Desert lettuce deal has been a tough one
Desert lettuce deal has been a tough one
Poor yields and small head sizes have hampered a desert lettuce deal that should continue into the week of March 26.
Mike Marcroft, commodity manager for Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms' lettuce program, said that a cold snap in January delayed the company's harvest dates, adding that there have been small heads industrywide. "Fortunately, we've had a good amount of ours pack out 24s," Mr. Marcroft said of the firm's lettuce heads.
The company concluded its harvest in Yuma, AZ, at the end of the week of March 5-9 and moved its lettuce harvest to Texas Hill, AZ, some 60 miles east of Yuma. The higher elevation of Texas Hill is conducive to cooler temperatures, a relief to Ocean Mist since temperatures in Yuma reached the mid-90s during the week of March 12.
Ocean Mist will move its lettuce harvest to Huron, CA, around April 2 for about a three-week harvest before coming back to the state's Salinas Valley area. The overall plant count is down there, Mr. Marcroft said.
"We lost on the front end as far as stands go," Mr. Marcroft said.
Lettuce prices were in the $21-22 range on March 13 according to Mr. Marcroft, who said that the reduction in availability industrywide portends light volumes for the next three or four weeks.
Rick Bravo, vice president of sales and marketing for Salinas-based Tanimura & Antle, said that the company expects to start its Huron lettuce harvest around March 23, which is seven to 10 days later than anticipated.
The company wrapped up its lettuce harvest in the Imperial Valley on March 14 and hopes to continue through March in Yuma.
"We definitely anticipate having supply issues through March," Mr. Bravo said. If the weather cooperates, Tanimura & Antle's lettuce harvest in Huron will run for five or six weeks, he said.
Industrywide, growers were unable to replant lost lettuce acreage in Huron because the season there is too short.
Mr. Bravo said that the price for wrapped Iceberg lettuce was around $21 on March 13. The winter desert harvest has been challenging throughout, and the company is trying to do things in the field to mitigate quality problems, Mr. Bravo said.
"We try to cut one time, but we're going [into the fields] more than once to get the best box," he said.
Salinas-based Steinbeck Country Produce typically stays late in Yuma, skips Huron and then starts early in the Salinas area. Greg Beach, the company's vice president of sales, said that despite the problems the industry has experienced in the desert this year, the company is confident that its strategy of skipping Huron should work well.
Mike Marcroft, commodity manager for Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms' lettuce program, said that a cold snap in January delayed the company's harvest dates, adding that there have been small heads industrywide. "Fortunately, we've had a good amount of ours pack out 24s," Mr. Marcroft said of the firm's lettuce heads.
The company concluded its harvest in Yuma, AZ, at the end of the week of March 5-9 and moved its lettuce harvest to Texas Hill, AZ, some 60 miles east of Yuma. The higher elevation of Texas Hill is conducive to cooler temperatures, a relief to Ocean Mist since temperatures in Yuma reached the mid-90s during the week of March 12.
Ocean Mist will move its lettuce harvest to Huron, CA, around April 2 for about a three-week harvest before coming back to the state's Salinas Valley area. The overall plant count is down there, Mr. Marcroft said.
"We lost on the front end as far as stands go," Mr. Marcroft said.
Lettuce prices were in the $21-22 range on March 13 according to Mr. Marcroft, who said that the reduction in availability industrywide portends light volumes for the next three or four weeks.
Rick Bravo, vice president of sales and marketing for Salinas-based Tanimura & Antle, said that the company expects to start its Huron lettuce harvest around March 23, which is seven to 10 days later than anticipated.
The company wrapped up its lettuce harvest in the Imperial Valley on March 14 and hopes to continue through March in Yuma.
"We definitely anticipate having supply issues through March," Mr. Bravo said. If the weather cooperates, Tanimura & Antle's lettuce harvest in Huron will run for five or six weeks, he said.
Industrywide, growers were unable to replant lost lettuce acreage in Huron because the season there is too short.
Mr. Bravo said that the price for wrapped Iceberg lettuce was around $21 on March 13. The winter desert harvest has been challenging throughout, and the company is trying to do things in the field to mitigate quality problems, Mr. Bravo said.
"We try to cut one time, but we're going [into the fields] more than once to get the best box," he said.
Salinas-based Steinbeck Country Produce typically stays late in Yuma, skips Huron and then starts early in the Salinas area. Greg Beach, the company's vice president of sales, said that despite the problems the industry has experienced in the desert this year, the company is confident that its strategy of skipping Huron should work well.
