News and Stories

Harvesting crews are culling fields after this weekend’s rain in the Southern California and Coachella Valley growing regions. Light rain is expected today in Coachella and Oxnard with a warming trend expected for the remainder of the week. Crews will continue to work through the light rain in both areas. Markon First Crop (MFC) Strawberries are available out of Coachella, California; Markon Best Available (MBA) is being shipped from Oxnard, California.

Coachella

• MFC Strawberries are available, but may become limited

• Quality is good: white shoulders, odd shape, and uneven color are occasional problems

• Counts range from 16 to 18 berries per one-pound clamshell

• Approximately 0.30 inches of rain fell in the Coachella region over the weekend

o Growers packed ahead in anticipation of the rain

o Occasional water damage is being reported, but may increase over the next two days

o Crews are culling fields for damaged berries

Oxnard

• MBA is available for loading; quality is fair

• Counts range from 16 to 19 berries per one-pound clamshell

• White shoulders, odd shape, and green tips are issues

• Approximately 0.50 inches of rain fell in the Oxnard region over the weekend

o Harvesting crews are culling fields for damaged berries

o Water damage, bruising, and decay are concerns

Santa Maria

• New crop berries are on the market; quality is very good

• Counts range from 12 to 14 berries per one-pound clamshell

• The growing region only received 0.10 inches of rainfall over the weekend

• Growers packed ahead in anticipation of the rain

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

©2015 Markon Cooperative, Inc. All rights reserved.