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Watsonville - Salinas:
Temperatures have been in the 70s-80s - with temperatures to continue into the 70s this week. We were picking and planting last week and into this week as well, and should be wrapping up conventional planting by the end of this week. Organic planting is anticipated to conclude the second week of November. Quality is good especially for this time of year as the season slowly winds down. Volume is slowly declining in both organic and conventional fruit - similar for bushberries - but we still have a lot of volume left and great looking fruit to move.
Santa Maria:
Santa Maria has been in the low-mid 80s with temperatures continuing into the weekend. Weather this week will remain in the high 70s with no rain in the immediate forecast. We did experience some Santa Ana winds last week, but quality has held and our field crews are doing their due diligence with quality control inspections. Our organic fall crop is 22-26 count with good quality, while our organic spring crop is 26-32 with great looking fruit. Our conventional planting for next season is complete, with our organic planting to finish next week.
Oxnard:
Fruit quality and condition look good, and color is 90-100 percent with counts 18-22. We have seen some misshapen fruit, but not a major concern affecting the packs. We had a warm weekend with temperatures in the low to mid 80s, and nighttime temperatures beginning to become cooler in the mid to low 50s. This week will be on the cooler side, with no rain forecasted for the next 10 days.
Mexico:
Blueberries:
Florida:
We are seeing all 3 stages of growth in all 3 varieties in Florida right now. We should have pallet quantities in the next week or so. Weather is warm in the 80s, with showers off and on starting this Thursday and again next Monday.
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.
"We heard our customers loud and clear, and we reacted," says California Giant Director of Foodservice, Tom Smith. " The hours of service and electronic log book restrictions we all face as an industry were only going to continue to complicate our way of doing business. Along with our customers, we identified how we could aid one another and reduce the costs of additional picks on our transportation by partnering with an incredible partner in a vegetable shipper like Mann Packing. The ability to load all 4 berries with fresh vegetable orders in the desert opens our doors to being your year-round supplier throughout the winter season."
Our long term plan is to return to Salinas with Mann Packing in spring 2019 offering consolidation here as well. If you hadn't heard yet - now you have! Be sure to touch base with our sales team to discuss orders, pre-books and consolidation.
It's officially November, and that means Thanksgiving (and Friendsgiving) is on the way! The holiday season is all about paying it forward and at California Giant - it's something we all get involved in. From Share your Holiday and all the fun, collaborative fundraisers our team puts on internally in an effort to give back to our communities during the fall and winter months. But most importantly, the time spent with friends and family is invaluable to us, and we are looking forward to sharing some good company, laughs and food around the table with the ones we love most in just a few short weeks. Be on the lookout for more details on our Friendsgiving promotion in our next Trade Buzz, and all the delicious, savory (and sweet) ways berries find their way into the traditional Thanksgiving spread!
Send us your own "pick of the week" and we will feature it here!
