News and Stories

Markon First Crop Strawberries are sporadic; Markon Best Available is being substituted as needed. Prices are inching up due to last week’s heat wave; the market is higher in all areas. Last week’s hot weather affected production and decreased yields, but this week’s favorable growing conditions will improve quality. Markon recommends loading in Watsonville for best quality and lowest price.

• The market is inching up
• Supplies are ample between the Salinas/Watsonville and Santa Maria growing regions
• A few suppliers have begun harvesting limited quantities of new crop Oxnard berries
• Quality is expected to rebound in the Salinas/Watsonville and Santa Maria growing regions this week
• Issues such as bleeding, bronzing, bruising, sun-scalding, and over-ripeness were concerns last week
• Santa Maria’s primary variety has slightly more quality issues than those in Salinas/Watsonville
• Markon recommends loading in Watsonville for best quality and lowest price
• The Salinas/Watsonville season is expected to run through October or until a major rain event brings production to an end
• Click here for pictures of damaged strawberries: bronzing, sunscald, MBA Strawberries from Santa Maria, and MFC Strawberries from Watsonville

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

©2016 Markon Cooperative, Inc. All rights reserved.