News and Stories
UPDATE: California Strawberries
December 15, 2015
Markon First Crop (MFC) Strawberries are not available; Markon Best Available in one-pound clamshells and packer label supplies are being substituted. Santa Maria, California received approximately 0.30” of rain this past weekend; Oxnard, California received only trace amounts. The recent rain and cold temperatures in both regions are keeping supplies tight on the West Coast.
- The Santa Maria growing region received approximately 0.30” of rain between Friday, December 11 and Sunday, December 13
- Harvesting crews packed orders ahead in anticipation of the rain
- Field conditions allowed crews to harvest Monday morning and cull rain-damaged fruit
- Cold weather will keep yields low for the rest of the week; more rain is forecast this Sunday
- The Oxnard growing region received less than 0.10” of rain this past weekend
- Quality remains very good; size ranges from medium to medium-plus
- Only a limited quantity of MBA Strawberries are available for loading in this area
- Harvesting crews are not packing every day in order to allow fruit to ripen
- Only one-pound clamshells are available in both regions as growers try to maximize yields and minimize the following arrival issues
- Bleeding
- Bruising
- Light decay
- Shortened shelf-life
- Soft texture
- Stemmed and organic strawberries are available in Oxnard
- Expect adequate supplies by early January, pending rainfall
Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.
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