News and Stories

Markon First Crop Strawberries are not available; Markon Best Available and packer label are being substituted. Bruising, light decay, mildew, soft texture, shortened shelf-life, and water damage are problems being found in the Salinas/Watsonville and Santa Maria, California growing regions. The market is rising sharply due to tighter supplies.

• Prices continue to climb; demand is strong
• Last week’s widespread showers decreased volume in all California growing regions
• Harvesting crews are heavily culling fields due to poor quality; fruit was weakened by the previous months’ heat
• Bruising, light decay, mildew, soft texture, shortened shelf-life, and water damage are issues
• Overall berry size is decreasing; counts are averaging 24 to 28 berries per 1-pound clamshell
• Stemmed strawberries are not available; organic strawberries are very limited
• The warm weather forecast this week is expected to further diminish quality and impact yields
• Prices will remain elevated through October

As always, maintaining the cold chain will be critical for maximizing shelf-life. Markon recommends ordering for quick turns.

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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