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We received one inch of rain this past Saturday, and had some scattered showers throughout this week. Overall, we received more rain in Watsonville than Salinas and have more showers ahead this weekend. Next week high temperatures are forecasted to be in the 60s-70s, and Monday will begin the start of our local season. New West Cooling will open the week after next, with UniCool to begin operating next week. Volumes will start off light and increase rapidly come April.
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We received just over an inch of rain last weekend and received light showers the past few days. Temperatures have been cool and next week looks to be in the 60s-70s and dry, with nights in the 50s. Fruit quality is excellent and Fronteras is looking strong at 14-16 count with great shape, color and flavor. We are seeing very minor decay here and there from the recent moisture, but keeping packs very clean. San Andreas is clean with no damage to report, with counts 12-16. Fields are picking up momentum with berry volumes and color, sheen and size are looking fantastic. Our Monterey variety is loading up with heavy volume, great size and color with counts mostly 12-14. The Organic Fall Crop is pushing along at 22-26 count, some 28 - and slightly more sensitive to the touch. We expect size to increase in the coming weeks. The Organic Spring Crop has counts in the 20s, great size and color. Volumes are going to increase dramatically in the coming weeks with an abundance of fruit on the forecast. Labor is in good shape, and we will assess traffic next week once the FMLA comes into effect.
Oxnard:
We had a rough start with weather at the beginning of the week, with totals amounting to about one inch. Since the showers, the windy days have helped dry out the fields. Temperatures and conditions moving forward will be in the 70s with nights in the 50s, and no rain forecasted for the next 7-10 days. We will be peaking in this region over the next 2 weeks, with volumes to begin to slowly decline at the beginning of May. Overall, quality is very good and fields have cleaned up nicely from the rains with very minimal residual defects on the crops. Shape and sheen look great, and color is 90-100%. Both San Andreas and Fronteras are 14-16 count and labor continues to not be an issue at this time. Ranches and crews are all following strict sanitation guidelines and awaiting what the FMLA brings to the labor force in the coming weeks.
Mexico:
In general, temperatures are increasing across all regions. However, Ziracuaretiro and Maravatio have forecasted scattered rains of 0.02 inches for the next week, with the remainder of the week being mostly sunny. We are monitoring all updates regarding COVID-19 and ensuring the same sanitation guidelines and requirements in our Mexico region.
Blueberries
Blueberry production continues to decrease. However, the warmer weather is accelerating the ripening of the fruit. The quality continues to be good.
Organic Blueberries
Organic production will begin to decrease and quality remains good at this time.
Raspberries
Raspberry production will increase and the quality is just right. We are seeing very minimal defects from warm temperatures but are ensuring that packs remain clean.
Organic Raspberries
We have growers in different stages of development. Some are decreasing their volumes and others are just kicking off to maintain consistent volumes. First, numbers will decrease, but are expected to spike again in two weeks. Good quality is maintaining.
Strawberries
Despite the weather, Maravatio is the only region that continues with quality fit for exportation. Volumes are beginning to decrease, but will maintain from then on. Growers are doing their best to ensure quality in packs.
Blackberries
Blackberry production is increasing. However, the high temperatures are affecting the number of crates being delivered. Growers are maintaining good quality in packs and volumes should increase soon.
Blueberries:
Mexico
Weather has been favorable for ripening and quality of fruit. Berries are looking good in firmness, quality and size.
South America
The South America import season is finished and we'd like to thank everyone for another successful season!
Oxnard Organics
We are expecting steady volumes for the next three weeks. Fruit quality is mostly good, with nice size and bloom.
Florida
We’ve started to receive light volumes out of Florida, with volumes finally increasing this week. Central Florida will experience hot weather for the rest of the month with high temperatures in the high 80s-low 90s. This is expected to continue until early April. The warm temperatures will cause more rapid ripening and coloring in blueberry fields, which could result in higher early season volumes out of Florida. Quality is good and berries are firm with nice size. Labor is not an issue in Florida at this time.
Central Valley California
Our first fruit out of the Central Valley will be organic blueberries from Victory Ranch in the Bakersfield area. Their anticipated start date is April 7th. Our conventional Central Valley growers are expected to begin picking in mid-late April. Volume on both conventional and organic fruit will be light throughout the month of April - with volumes to increase in early May.
Georgia
Georgia’s anticipated start date will be around April 1st with light volumes. Production is expected to be light during early April and will ramp up around mid-month.
Florida:
We wrapped up our conventional strawberry season and will continue our organics through next week.
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.
In an effort to incentivize and support our shoppers now more than ever as trips to the grocery store multiply, and families look to stock up on household products and goods, we're sending our loyal database of 'Berry Squad' shoppers a coupon this weekend to support their next California Giant Berry Farms purchase at a retailer near them!
We'll follow up with our partners on how this spring coupon performed, and hope to continue to drive sales to the berry category and support our consumers that are looking for sweet, nutritious berries on their next grocery outing.
This week, we sent a personal shipment of fresh organic blueberries to an elderly consumer in Washington that was unable to leave her home to shop. We believe kindness and support goes a long way during difficult times, and were so happy to hear this surprise brightened her week.
"What a pleasant surprise, your berries taste wonderful and are something we truly miss during the winter months in this northern climate where spring is just now waking up. It has been a rough time for me and my family, and this truly made my day/next few weeks and I am eternally grateful. I will be sharing clamshells with a few other 'elder shut-ins'. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart."
- Shari, WA
Working from home? Snack breaks are sweeter with a big bowl of California Giant berries!
