Rains tighten strawberry market, keep prices high
Rains tighten strawberry market, keep prices high
Prolonged and heavy rains in Southern California have tightened strawberry supplies, resulting in a soaring berry market that may continue into the Easter pull.
Rain is not unexpected during the winter in the strawberry-growing districts of Southern California. In fact, most years there are some periods when the harvest is disrupted temporarily by rainfall and it takes a few days to get back to full production. This year during the latter part of January, however, the rains have been particularly heavy, especially in Oxnard, where the majority of California strawberries are grown.
The Southern California strawberry deal, which ordinarily starts in a light way in December, was already slow to get going this year because of weather- related shortages of transplant stock. Many fields were planted two to four weeks late because of problems getting transplants due to hail damage in the nurseries near the California-Oregon state line. Volume was just starting to build, belatedly, in mid-January when a series of storms dumped more than seven inches of rain in Oxnard over several days and smaller amounts in other winter strawberry-growing areas.
Growers said that the storms were not severe enough to cause plant damage or wash out fields, but most of the ripe and nearly ripe fruit that was on the plants when the rains began had to be stripped off and sent to the juicer. As a result, fresh strawberry volume has continued to be tight throughout the month of January and looked to continue tight into the Easter pull, growers said.
Russ Widerburg, sales manager at Boskovich Farms Inc. in Oxnard, said, "The market for us has stayed at $26.90 since we have been picking, so we have had a good market." He added that a freeze in Florida has helped contribute to the strong prices for California fruit.
"I think the Oxnard area probably started off being two to three weeks behind anyway because of supplies of plants. Then, just about the time the volume was staring to pick up, we got seven or eight inches of rain here over a five- or six-day period," he said.
"From what I am hearing now, most of the retailers are saying they just don't have any commitments on volume, so they are going to have to pull their ads for Valentine's Day," Mr. Widerburg said Jan. 28, adding that there is still some product crossing from Mexico.
"Rain aside, the berries that are coming out of Southern California and Baja are absolutely gorgeous, I don't care what label you are talking about," said Mark Munger, vice president of marketing for Andrew & Williamson Sales Co. Inc. in San Diego, which grows berries in Baja and in Oxnard. Once the rain ends and the sun comes out, "as an industry, we are going to see some really nice berries," he said.
David Cook, a salesman at Deardorff Family Farms in Oxnard, which has a small amount of strawberry acreage in the Oxnard area, said that the harvest had just started to get going "in a small way when it was delayed by rain." Once the rains end, "a week of nice weather and we'll be back in action. The whole deal will, I think."
Strawberries may be experiencing delays from the rains, but for avocado growers the rain is welcome, especially following last year's drought.
On Jan. 24, The Produce News toured some avocado groves in Temecula, CA, with Len Francis, a farm manager and owner of LF Grove Management Inc. Leaf tip burn resulting from last year's drought was evident on all the old growth, in contrast to the brilliant green leaves from this winter's flush of new growth.
Mr. Francis explained that avocados receive three major benefits from significant rainfall at this time of year. First, it helps the fruit to size. The harvest was just getting started on new-crop California Hass, and much of the young fruit is still fairly small, but the rain will give it a boost. Second, the rain will help assure a good set for the 2008 harvest. Unlike many fruits, avocados set fruit for next year's crop while the current year's crop is still on the trees.
Finally, and most important, the rain is needed to leach salt from the soils. Avocado trees love water but do not like salt, and irrigation can increase soil salinity. It takes a good two-inch rainstorm periodically to adequately leach the soil, and that never happened last year, he said.
Rain is not unexpected during the winter in the strawberry-growing districts of Southern California. In fact, most years there are some periods when the harvest is disrupted temporarily by rainfall and it takes a few days to get back to full production. This year during the latter part of January, however, the rains have been particularly heavy, especially in Oxnard, where the majority of California strawberries are grown.
The Southern California strawberry deal, which ordinarily starts in a light way in December, was already slow to get going this year because of weather- related shortages of transplant stock. Many fields were planted two to four weeks late because of problems getting transplants due to hail damage in the nurseries near the California-Oregon state line. Volume was just starting to build, belatedly, in mid-January when a series of storms dumped more than seven inches of rain in Oxnard over several days and smaller amounts in other winter strawberry-growing areas.
Growers said that the storms were not severe enough to cause plant damage or wash out fields, but most of the ripe and nearly ripe fruit that was on the plants when the rains began had to be stripped off and sent to the juicer. As a result, fresh strawberry volume has continued to be tight throughout the month of January and looked to continue tight into the Easter pull, growers said.
Russ Widerburg, sales manager at Boskovich Farms Inc. in Oxnard, said, "The market for us has stayed at $26.90 since we have been picking, so we have had a good market." He added that a freeze in Florida has helped contribute to the strong prices for California fruit.
"I think the Oxnard area probably started off being two to three weeks behind anyway because of supplies of plants. Then, just about the time the volume was staring to pick up, we got seven or eight inches of rain here over a five- or six-day period," he said.
"From what I am hearing now, most of the retailers are saying they just don't have any commitments on volume, so they are going to have to pull their ads for Valentine's Day," Mr. Widerburg said Jan. 28, adding that there is still some product crossing from Mexico.
"Rain aside, the berries that are coming out of Southern California and Baja are absolutely gorgeous, I don't care what label you are talking about," said Mark Munger, vice president of marketing for Andrew & Williamson Sales Co. Inc. in San Diego, which grows berries in Baja and in Oxnard. Once the rain ends and the sun comes out, "as an industry, we are going to see some really nice berries," he said.
David Cook, a salesman at Deardorff Family Farms in Oxnard, which has a small amount of strawberry acreage in the Oxnard area, said that the harvest had just started to get going "in a small way when it was delayed by rain." Once the rains end, "a week of nice weather and we'll be back in action. The whole deal will, I think."
Strawberries may be experiencing delays from the rains, but for avocado growers the rain is welcome, especially following last year's drought.
On Jan. 24, The Produce News toured some avocado groves in Temecula, CA, with Len Francis, a farm manager and owner of LF Grove Management Inc. Leaf tip burn resulting from last year's drought was evident on all the old growth, in contrast to the brilliant green leaves from this winter's flush of new growth.
Mr. Francis explained that avocados receive three major benefits from significant rainfall at this time of year. First, it helps the fruit to size. The harvest was just getting started on new-crop California Hass, and much of the young fruit is still fairly small, but the rain will give it a boost. Second, the rain will help assure a good set for the 2008 harvest. Unlike many fruits, avocados set fruit for next year's crop while the current year's crop is still on the trees.
Finally, and most important, the rain is needed to leach salt from the soils. Avocado trees love water but do not like salt, and irrigation can increase soil salinity. It takes a good two-inch rainstorm periodically to adequately leach the soil, and that never happened last year, he said.
