News and Stories

Markon First Crop (MFC) Strawberries are not available; Markon Best Available is being substituted. High temperatures persist on California’s Central Coast. Growers continue to heavily cull fields due to poor quality fruit. Growers have begun harvesting limited quantities of new crop berries in Santa Maria. Volume levels will be met the week of August 17; MFC Strawberries will ship the week of August 24.

Salinas/Watsonville

• Prices continue to rise; demand exceeds supply
• Harvesting crews are heavily culling fields due to poor quality
• Bruising, light decay, mildew, overripeness, and soft texture are issues
• Overall berry size is decreasing; counts are averaging 27-30 berries per 1-pound clamshell
• Stemmed strawberries are extremely limited
• Color is red to dark red
• Expect prices to remain elevated through the end of the Salinas/Watsonville season

Santa Maria

• Harvesting crews continue to heavily cull fields due to poor quality fruit
• Bleeding, bruising, decay, mildew, and soft texture are issues
• Most berries are being diverted to juice facilities and/or processors
• Fresh Santa Maria strawberries are very limited; most growers are selling fruit at the local level
• Supplies will increase to adequate levels by the week of August 17
• MFC Strawberries will start shipping the week of August 24

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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