US: Supply and demand of kale in balance

The kale growing season is in full swing in Yuma (AZ). Supply is decent says Rodger Arroyo from Taylor Farms California. Some adverse weather conditions of rain followed by warmer temperatures caused mildew in the fields, but crews are working hard to keep it out of the finished product. The Yuma growing season is expected to continue for another eight weeks and operations are scheduled to move to the Salinas Valley in the second week of April.

In recent years, demand for kale has gone up due to increased public awareness. Kale is increasingly being used in cooking shows and pre-cut salads more and more include kale as well. As a result of increased demand, Taylor Farms’ planting forecast contains a slight increase for the Salinas Valley 2015 growing season.

Taylor Farms California supplies 98 percent of its product to the foodservice industry. Therefore, all kale that is currently being harvested goes into the company’s processing plant in Yuma where it is washed and chopped. The remaining two percent is supplied to wholesale customers. The majority of the product is distributed within the United States and a smaller share goes to Canada. Taylor Farms Retail, a sister company of Taylor Farms, also supplies kale to various retailers across the country and Canada.

Price of the product is steady as food service companies secure their supply for a long duration. The main challenge for the produce industry is the impact of the California drought. Last year marked the fourth straight year of drought for California. In the past few years, drought has driven 500,000 acres of produce out of production in California says Mr. Arroyo. While California should be in the midst of its rain season, San Francisco did not get any precipitation in January for the first time in 165 years according to NBC News.

For more information:
Rodger Arroyo
Taylor Farms
rarroyo@taylorfarms.com
www.taylorfarms.com
www.taylorfarmsfoodservice.com