News and Stories

The Santa Maria, California growing region received between .60”-.75” of rainfall on Sunday, November 20 that has once again damaged strawberry supplies and made for very poor field conditions. Many growers will experience significant harvesting delays and very low yields as workers will mostly be culling damaged fruit; some have cancelled production altogether.

No additional rain is currently being forecast and temperatures will remain at seasonal norms for the rest of the week. Markon inspectors will be assessing field conditions and quality and will update further with more information soon. Markon expects it will likely take two picking rotations, or 8-10 days, before quality fully recovers. In the meantime, strawberries will be exhibiting varying levels of the following issues:

• Decay
• Bruising/Bleeding
• Shortened Shelf-life
• Soft Texture
• Water Damage

Ordering for quick turns is recommended; maintaining the cold chain throughout distribution will be critical for maximizing quality and shelf-life potential.

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

John Galvez

Quality Assurance

markon.com

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