CALIFORNIA - An unexpected weather pattern moved through California early last week, bringing high levels of precipitation to multiple growing regions in the state. According to a report from The Source, this has had an impact on the strawberry category, leading to lower yields as the market begins firming up.

I heard from Cindy Jewell, Founder of SCJewell and marketing lead for Bobalu, who spent Monday morning in strawberry fields in Oxnard, California, and she reported that the fruit and plants there look great.

“We definitely experienced rain in parts of California recently, which affected some areas more than others,” she began telling me. “Our fields in Oxnard were not affected by the recent weather and we are beginning harvest of our fall crop there now. We have light volume, but it will continue to increase with peaks there in November.”

Cindy continued, “Our Santa Maria ranches were hit by a couple of inches of rain, which is setting us back, so we focused on stripping fields last week. We are getting back on track now, but current volume is tight as we come out of the gap. The weather has returned to normal in Santa Maria, which will bring on new fruit as the plants recover and carry us through the rest of the fall season there. Weather is always a major factor in farming, but we do have the opportunity to plan ahead, recover, and get back on track, so stay tuned for more beautiful fruit to come throughout fall.”

The report from The Source echoed Cindy’s sentiments, noting that many shippers have experienced lower yields due to the rain and are opting to strip their fields in hopes of better quality going forward.

Earlier this week, I also connected with Jason Fung, Vice President of Categories and Strategy at Oppy, who gave his outlook on the category.

“With the devastation of the notorious rainfalls that poured upon field-grown strawberries recently, we wish our farmers and all affected well as they recover—we anticipate the fields getting a chance to dry out to hopefully benefit the plants, land, and reservoirs,” Jason explained. “One way we’ve been able to combat these harsh weather events is by growing hydroponically. Our Happy Berry strawberries, recently featured in the LA Times, performed well through the rain having been covered from the elements and grown on top of tabletops. In addition to reducing the need for chemical inputs, eliminating ground fumigation and growing within an optimized and recycled water system that produces higher yield within its smaller footprint.”

We at ANUK are constantly keeping our eyes on market conditions, so stick with us for reports on various different categories.

Bobalu Oppy