plants had been damaged at the top but it was possible that the fruit at the bottom of the plants was still good. He said that there is "quite a bit of throwaway."
However, there is some upside. The cold hours are helping table grapes in the Coachella Valley "go into dormancy," Mr. Aiton said. The harvest is five months away, but the chilling hours now are going to help the crop, he said.
John Burton, sales manager for Coachella-based Peter Rabbit Farms, said that the company suffered some damage to its eggplant and red bell pepper crops, with eggplant hit most severely. The plants were "burned or fried," but the company was able to salvage some of the fruit, Mr. Burton said. The weak market for eggplant has minimized the company's losses, he noted.
On Dec. 5, Peter Rabbit's harvest on green bell peppers was 80-85 percent completed, Mr. Burton said. The extra-large green bell peppers -- in a range of $10.95 to $12.95 on Dec. 5 -- were fetching $3 to $4 more than the week before, he added.
Peter Rabbit had further to go on its red bell pepper harvest, but the market has been "very good" since the start of the harvest. Because growers are trying to salvage what they can of the crop, the market has done the reverse of green bell peppers. Where last week a choice bushel-and-a-ninth sold in the $16 to $20 range, on Dec. 5, red bell peppers were commanding a price between $10.95 and $14.95, Mr. Burton said.
"The red pepper deal could have a bounce to it around December 10 to mid- December," since most of the fruit already is in the pipeline, Mr. Burton said.
Romaine lettuce may suffer some epidermal peel down the road, but generally the quality is "extremely good," Mr. Burton said. But morning cold temperatures have delayed field crews from harvesting as early as they normally would, leading to lower quantities being harvested daily, he said. In late November, a two-dozen naked box of Romaine commanded around $7.95; on Dec. 5, the price had risen to $12.95.
Chuck Manfre, senior salesperson at Moss Landing, CA-based Capurro Marketing LLC, echoed Mr. Burton's comments on lower quantities being harvested on Romaine. Through Dec. 5, previous freezing conditions in the Coachella Valley may lead to some epidermal peel. But the product is "really nice," Mr. Manfre said.
The cold snap has slowed the growing progress of Romaine plants and has combined with fewer hours daily for harvesting and the sometimes-lighter work crews to result in lower quantities, according to Mr. Manfre.
In bell peppers, Capurro harvests only green bell peppers in the Coachella Valley. While freezing temperatures have affected the plants, the company already had harvested the largest portion of its crop by the time the frost hit, Mr. Manfre said.
