It's been a good year for organic beets in Ontario. "We got a later start with planting bulk beets for storage because of the dry weather in the summer. We are seeing ample supply now, so it looks good," says Lauren Stallard Wedderburn, sales and marketing manager at Pfenning's Organic Vegetables, noting the company ships red, gold and Chioggia or "candy cane" beets. "It's also been a great year for bunched beets and we're still going strong with those too."
© Pfenning's Organic Vegetables
L: Lauren Stallard Wedderburn; R: Wolfgang Pfenning
She notes that bunched beet supply has been steady since the summer. "We've had beautiful leaves all season and good volume, so it's a great time to take advantage of that because frost is coming and this won't last." Harvest for storage beets continues until they are all out of the field or because cold weather prohibits further harvest, similar to carrots.
© Pfenning's Organic Vegetables
So far in October, both demand and pricing on beets have been steady.
Strong September demand
Even with the later start in September on storage beet harvest, demand has been high. The company's bulk beet sales for the month of September hit record levels, though part of that is due to increased processing demand. More bunches of beets have moved than in previous years, and there has been no change in acreage, so storage harvest may not last as long as it has in previous years.
© Pfenning's Organic Vegetables
It's been a good year for organic beets in Ontario.
"So far in October, both demand and pricing have been steady. We've been able to keep pricing at a sustainable price point so hopefully that will continue," says Stallard Wedderburn. Pricing remains close to what it was this time last year. "I think September pricing was slightly lower on average this year but that's because of the volume we were shipping. However, in October, we're just slightly above last year."
For more information:
Lauren Stallard Wedderburn
Pfennings Organic Vegetables Inc.
Tel: +1 (519) 662-3468
[email protected]
https://pfenningsfarms.ca/
