Favorable weather along California's Central Coast has made it a good year for strawberry production in the state. That, along with better yields, has resulted in more berries shipped this season than at the same point last year.As of the end of last week, the volume of strawberries for California this season reached 156.5 million flats, according to the USDA. That's ahead of the volume reached at this point in the season last year by just under 7.0 million flats. That brisk movement is partly due to good weather this year, noted Carolyn O'Donnell of the California Strawberry Commission.
“This year's volume has to do with a couple of things,” she explained. “There has not been a lot of unfavorable weather and we're seeing newer varieties producing greater yields per acre.” The cyclical growing nature of some varieties, where yields naturally swing from year to year, could also have something to do with bigger production this year.
While a lack of rain can pose problems for growers in the future, the majority of growers in the Central Coast region have adequate access to ground water. That lack of rain, in turn, has also meant growers haven't had to deal with damage from rain, so fruit quality has benefited. As of August 8, prices for a flat of strawberries out of the Salinas-Wattsonville area were between $11 and $12 for medium to large berries, according to the USDA.
For more information:
Carolyn O'Donnell
California Strawberry Commission
+1 831 724 1301
