Pricing picked up on California strawberries
From
| 20 October 2023
Overview of strawberries from California in the U.S. market, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published on October 17, 2023.
Strawberry supplies from Santa Maria-Oxnard, California are just getting into peak harvest. “These are planted in late May and the volume is not that heavy for the crop but it is peaking. It’ll continue through the first of the year, barring any rains that come in. Our rainy season usually starts in November,” says Steve Johnston of G.W. Palmer & Co. Inc. Meanwhile the other key strawberry growing region in California, Salinas-Watsonvile, is rapidly coming to a close.
At the same time, production out of Mexico is just beginning and it looks to be starting earlier every year. “There are some crossings in the last couple of weeks into Laredo and that’s a little different. They’re starting up in a light way but it really won’t kick in until about a month from now.”
Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)
As for demand for strawberries, it’s steady. “They’re a top item and people never get tired of strawberries,” says Johnston. At the same time, blueberry imports are tighter and higher priced which means the other berries in the category subsequently see increased demand.
Meanwhile, pricing is picking up. “The last couple of weeks have been a dull market. Supplies in Salinas-Watsonville, those plants are about a year old right now and they’ll be tearing them out and replanting them so the crop is fading fast,” says Johnston. “So it’ll be lighter supplies and they’ll get more money. The price today is $12-$14 and this time last week it was $6-$8.”
Looking ahead, Johnston is already predicting that the 2024 spring crop in California will be a good one because of this year’s sizeable rains. “The year after a big rain, you get a really good yield if the weather stays normal,” he says.
The News in Charts is a collection of stories from the industry complemented by charts from Agronometrics to help better tell their story.
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