Produce News - December 8, 2011
Weather Update
As we go to press all major growing areas from Salinas to Mexico are being hit by a cold front. Crops in the Salinas Valley, Oxnard, Coachella, Palm Desert and even Mexico have been damaged by frost or have been frozen already. Nighttime temperatures in the high 20’s and low 30’s followed by daytime Temperatures in the low 50’s are expected for the next several days or more. Quality and shelf life of many staples will be affected.
Most notably:
- Broccoli Spinach
- Cauliflower Baby Spinach
- Iceberg Leaf Lettuce
- Baby Lettuce Herbs
- Romaine Hearts Mache
In addition to quality issues, future growth and current yields will be affected. Growers must wait until the frost melts, delaying harvests until the afternoon. Late harvests delay the packing shed which ultimately causes trucks to stay over or return without a full load. This causes freight rates to escalate or leaves gaps and holes in inventories. The severity of the damage will depend on the length of the cold front. The forecast is calling for rain next week, which would be great news.
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