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This region is winding down, with only a few more growers picking organic strawberries. This week should be our last week of receiving raspberries, with raspberry planting for next season well on the way. Strawberry plants for next season look healthy and advanced, with big leaves, green fruit and blossom in effect. Slight chances of light showers are predicted in both regions this week.
Santa Maria:
Morning’s in this region have been on the cooler side lately – with highs in the 30s most days. This week, we may even see morning lows dip into the low 30s by mid-week Wednesday. Despite these cooler mornings, damage on fruit has been minimal and we are monitoring it closely to ensure quality remains consistent. Like much of California – the climate remains consistently cold and dry with no rain forecasted for the duration of this month as we head into January. Smoke has cleared in this region with smoke levels declared ‘good’. Volume is anticipated to decrease in the coming weeks among both our organic and conventional fruit. Although the season here is slowing down, we are still producing great looking strawberries.
Mexico:
Weather in our Mexico growing regions has varied from the 70s-80s during the day, with nighttime lows in the 40s. Quality wise, blackberries are on the rebound from last week’s wind damage in Los Reyes. Raspberries look good with more volume on the way. Maravatío strawberries look excellent in size, with Zamora strawberries (Albion especially) looking good, with size ranging from grower to grower. Volume in Zamora is currently slow, and we are hoping for an increase in production in the coming weeks. Blueberries are in good condition with no defects.
Oxnard:
The last few weeks this region has experienced some fierce on-and-off Santa Ana winds. The Thomas Fire continues to burn, though there is some partial containment. The fire is now burning into the Santa Barbara county and town of Montecito, with homes still burning down and evacuations still in effect. As for Ventura County, there are still some fires going on in the Fillmore area, predominantly in the back canyons. The crop overall has not been directly affected by the fire, though there has been a day or two where the onshore breeze did bring some smoke into the growing region. With that said, all field personnel have been supplied protective masks and we are continuing to monitor smoke levels. Despite winds – overall temperatures this week are anticipated to be in the high 60s low 70s, with nighttime lows in the mid-low 40s. Temperatures are surely cooling down here, with no rain in sight for the next 2 weeks. Being that conditions are dry, we are using micro sprinklers and overhead sprinklers to increase the moisture in our fields. Volume will begin to increase week by week, with quality looking pretty good despite the weather conditions this region has seen lately.
Blueberries:
Weather is looking good in all growing regions – Peralillo, Cauquenes, Linares, and Chillán. Fruit quality is good and better than last years during this time. Last year, we had extreme weather conditions that fluctuated from hot to cold, with this year’s weather changes being more mild and gradual. Our peak arrival in the states is anticipated to be the last week of January through the first week of February, with fruit production spread out throughout the season for a consistent supply for the whole season, rather than one significant peaking period. Good volume should hit around the 1st of the year.
Florida:
We are seeing some residual effects from cold weather last week – with morning lows reaching 35 degrees. Strawberry beds were still around 50-54 degrees, therefore frost did not settle on the plants. We warmed up over the weekend with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s at night. A warming trend began over the weekend on Sunday, with daytime temperatures ranging in the 80s with nighttime lows in the 60s through Tuesday. Temperatures toward the end of the week will be in the 70s with nighttime lows in the 50s. While weather is warming up, volume will still be slow until we receive more heat. We anticipate warmer weather toward the end of the month, which should push more fruit and clean up any green tips. Quality is pretty good, with even better quality on the way with warmer temperatures. Counts among Radiance are mid 20s, low to mid 20s among Sensation and mid to high 20s for our Florida Beauty variety. Fruit is nice and firm, with big flowers and bigger size on the way as we head into 2018.
For up-to-date weather conditions in all of our growing regions, click on the region below. Wunderground.com is our go-to weather resource for fast and reliable weather updates.
As many may already know, California Giant strives to be ‘in-the-know’ and data driven by providing up-to-date insights among the berry category. We update our Trade Page regularly to provide resources to our customer base as we compile data from various berry commissions, trade associations and our own consumer database. That being said, stay tuned for more updates headed to our Trade Page this week, along with an updated section: Insights from the Web. Here, we will showcase some new article insights regarding ‘Branding in the Produce Department’. We look forward to continuing to dive into insights and provide our trade partners with visual infographics, shopper data, retail category trends, quarterly retail data and web insights. Visit our Trade Page to learn more.
Jen was introduced to Cal Giant berries on accident and LOVED them (but who's surprised?) She plans to include them in her fruit kebob station at her baby shower next month. We love knowing our berries make their way into every moment.
Associated Food Stores have the retailers with the fruit. Check out these Giant straws on the left!
