Salinas Valley lettuce shipments continue with less ups and down in volume. Meanwhile, San Joaquin Valley table grape shipments will enter it biggest volume period of the season starting in September.
After a rocky start last spring hauling head lettuce and leaf lettuce out of the Salinas Valley, shipments have become more reliable and steady in the second half of the season.
However, there seems to be less overall volume this year, due in part to the stormy, water deluged fields earlier this year, and the fact a number of head or Iceberg major growers reduced acreage, in part because of the weather and partly due to past low prices. Those can result from over production, but just as importantly a lot of homegrown and eastern commercial operations are in full production from the Northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada.
Salinas Iceberg shippers are averaging over 1200 truck loads of product a week, and over 900 truck loads of romaine.
Leaf Lettuce Shipments
Spring plantings of leaf lettuce were erratic in a similar fashion to head lettuce. Items such a romaine, as well green and red leaf lettuce shipments haven’t been exceptional this season out of Salinas. There are freight advantages for buyers on the East Coast sourcing product much closer to home than California. As a result, a lot of California lettuce shipments are limited to the Western U.S.
Salinas Valley lettuce shipments, as well as broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables – grossing about $4100 to Dallas, $7000 to New York City.
Grape Shipments
A generally hot weather pattern in the San Joaquin Valley since May apparently hasn’t hurt table grape quality, but if it continues could affect the quality of product being distributed around the country – particularly with red grapes and black grapes. It’s not unusual for the valley to have hot spells in summer, but not stretching out this long.
California growers are expected to ship 111.4 million 19-pound boxes of grapes this season topping last season’s nearly 109 million boxes. Over 60 percent of the volume will be shipped after September 1st.
San Joaquin Valley grapes, stone fruit and apples – grossing about $4600 to Chicago.