Recent warm weather along California's Central Coast has caused cauliflower yields to dip. As supplies have come down, prices have risen.“Typically, this time of year there isn't a lot of acreage planted in California because of competition from local plantings and plantings on the East Coast,” said Chris Reade of Produce West in Salinas, California. “So if you have any hiccups, like with weather, the situation can be magnified.” With temperatures in the 90s this week, the weather has cut yields by as much as 40 percent.
“As of today, supplies are very limited,” said Reade. “Prices for a carton of cauliflower are around $16.00 or $18.00, and they were around $12.00 just last week.” On September 9, prices for a carton of white 9s from Salinas and Watsonville were between $13.45 and $17.05, and prices for a carton of 12s were between $15.50 and $19.55. But if the heat relents, production should catch up by next week and the market should adjust shortly after that.
“Cauliflower reacts pretty rapidly, so we could see lower prices by the end of next week,” said Reade. “We're on the downswing, so there's a month or two before production transitions to Yuma, Arizona. Plantings will be lighter until that transition, and I don't think the market will fall off too much until then.”
For more information:
Chris Reade
Produce West
+1 831 455 2981