Florida Giant 12/30/08

Florida straws are here!!! Numbers will continue to increase every week. Quality and condition of the fruit is excellent.

Florida Strawberries 12/18/08

Straws will be coming soon in Florida. As you can see in the photo, we are in the beginning stages. The plants are very healty and the fruit is sizing up.

Mexico 12/11/08

We have all stages of fruit on the plants in Mexico. Numbers will continue to increase week by week. Quality and condition are excellent!!!

Mexico Straws 12/5/08

Here are some more strawberry images out of Zamora, fruit qulity is consistant, fruit conditions it`s good, the overall appearance very nice, basket count ranges from 24 - 28 berries per container.

12/4/08 Strawberries

Berry Sweet label from Mexico. The fruit is starting to come!!!!

Mexico Straws

We are getting a few pallets twice a week right now. We are packing in the "Berry Sweet" label! Production will continue to increase week by week.

Mexico Blackberries 11/14/08

The blacks are coming in from Mexico. The quality has been excellent and the supply has been steady. We have two pack sizes - 5.6oz and the 12oz.

Watsonville 11/4/08

We now have our own blueberry plants in Watsonville!!!

Watsonville / Salinas 10/20/08

Good morning,



Reporting from the Watsonville district, temps this week are forecasted to be in the mid to high 70’s and will start cooling off by the middle of next week. The week of October 6 we were dealing with some decay problems because of the rain we had on October 4. After the first round of that week fruit quality has been excellent. Chances of rain the 3rd and 4th of November.

Blueberries Argentina

Blues are coming into Miami and LA from Argentina.

Argentina 9/16/08

We should have blueberries arriving within the next 7-10 days!! Supplies will be limited.

Santa Maria 9/9/08

The fruit in Santa Maria is looking GREAT! After several warm days, the fog has rolled back in which is firming up the fruit!!

Watsonville 9/3/08

Good Morning,



Reporting from the Watsonville district, temps the last two weeks have been in the low to mid 80’s. Last week we had some warm nights making the fruit soft. Our main problem lately has been bruising from the couple warm nights we had. This week, night time temps have dropped making the fruit more firm. Temps for next week is forecasted to be in the high 70’s to low 80’s.

Santa Maria 8/22/08

The fruit is starting to increase in size with counts on the one pounders ranging from 21-23. Our weather is still mid 50's at night and mid 70's during the day. Volume is starting to decrease slightly and will continue to do so as we get into the fall season.

Santa Maria 8/12/08

Weather has been mild with daytime temps in the low to mid 70's and nighttime temps in the low to mid 50's. The plants are looking refreshed and have a lot of green fruit on them which will be ready to pick in the next two weeks.

Watsonville / Salinas 7/30/08

Reporting from the Watsonville district, temps this week have been in the mid to high 60’s and will continue to be in that range all week. Fruit quality has been very good, seeing the size of the fruit getting bigger do to the cooler weather. We will start making our second push in volume around the middle to end of August.

Watsonville 6/21/08

Good afternoon,

Attached is a picture that was taken Saturday 6/21/08. Lightning struck these crates of berries during a Thunder-Lightning storm here in Watsonville. Jason Morgan said they were finished after this!!!

Watsonville 6/21/08

Good afternoon,



Reporting from the Watsonville district, the last couple of days have been very warm reaching the three digit mark in Salinas. Watsonville temps have been low to mid 80’s, cooler then Salinas being on the coast. Tomorrow temps will be in the mid to upper 80’s, cooling off by the weekend. We have not seen any sun burn yet but have seen some over ripe do to the heat. The QC people are working with the harvesters to keep any questionable fruit out.

Santa Maria 6/13/018

Here are some pictures that were taken today in Santa Maria. The fruit count is a little smaller, but the quality and condition of the fruit is very nice!! Our numbers will continue to be strong for the next 6 weeks.

Watsonville / Salinas 6/5/08

Good Afternoon,



Reporting from the Watsonville district, temps this week have been mid to high 60’s and lows in the upper 40s. Next week temps should be in the low to mid 70’s with clear skies, perfect weather for strawberries. Volume will increase weakly hitting our peak in the next two weeks. Quality has been very good seeing a little bit of bruising do to the size of the big fruit.

