As the summer strawberry season finishes up in regions such as Watsonville, California, harvesting is going for the fall strawberry season. "We are currently harvesting in Watsonville, Salinas, Oxnard, Santa Maria, and Central Mexico," says Dan Crowley, SVP of sales, Gem-Pack Berries, LLC. "This past week in Watsonville, a tropical storm brought light but persistent rain over several days, which caused weather-related interruptions. While the rainfall was light, the extended moisture and muggy conditions impacted both fruit quality and harvest schedules."
With the company shipping strawberries out of several districts year-round to mitigate such weather-related crop issues and keep supply consistent, here's a look at what's happening in those districts.
© Gem-Pack
Watsonville-Salinas: This year, the season here ran slightly longer which resulted in a bit more volume. Right now, estimates are that the region is about 80-90 percent through production.
In terms of growing conditions, Crowley notes it had a later peak this year because June and July temperatures were cooler than average which pushed back production. "Although we had this minor setback, we still hit the yield numbers projected in this region," he adds.
Oxnard: "Currently, our customer prefers the newer crop strawberries, which is out of Oxnard and Santa Maria. The newer crop provides better fruit and longer shelf life," says Crowley, adding that it's about one-third the way through the fall crop in this region.
While a good crop is expected here in the coming weeks, as daylight hours grow shorter in the fall, the fruit takes longer to ripen. "For the fall crop, it is important for night temperatures to be cooler, within the mid-50s. This season, we've had warmer nights than usual with only an 8–10 degree differential (lows 62, highs 70-72)," says Crowley, adding that warm nights are metabolically stressful on strawberry plants and can weaken the fruit's skin. "We need cooler nights for firmer fruit, which has been a challenge this year. While there's been some recent relief, the crop continues to face pressure from shorter daylight hours and cooler nighttime temperatures."
In the meantime, with those warm nights, the company is increasing its rotation to every two to three days to keep crews ahead of issues and help prevent strawberries from deteriorating, which in turn gets product to customers faster.
Central Mexico: "The season is just beginning. Having a crop in Central Mexico helps us prepare customers for the quick wrap-up expected in Salinas and Watsonville," says Crowley. As the season transitions to both Oxnard and Central Mexico, growing conditions should improve.
© Gem-Pack
Meanwhile, the demand for strawberries has been consistent, though supply is dropping and will continue to as Watsonville-Salinas finish up. However consumption is expected to stay steady on the remaining year-round supply.
As for pricing, the market is significantly stronger now compared to a few weeks ago. "For the last several weeks, Salinas and Watsonville accounted for about half of the state's strawberry production. As their supply begins to decline, demand is expected to rise," says Crowley. "This time of the year, strawberries are costly to grow in Oxnard, but with Salinas and Watsonville winding down, it creates an advantage for Oxnard growers."
That in fact remains one of the biggest challenges in farming today: managing the rising cost of the full production cycle. "From labor to materials and everything else in between. Since we can't simply pass the cost on to the consumer we focus on driving efficiency in our day-to-day operations," he says.
Also being introduced to Gem-Pack Berries' operations is a new product in its line up–hydroponic strawberries. "While we are growing these strawberries on a smaller scale, moving forward, it will be a part of our strategy," notes Crowley.
On October 17 and 18, GEM-Pack will be exhibiting at IFPA's Global Show in Anaheim. Visit the team at booth #2273.
For more information:
Paola Martin
Gem-Pack Berries, LLC
Tel: +1 (831) 484-3275
[email protected]
www.gem-packberries.com