Supplies of organic celery are really tight coming out of California. “We’re into that transition between different districts and a lot of problems still persist from the cold and wet weather we had here so supply is pretty short,” says Tom Deardorff, II of Deardorff Family Farms.
That combination of weather was difficult. While the wet weather earlier this year interrupted the plantings so some of them got in later, the cold came post-planting and caused some of the current issues in terms of disease pressure and the inability of the field to produce a normal yield. In terms of transitioning regions, Ventura County is winding down and while Santa Maria and Salinas normally pick up by mid-June, this year they’re later due to some of those problems.
Stronger pricing 
As far as demand for organic celery, it is still good, even with the slight slowdown of general economic conditions. “Pricing is higher than this time last year just because that supply is lighter. I don’t think there’s an increase in demand. It feels steady for this time of year but the supply side is off,” says Deardorff.
Looking ahead, inconsistent week-to-week supplies are likely. “Certain shippers in certain locations will find that their fields are doing normal production and other shippers will find that because of location and the timing of plantings, they’re going to have issues,” says Deardorff. “Then by mid-summer, we should be back into a normal supply situation and into a balanced market.”
For more information:
Tom Deardorff
Deardorff Family Farms
Tel: +1(805) 487-7801
https://www.deardorfffamilyfarms.com/