Cantaloupe and honeydew loadings from the Central San Joaquin Valley have good and steady most of the summer, but with shorter days volume is declining. The transition to the fields of Arizona should occur with the first harvest in mid October.
Classic Fruit Company Inc. of Fresno, CA reports local melon harvests are winding down and demand for California melons remains good. A relatively smooth transition to Arizona is expected.
The grower, packer and shipper also has some later acres in the Central Valley overlapping with Arizona just as a safety precaution in case there are any unexpected problems. The crops are spread out across different areas within the two regions because if a virus or pest problem were to be persistent, we don’t want it to affect the entire crop in that area.
The company also imports melons during the winter months.