David E. Grimes sees one of nicest garlic crops in years
David E. Grimes sees one of nicest garlic crops in years
The 2012 California garlic crop for the David E. Grimes Co. in Hollister, CA, is “one of the nicest crops we have had in quite a few years,” said David Grimes, proprietor, July 27. “Quality looks very nice,” due to the fact that there has been “no rain on the crop, during harvest or before harvest.”
David GrimesThe company’s harvest was already “pretty much done,” he said. “We finished our organic harvest here in the Hollister area. We are finishing up the elephant garlic harvest here.”
Mr. Grimes markets the garlic he grows through several different California garlic companies. “I utilize all the different growers,” he said. “Most of what we are doing here is under contract.” He also oversees the elephant garlic program for Sequoia Packing in Coalinga, CA.
Additionally, “I am doing some export into Australia,” he said. That business is “all right” but “not as heavy” as in prior years. “I think they are suffering in this economy as well.”
Mr. Grimes also does buying and selling of garlic. Currently, he was “doing a lot out of Mexico,” he said.
California garlic growers are “still dealing with this China issue,” he said, referring to the low-priced Chinese garlic that generally comes into the U.S. market at the same time the California garlic harvest is getting under way. The Chinese crop is said to be lighter this year, but it was still early to know how much would come into the U.S. market. “I haven’t seen a big influx of it yet,” he said. “I am just waiting to see what this China thing does. If they don’t come in very heavy, we should have a good market.”
Prices so far have been “relatively higher” than usual, he said. “Some of the new Chinese crop is coming in right now, and you can get it for about $26” for 5-centimeter to 5.5-centimeter red garlic.
Demand for garlic so far this summer has not been strong, Mr. Grimes said, but he anticipated that “once we get into the fall months … demand will pick up, and we will know where this Chinese deal is going to go” and how that will affect the market for California product.
