Bobalu BB #:354734 released this strawberry crop update May 9, 2024:
Peak statewide strawberry volume is here
The state hit a volume record for the week ending 4/27 shipping over 9.8 million trays of strawberries. The last time California hit even close to that number was back in 2018 at 9.7 million trays in late May.
Last week we were still over 9.3 million despite a little rain hitting northern districts. We expect to see peak numbers for the next several weeks as the northern districts increase their weekly volume. This is all good news for you providing a great opportunity for promotions nationwide as “Strawberry Month” reigns during the month of May. June volume will be similar and we may even see another peak in strawberries from California during this coming month.
CROP UPDATE
Oxnard continues to see optimum weather keeping our fruit size and volume steady. We also benefit from our on-site processing facility keeping our fields clean and diverting lesser quality fruit to the freezer when needed. We will continue to ship from Oxnard during the month of May and focus on highest quality and maintain our three-day harvest rotation.
The fields still look great, the plants are very healthy, and the fruit has excellent flavor with these mild daytime and night time temperatures.
We have enough acreage in Oxnard allowing us to maintain our volume levels there as we wait for our Santa Maria fields to transition into peak by early to mid June. Our Santa Maria program is primarily on the westside of town so this region follows the same harvest trend as the Watsonville/Salinas region. The plants in Santa Maria are setting up to provide some excellent fruit.
Once these ranches in Santa Maria hit peak volume numbers, they will carry us well into the fall before our fall crop kicks in.
