Warm weather could bring early asparagus

Steve Umlor, of Umlor Orchards, notes that the weather has been getting warmer, with temperatures expected to get into the mid-70's next week. Umlor Orchards is located in Michigan, where the asparagus season typically runs from the end of April through June. Although these conditions could lead to an early season, Umlor cautions that it's too early to predict much about the crop at this point.

“We went into the fall really healthy,” he says, “but you really can't tell much when it's this early.” Even warm weather is not a guarantee of an early season, he says, as the ground temperature, a better indicator of how quickly asparagus is ready for harvest, could take a while to rise.

Alan Schreiber, of the Washington Asparagus Commission, agrees that it's tough to predict timing, but warm weather certainly presents the possibility of an early season.

“It's been a little warm, and that could result in an early harvest,” he says. “We're not exactly sure when it will start, but it's 45 degrees right now, and if it gets up to 50 degrees, we'll have asparagus.” If volumes of asparagus arrived early, growers would almost certainly hope for a tapering off of imported supplies from Mexico, since a large overlap in supplies would bring down prices.

Schrieber added that, although it's not clear if the start date will move up, there are some indicators which bode well for the industry. He says the large amount of seed purchased is a sign that growers are optimistic.

“The amount of asparagus seed that has been purchased this year is a lot,” he says, “and that's a sign that growers are optimistic enough to plant more than in previous years.”

One of those reasons, as Umlor points out, might be the increased price that processed asparagus currently commands.

“The processed price is higher than last year,” he says, “and when the processed price goes up, the fresh price tends to follow.”