Santa Maria 5/21/08

Santa Maria:
The weather forecast this week is windy with highs in the low to mid sixties.
Our peak production was last week, our numbers this week are down about ten percent.
The last day picking fresh for the ventana variety is today, and the albion continues to produce great looking fruit with counts between 16-18.

Watsonville / Salinas 5/8/08

Good morning,

Reporting from the Watsonville district, cool temps have kept production going at a slow pace. Next week temps will be in the upper 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Volume will increase slowly until we get some warmer weather. Quality is very good, seeing some green tips here and there do to the cold temps. No rain is expected for the next two weeks.

Santa Maria 5/6/08

The weather forcast for the next week is mild with highs between 65 and 70. Our colder temperatures this spring has pushed production back in comparision to last year. The counts range from 13-15 in the albion and 20-24 in the ventana. No rain is expected for 10 days.

Oxnard 4/21/08

Ladies and Gents,
Reporting from our Oxnard district, the last couple of days and nights have been below normal temps, days in the low 60's and nights in the mid to low 30's in some spots, usually we are around 68 to 70 degrees days and 48 to 50 degrees at night. All that means we will have some green tips (night temps play a big part) on the fruit, condition will be solid. Crop is slowly beginning to lighten up, we will have fruit to pick for the next three to four weeks.

Santa Maria 4/16/08

Here are some photos from Santa Maria. Quality and volumes are excellent!!!

Oxnard 4/14/08

Gentlemen
Reporting from the Oxnard district, as you are probably aware, we had record highs this past weekend, temps reaching into the mid 90's and some cases the high 90's, not exactly conducive to good berry weather. Pics 1087 & 1088, the beginning of the hot weekend, strong winds blowing dirt and temps into the 90's. Pics 1089,1090,1091,1097 & 1098, show the sunburn and blistered fruit we are seeing on all the ranches, some ranches have minor problems while others have a more severe case of sunburn fruit. We are harvesting on our regular schedule, the workers have instructions to throw away any fruit that looks questionable. The fruit that passes through our QC people looks fine. The volume will be down for the next few days, once we get back to moderate temps the plants will begin to show new fruit and flowers. The sun damaged fruit can be seen in the pics, the skin will discolor and actually show blistering of the skin, the green and white fruit will show a brown or bronzing color.

Santa Maria 4/11/08

Included are some pictures of both ventana and albion fields. This weekend is forecasted to warm up with the temperatures in the high 70's. Our weather will be dry for the next week. The fruit quality is excellent in both varieties.

Oxnard 4/9/08

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, cool day temps (low 60's) prevail, with night temps in the mid 40's. With the longer days, even though on the cooler side, the crop has come on very strong, with volume increasing throughout the next few weeks. The forecast has warm temps coming into and thru the weekend, the day temps may reach into the high 70's and mid 80's, with night temps in the high 40's to low 50's, this type of weather will keep the volume strong. The fruit quality is still holding, the QC people are working with the harvesters to keep any off quality out of the packs.

Sincerely,

Steven Yamamoto

Oxnard 4/4/07

Gentlemen,
The upcoming forecast suggest a slight cooling trend, with a chance of drizzle early next week, nothing of concern. Even with the cooler than normal temps for the day, our night time temps are beginning to creep up, with the days getting longer, the crop is starting to show signs of the next push in volume. We will be increasing each week as we approach our "peak" harvest, which will begin next week and each week thereafter, for the month of April.

Sincerley,
Steven Yamamoto

California Strawberry Volume Report

Report for 04/02/08

Cumulative Fresh Volume Weekending
03/29/2008: 15,782,808 Trays
03/31/2007: 14,709,172 Trays

Total CA Volume for week ending 03/29/2008: 4,121,809 Trays

Total Week's Volume from 03/30/2008 - 03/31/2008
Orange-San Diego-Coachella District: 164,905 Trays
Oxnard: 787,231 Trays
Santa Maria: 154,482 Trays
Salinas-Watsonville: 22,245 Trays

California Total: 1,128,863 Trays
Florida: 57,686 Trays
Mexico Crossings Thru Baja Ca: 102,682 Trays

