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Weather the past few weeks has been hot – with temperatures peaking at 103 degrees Labor Day weekend, with rain just behind that. Temperatures to start this week are on the warmer side, but should remain mild in the 70s the rest of the week, with no extreme heat forecasted for the rest of the month. Strawberry quality varies from ranch to ranch – with most ranches currently not on a regular rotation. We are picking only fresh right now, and are staying up on extensive quality checks for our fruit in the midst of these unpredictable weather conditions. As an industry, we are anticipating strawberry volume to decline in the coming weeks. Bushberries saw some extreme heat as well. As coastal temperatures hit 103 degrees - inland temperatures underneath our bushberry hoops felt temperatures closer to 108-110 degrees. With that said, our blackberries held up well despite this extreme heat, while raspberries are facing a more challenging rebound. We anticipate the moderate temperatures ahead to get our berries back in top-quality shape.
Santa Maria:
We have experienced some extreme heat in our California growing regions – Santa Maria being no exception. Labor Day weekend we hit temperatures in the triple digits - at a record 106 degrees. As that weekend progressed temperatures dropped slightly to 101, and then led into the week with warm 80 degree temperatures and high humidity. Following this extreme heat, we even saw some rainfall, and received a ½ inch of rain. This week we are expected to have temperatures range all the way from 64-85 degrees. With the unpredictable weather patterns the last few weeks we have experienced a few minor hurdles with crop quality, but are overall pleased with the rebound despite the extreme weather conditions. Our fall crop is 16-20 count and looks decent despite the heat and rain. Our organic strawberry crops are 26-30 count and are seeing more aftermath from the heat and rainfall we saw last week, but should improve over the next few days. Conventional blackberries still look great, while organic blackberries are experiencing some subtle sunburn and minor overripe issues. Labor continues to be an industry-wide struggle.
Mexico:
Weather in Mexico is similar in almost all areas – temperatures remain around 80 degrees, with nighttime lows in the 50s. Our Zamora growing region has experienced some rainfall. With that said - some strawberry and raspberry fields in this region are facing some challenges due to overflows and flooding – meaning production may be delayed in Zamora until weather improves. As far as our blackberries go, we anticipate production to begin mid-September with fruit from Ziracuaretiro and Los Reyes, and blueberry, strawberry and raspberry production following in early-mid October. Growers are working hard to recover from material losses, while others are getting ready and hoping for warmer days as the season starts just around the corner. Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for more updates on our Mexico commodities.
Blueberries:
Our PNW blueberry season is winding down. Our blues have faced some hurdles as we have experienced heat wave after heat wave in our Oregon and BC growing regions. Our Peruvian and Argentinian blues are on the rise, with Mexico blues only a few weeks out from harvest. Be on the lookout for more updates on our blueberries in the coming weeks.
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 have all witnessed the catastrophic damage that both Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma have left on parts of the Texas coast, Caribbean, Florida and southeastern parts of the United States.
As in all disasters, there are many opportunities to help. We are proud to have already worked with several leading produce companies in the Salinas area that have sent truckloads of fresh fruit and vegetables to survivors of Hurricane Harvey. With much of our produce distributors, importers, transportation providers, foodservice operators and other related produce businesses in both the storms paths, it is pivotal as an industry that we do our part to give back to the communities that have been affected.
We look forward to being able to communicate with our staff and growers in the southeast, and will provide more updates next week on our crops in this region and how they have been affected by the storms.
For those whose families and livelihoods have been affected in these unprecedented storms, our thoughts and prayers are with you.
For more information on how you can help those affected by both Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, please visit American Red Cross.
You may have seen recently that our Fresh Start: College Edition eBook and Sweepstakes has launched. But don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about one of our biggest consumers.. moms! With our Back to School eBook and Sweepstakes, consumers can expect mom hacks, on-the-go meal ideas and the perfect pairings for lunchboxes for the little ones! All recipes are Cal Giant made, and link right back to our website for more recipe inspiration. With it being back-to-school season, we hope to target busy mom’s and promote healthy snack and lunch options to keep the kids full, happy and healthy all year long.
This Aptos Deluxe Foods sure knows how to display their California Giant blues!
