As harvesting of carrots in California transitions into the Kern County area, volume has been good. But those abundant quantities have contributed to low prices.“Pricing is a little low,” said Andrew Bianchi of Kern Ridge Growers. “There are a lot of carrots coming onto the market from different areas.” He explained that those supplies have been bolstered by favorable weather.
“The weather has been mild, and there haven't been any problems,” he said, “so volumes have been higher than last year.”
Harvesting is currently centred in the Imperial Valley, but that will transition further north in the next couple of weeks. In February, Scott Laporta, of Bolthouse Farms, noted that the spring growing season in the Imperial Valley had good quality and yields due to favorable weather, and that level of production seems to be carrying over to Kern County.
“Quality is outstanding,” said Bianchi, “and there don't seem to be any problems.”