February 13, 2020

Happy Thursday!

We have an eventful weekend ahead because not only is it Valentine's Day - it's a long weekend! Double the fun and more time to snack on sweet berries. We are currently gearing up for our local season to kick off here in Watsonville-Salinas in a few weeks, and in the meantime, are producing excellent quality berries across all our growing regions. We look forward to seeing our industry partners at the SEPC at the end of this month to further discuss our 2020 programs, initiatives, events and more!

For more information, including crop and weather reports, please scroll below.

Crop Updates

Santa Maria:

Whether in Santa Maria will be generally mild over the next 7-10 days with temperatures in the 60s-70s and sunny. There is currently no rain on the forecast. Fronteras is 12-14 with great color, shape and sheen. Organic Fronteras is similar at 12-14 with nice size and overall quality. Conventional San Andreas is 12-14 count with little to no defects. Organic Portola is smaller at 22-24 count, with the Fronteras organic spring crop 12-14. Volumes will be gradually increasing each week.

Oxnard:

We have had Santa Ana winds in our Oxnard growing region and will continue to see the effects of these next week again on Tuesday, with gusts up to 40mph. Temperatures are ranging in the mid 60s with lows in the 40s, and no rain in the forecast for the next 7-10 days. We anticipate warmer temperatures soon, which should speed up the ripening of the fruit. Fronteras is 14-16 count, while San Andreas is 16-18 count. Quality is looking excellent and labor continues to not be an issue at this time.

Mexico:

The weather in Mexico has improved. In general, all the regions will be mostly sunny with scattered clouds. Temperatures are ranging from the high 80s during the day and 50s at night. These conditions will help normalize production, and we expect good quality across the board moving forward. No rain is in sight for the next 2 weeks.

Blueberries

The volumes we estimated were affected by the rain, cold weather, and cloudy skies we had recently. Improved weather patterns will increase volumes in the weeks ahead. Quality remains good for blueberries.

Organic Blueberries

The volumes will continue to increase and quality continues to be good.

Raspberries

Production has been delayed by the recent rain, cold temperatures, and cloudy weather. The present climate is favorable and volumes will increase for the next few weeks. The quality is just right.

Organic Raspberries

Production will be consistent for the next few weeks. Quality is good at this time.

Strawberries

Maravatio has good quality and size, and some fields are renewing the flower set. In Zamora, the counts have decreased and we have growers that are working diligently to make selections that keep packs clean.

Blackberries

Production is currently stable and consistent. The weather for the next week is going to help to maintain the volumes. The quality is improving due to the dry weather, and growers are continuing to work diligently to continue to deliver top quality.

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Blueberries:

Mexico

Quality out of Mexico continues to be good.

South America

We are now past the peak arrival period for the Chilean season and volume will decrease week by week from now until the end of the season. We are receiving light volumes this week, with numbers to continue to decrease. Containers arriving to both Oxnard, Philadelphia, and H&A in Florida over the last week have had mixed, good and fair quality with the main defect being soft fruit here and there.

Oxnard Organics

Damage from last week’s freeze event is still being evaluated, but at this time the overall percentage of damage looks minimal, with only the young plants and fields without high tunnels overhead that received defects. Volume will be increasing each week.

Florida:

Weather has been in the 80s with lows in the 60s. Fruit is currently looking good and on a 2-day harvest rotation. We may see a 40-50% chance of rain tomorrow evening, but predictions still remain low. The long term forecast looks dry with favorable temperatures in the 80s with lows in the 60s. Counts are 14-16 among conventional Sensations, and 20-24 for conventional Brilliance. Organic counts are in the mid-20s. We are doing a great job of keeping up quality and labor.

Weather Conditions

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.

Consumer Spotlight

This Walmart shopper from New York is a BIG fan of our raspberries!

"I just wanted to let you know that I bought your raspberries and they were great - excellent product!"

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