News and Stories

Markon First Crop (MFC) Strawberries are available in Santa Maria and Watsonville, California.

Heat-related quality defects are being observed in strawberry crops throughout the California growing regions of Watsonville/Salinas and Santa Maria. Temperatures were in the upper 80s to upper 90s several days ago, causing a drop in volume. 

Industry-wide, heat-related defects that are expected to last for the next 10 to 14 days include:

• Bleeding
• Bronzing
• Bruising
• Decay
• Over-ripe fruit
• Shortened shelf-life
• Small size
• Soft texture

Current forecasts call for coastal temperatures in the mid- to upper 70s with warm nights and humid conditions through the rest of July. Above-normal temperatures combined with humidity will inhibit the strawberry plants’ ability to recover. Markon inspectors are monitoring fields closely and working with suppliers to secure the best quality. Expect MFC Strawberries to remain available over the next several days. Markon Best Available will be substituted if harvesting crews are not able to effectively cull damaged berries.

Cold-chain management remains a vital component of maximizing shelf-life. Please contact your Markon customer support representative for more information.

Blake Anderson

Quality Assurance

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