News and Stories

The spring harvesting transition from the Arizona/California desert region to the San Joaquin Valley (Huron, California) and Salinas Valley is quickly approaching. Huron growers will begin harvesting limited quantities of green leaf, iceberg, and romaine next week. Salinas Valley growers will start production in late March/early April.

Adequate supplies are expected while the desert season winds down and Huron and the Salina Valley harvests get started. Some growers are approximately 7 to 10 days ahead of schedule in the Salinas Valley, which will help prevent any unforeseen gaps. If severe quality issues occur due to the heat in the desert, growers will transition north for better quality sooner than anticipated; this would tighten supplies and causes prices to rise sharply. 

Below are approximate transition dates based on current volume and maturity:

Week of March 14

• Limited quantities of packer label green leaf and romaine will be harvested in Huron
• Markon First Crop (MFC) Premium Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine will continue to be harvested in Yuma
• MFC Celery will continue to be harvested in Oxnard and Coachella; transfers to Yuma and Salinas will be available
  

Week of March 21

• Limited production of MFC Premium Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine will begin in Huron; transfers to Yuma and Salinas will be available
• MFC Premium Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine will continue to be harvested in Yuma
• Packer label green leaf, iceberg, and romaine production will continue in Yuma

Week of April 4

• Limited quantities of MFC Premium Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine will be harvested in Salinas; transfers to Yuma will be available
• Packer label green leaf, iceberg, and romaine will also be harvested in Salinas
• Production of MFC Premium Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine will continue in Huron; transfers to Salinas and Yuma will be available
• MFC Premium Green Leaf and Romaine harvesting will begin to wind down in Yuma
• MFC Broccoli will be packed in Salinas; transfers to Yuma will be an option
• Ready-Set-Serve (RSS) Washed & Trimmed items and cello-wrapped products will be processed in Salinas; transfers to Yuma will be available

Week of April 11

• All MFC Premium Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine will be harvested in Salinas; transfers to Yuma will be an option
• Production for packer label green leaf, iceberg, and romaine will be limited
• RSS Cilantro, Green Onions, Italian Parsley, Parsley, Organic Spinach, and Spring Mix will be transferred to 4Earth (in Los Angeles), Oxnard, or Misionero’s Gonzales consolidation 
• Most packer label green leaf, iceberg, and romaine will be harvested in Salinas; transfers to Yuma will be limited
  

Week of April 18

• All RSS salad items will be processed in Salinas
• All MFC and RSS items will be available to load in Salinas

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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