Lingering cool weather has led to low inventories of asparagus and good prices for growers. Storms throughout California have caused minor delays in harvest but should not make a dent in season production numbers.“Demand is good right now and supply is quite tight,” says Steve Couture of Couture Farms. “We have not had overwhelming production.” He cites cool weather as hampering production and preventing a sizable inventory build-up. Low production and good demand has resulted in strong prices. The USDA reported prices for 11 lb cartons of asparagus to be between $15.75 and $17.75 on April 12.
Rains throughout the state have also halted production, albeit minimally. Couture notes that adverse weather delays production only as long as it lingers.
“We have harvested limited amounts this week,” he says, “it's going to keep production down for a little bit.”
But production should resume quickly, points out Cherie Watte Angulo, executive director of the California Asparagus Commission. As soon as the rain clears, harvesting should resume.
“We have a harvest window of over 90 days,” she says, “so rain might curb production somewhat, but not in the long term. As soon as the skies clear and the temperatures are moderate, it will be good.”