The new year has brought good news for California spinach growers. A third of the way through 2012, yields have been good and the market has brought steady prices for growers.Winter caused some problems for growers in desert regions, but, except for a few storms in April, weather throughout the state has been favorable. This has led to good yields throughout the year.
“It's been a really good year for us,” said Jeff Halfpenny, sales manager at Talley Farms in California's Central Coast. “Our production numbers have been up 25 to 30 percent from last year, and our yields have been very good.” Along with good weather, he cites a large increase in acres planted as a reason for the jump in production.
Though he admits that April storms might have an effect on this year's crop, the effect won't be felt for several weeks, and in any case, it's expected any impact will not be significant.
Market prices have held steady despite good production, a surprising situation that has left Halfpenny pleased. On April 30, the USDA reported prices for spinach to be between $7.75 and $9.47 for a carton of size 24s.
“Prices have held steady in the nine dollar range for about two months now,” he said. Though he wasn't sure why prices haven't dipped significantly despite good production, he said it has resulted in a good market overall.
“Production's good, yields are good, the market is steady, so everyone knows roughly what the price will be.”