Heavy rains halt California strawberry harvests ahead of Valentine’s Day

February 9, 2024 - General News, By Pamela Riemenschneider

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It might be time to explore other chocolate-dipped fruit for those Valentine’s Day displays because strawberries will be short this year.

Heavy rains in California halted strawberry harvests in early February, and supplies out of other growing regions also were down significantly.

According to a crop update from Markon Cooperative BB #:123315, harvests in the Oxnard, CA, region were canceled Feb. 6-8, possibly longer, as the area received more than five inches of rain earlier in the week.

California is not the primary strawberry supplier this time of year, but other regions, including Florida and Mexico are far behind usual volumes.

Agtools Inc.’s Feb. 7 weekly volume report showed an increase of 163,000 pounds from Mexico, for a total of 16.6 million pounds year-to-date, but Florida production was down 2.5 million pounds (7 million year-to-date) and California was down 2.6 million pounds (286,800 pounds year-to-date).

	YEAR	1 LB	DESCRIPTION
	2024	24,143,669	-20.29% less than 2023
	2023	29,042,014	10.25% greater than 2022
	2022	26,065,391	-0.69% less than 2021
	2021	26,245,607	14.33% greater than 2020

Source: Agtools

Prices ranged from $16 to $20 shipping out of Oxnard for 8-pound flats. Organic strawberries crossing through Otay Mesa ranged from $28 to $32 for 8-pound flats.

It might be time to explore other chocolate-dipped fruit for those Valentine’s Day displays because strawberries will be short this year.

Heavy rains in California halted strawberry harvests in early February, and supplies out of other growing regions also were down significantly.

According to a crop update from Markon Cooperative BB #:123315, harvests in the Oxnard, CA, region were canceled Feb. 6-8, possibly longer, as the area received more than five inches of rain earlier in the week.

California is not the primary strawberry supplier this time of year, but other regions, including Florida and Mexico are far behind usual volumes.

Agtools Inc.’s Feb. 7 weekly volume report showed an increase of 163,000 pounds from Mexico, for a total of 16.6 million pounds year-to-date, but Florida production was down 2.5 million pounds (7 million year-to-date) and California was down 2.6 million pounds (286,800 pounds year-to-date).

	YEAR	1 LB	DESCRIPTION
	2024	24,143,669	-20.29% less than 2023
	2023	29,042,014	10.25% greater than 2022
	2022	26,065,391	-0.69% less than 2021
	2021	26,245,607	14.33% greater than 2020

Source: Agtools

Prices ranged from $16 to $20 shipping out of Oxnard for 8-pound flats. Organic strawberries crossing through Otay Mesa ranged from $28 to $32 for 8-pound flats.