News and Stories

The Oxnard and Santa Maria, California growing regions received a series of storms from Tuesday, March 20 through Thursday, March 22, bringing up to four inches of rain to some areas. Growers are entering the fields today to assess the damage; work crews are stripping plants of rain-damaged berries. Harvests have been cancelled through the weekend. Availability will be extremely limited through the middle of next week.

Oxnard/Santa Maria, California

• Markon First Crop (MFC) Strawberries are not available; Markon Best Available (MBA) and packer label are being substituted due to rain in California 
• Bruising, decay, water damage, wind scarring, and white shoulders are persistent problems; growers are sending fruit to freezers and processing plants due to heavy rain damage
• Shelf-life is much shorter than normal in all regions
• Expect tight supplies and elevated prices over the next several weeks

Mexico (into South Texas)

• MFC Strawberries are not available; packer label is being substituted
• Mexico’s strawberry season has ended for most suppliers
• Production will continue to decline over the next few weeks

Florida

• MBA Strawberries are not available; packer label is being substituted
• Florida’s season will finish this week

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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