News and Stories

Markon First Crop Strawberries are not available; Markon Best Available Strawberries in 1-pound clamshells and packer label supplies are being substituted due to yesterday’s rain. The Salinas/Watsonville, California growing region received approximately 1.25” to 1.50” of rain, bringing the season to an abrupt end. The Santa Maria, California growing region (the primary area for Markon) received approximately 0.25” to 0.50” of rain, curtailing harvests. Expect extremely limited supplies for the next four to six weeks.

Salinas/Watsonville, California

• Approximately 1.25” to 1.50” of rainfall was recorded yesterday
• Although it was much needed for the area, it was enough rain to bring the strawberry season to an abrupt end
• Most growers will no longer be packing fresh supplies for the remainder of the season
• Supplies will resume in the spring of 2016

Santa Maria, California (Markon’s primary growing region)

• Prices are escalating; demand exceeds supply
• The region received approximately 0.25” to 0.50” of rain yesterday
• Growers packed ahead on Sunday in anticipation of the rain; minimal fruit was harvested yesterday
• Crews will be taking time off from harvesting over the next two days to cull rain-soaked fruit; decay and water damage are major concerns
• Growers will ship one-pound clamshells for the rest of the week to minimize the following arrival issues:
• Bleeding
• Bruising
• Shortened shelf-life
• Soft texture
• Labor is tight as most crews are planting next year’s crop
• In addition, colder nights and shorter days are slowing the ripening process
• Overall volume is expected to remain extremely low for the next four to six weeks when the Oxnard winter crop begins in December
• Expect elevated markets, quality issues, and extremely limited supplies for the month of November

Oxnard, California

• No rainfall was reported in this region yesterday
• Few suppliers are currently harvesting a fall crop
• Prices are climbing as overall supplies decrease; demand exceeds supply
• Berry size is smaller than in Santa Maria; overall quality is fair
• The main Oxnard winter crop is expected to begin by mid-December; supplies should increase at that time

Mexico (into South Texas)

• Stocks from Central Mexico began crossing into the U.S. last week in a very limited way
• Arrivals into South Texas are very sporadic; prebook orders for best availability
• Growers are only packing one-pound clamshells until supplies increase the week of November 16
• Small size is a concern
• Counts are as high as 32 to 38 berries per one-pound clamshell
• Overall quality is fair

Florida

• Harvesting is expected to begin the week of November 16
• Early season supplies will be very tight
• Initial orders must be pallet quantities
• Only one-pound clamshells will be available during the early season
• Markon will update as more information becomes available

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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