News and Stories

Markon First Crop (MFC) Strawberries are limited; Markon Best Available (MBA) and packer label supplies are being substituted as needed. California stocks are down roughly 400,000 cases due to rainfall in all growing regions this past weekend. Approximately 1.2 million cases shipped Tuesday, April 5 compared to 800,000 on Tuesday, April 12. Prices continue to inch up; supplies are tight. Quality issues such as bruising, bleeding, cracks, decay, soft texture, and water damage have led to most fruit being heavily culled. Oxnard supplies have been impacted more by the rain than new crop berries in Santa Maria and Salinas/Watsonville. Stocks are expected to rebound by next week, pending weather.

Oxnard, California

• MFC Strawberries are not available; MBA and packer label are being substituted as needed
• Approximately 0.50” of rain fell this past weekend
• Quality has been significantly impacted as the plants are approaching the end of their season
• Crews are heavily culling rain-damaged fruit; many growers have switched to processing/freezer markets to minimize rejections
• Yields are down considerably; cool temperatures have slowed ripening and limited harvesting days this week
• Overall quality is fairly good; problems include bleeding, bruising, cracking, decay, soft texture, and water damage
• Size is dominated by medium fruit (20-29 berries per 1-pound clamshell)
• The market is slightly higher than last week; demand is very strong
• The season is on a downward trend but expected to continue through Mother’s Day, pending weather

Santa Maria, California

• MFC Strawberries are limited; MBA and packer label are being substituted as needed
• Approximately 0.50” of rain fell this past weekend
• Supplies withstood the showers better than those in Oxnard
• Most rain-damaged fruit has been culled; quality is expected to rebound by next week
• Yields are down considerably following the rain; cool temperatures have slowed ripening and limited harvesting days
• Overall quality is fairly good to good; problems include bleeding, bruising, soft texture, water damage, and white shoulders
• Size is dominated by medium-plus to large fruit (12-18 berries per 1-pound clamshell)
• The market is slightly higher than last week; demand is very strong
• Stocks are expected to rebound by next week; warm temperatures and no rain are forecast

Salinas/Watsonville, California

• MFC Strawberries are not available; packer label is being substituted as needed
• Approximately 0.25” of rain fell this past weekend
• Although a few quality issues are present, new crop fruit is expected to recover quickly
• Most rain-damaged fruit has been culled
• Yields are down considerably following the rain; cool temperatures have slowed ripening and limited harvesting days
• Overall quality is fairly good to good; problems include bleeding, bruising, soft texture, water damage, and white shoulders
• Size is dominated by medium-plus to large fruit (12-18 berries per 1-pound clamshell)
• New crop volume remains very limited compared to Oxnard and Santa Maria
• The market is slightly higher than last week; demand is very strong
• A slight chance of rain is in the forecast for Thursday, April 14, as well as the weekend of April 22; these events may continue to impede production increases for Mother’s Day

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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