February 11, 2019

Oxnard:

We received .10-.20 inches of rain yesterday - today is clear and cold, and we had a low of 33 degrees this morning and are expecting a high of 58 degrees. The next couple of days will be cool and dry, and then rain is forecasted for Wednesday and Thursday, with rain totals projected at 1.5 - 2.00 inches. The fruit being picked this morning looks good, overall condition is good, although there is still occasional water damage fruit in some packs. Color is 85-95 percent, with counts 14-16. The local hills are still capped with snow and the furrows remain wet. The plants are overall very healthy and showing a lot of fruit that will ready to be picked once the weather gives us a few days of warmer temperatures. The winter organic fruit looks very nice with color 85-95 percent, and counts 14-16. The summer organic berries have occasional water damage in the pack, but no breakdown of the fruit - color is 85-95 percent and counts are 18-22. Please be in contact with our sales team this week regarding harvest and packing schedules.

Mexico:

Mexico temperatures have remained in the 80s mostly, with some days creeping up into the 90s. Nighttime temperatures have been ranging between the 40s-50s, with no rain forecasted at the moment - only a 40 percent chance of rain in Maravatío on Thursday. Strawberries out of Zamora are between 24-28 count and quality is mixed due to recent warm temperatures - however, crews are doing a good job at packing clean packs. Maravatío strawberries are 20-26 count and experiencing fewer overripe issues due to slightly cooler weather. Raspberries are looking good overall with main defects being overripe fruit due to heat, but volume is expected to increase week by week. Blueberries are looking very good - size may decrease slightly with warm weather ahead, but overall, quality is nice and volume is expected to increase. Blackberries are slightly soft in the afternoons, but general quality is good at the cooler with very few rejections.

 

 

 

 

Blueberries:

We have had high temperatures in our Chilean growing regions - mostly in the low to upper 90s and sunny skies - Temuco is slightly cooler in the 70s-80s and partly cloudy. The warmer temperatures have accelerated ripening of late-season varieties like Elliot, Last Call, and Liberty. However, fruit is still showing good appearance, high bloom and firmness in origin. Our Oxnard blueberries continue to look great in overall quality, with Mexico blueberries are showing no signs of defects as well.

Florida:

Weather is warming up in our Florida growing regions with temperatures mostly in the 70s-80s and some scattered showers this week. Fields are absolutely loaded with 8-12 count fruit and quality is excellent. Weather permitting, volume should continue to increase week by week.