Average price as of 04/01/2008 for Flats 12 1-Pint baskets
Orange-San Diego-Coachella District: $9.90 (Conventional)
Oxnard: $9.90 (Conventional)
Santa Maria: $9.90 (Conventional)
Florida: $7.40 (Conventional)

Average price as of 04/01/2008 for Flats 4 2-Lb containers with lids
Oxnard: $6.90 (Conventional)
Santa Maria: $6.90 (Conventional)
Average price as of 04/01/2008 for Flats 8 1-Lb containers with lids
Orange-San Diego-Coachella District: $6.90 (Conventional)
Oxnard: $6.90 (Conventional)
Santa Maria: $6.90 (Conventional)
Florida: $7.40 (Conventional)
Mexico Crossings Thru Baja Ca: $6.90 (Conventional)

Oxnard 3/31/08

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, cool temps over the weekend and also forecasted for the front part of week, will keep the volume from increasing this week, will probably see a decrease instead. We are expecting rain Wednesday, harvest will more than likely be curtailed, will be back in the fields Thursday. The fruit is not coloring as quickly as we would like, we are also experiencing some blocks of the field showing a lot of misshapen and crooked fruit due the strong winds we had several weeks ago when the fields were in heavy bloom. So this week and the next few days following, we will spent some time in the fields cleaning off the "bad" fruit, either putting them into the ditch or juice. Green tips and occasional misshapen fruit will be seen in some containers. The fields still show a decent crop still to come, with a string of good weather we will be right back into good volume.

Sincerely,
Steven Yamamoto

Oxnard 3-28-08

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, going into a cool weekend and front part of the week, day temps will only be in the low 60s, with night temps in the mid 40s. They are forecasting a strong possibility of rain sometime late Tuesday pm into Wednesday am. Fruit volume will be steady until it warms up again for the next push. Quality remains good, some green tips showing up from the cool nights.

Sincerely,
Steven Yamamoto

Oxnard 3-25-08

Blacks are coming in from Mexico consistently!!

Oxnard 3-24-08

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, we had a warm weekend, with day temps in the 80's, but fortunately the night temps were still in the 40's, keeping the fruit from becoming over ripe and soft. This week's forecast calls for above average temps for the front part of the week and then it cools off 15 degrees midweek on. Weekend forecast calls for a slight warming pattern, but overall mild temps. The field and fruit quality remain very good.

Sincerely,
Steven Yamamoto

Florida Blues 3/19/08

We have begun to harvest the Florida Blues!!!

Florida Blueberries 3/17/08

The blues are starting to come off in Florida!!! Supplies are limited now, but will be increasing in the next 10 days. We will keep you posted.

Oxnard 3/17/08

Gentlemen,
This past weekend was quite cool and windy, no moisture. Forecasting cool nights coming up, low 40's, days will be in the mid to high 60's. Volume is still on the gradual rise, as long as the weather cooperates. Fruit quality remains very good. Will see an occasional green tip due the cooler nights we've had the past few days.

Sincerely,
Steven Yamamoto

Oxnard 3/13/08

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, the fields are really beginning to load up with fruit. We are forecasted to have cooler temps this weekend, days in the low 60's and nights in the low 40's, with a slight chance of some light rain early Sunday a.m.. Next week is forecasted for warmer temps, day and night. There will be an increase in our volume next week, especially toward the end of the week and going forward.

Sincerely,
Steven Yamamoto

Oxnard 3/10/08

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, please excuse the quality and format of these photos, my regular camera went on the blink, so I used my cell phone camera. We had a fairly nice, warm weekend (mid 70's), Sunday was a bit windy most of the day. We are forecasted to have a nice first couple of days, then it will cool off mid week (60's), with a slight warming trend towards the weekend, there is still a chance of some light rain going into the weekend. We are experiencing a slight increase in our volume with the good weather, the condition and color continue to meet our quality standards.

Sincerely,
Steven Yamamoto

Oxnard 3/7/2008

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, we are experiencing some nice weather right now, days are in the hi 60's to lo 70's, with the nights in the mid 40's. The forecast for next week is mild weather for the first couple of days and then a possible rain chance going into the weekend, will follow up next week. The fruit continues to have good condition, color and size. The fields are beginning to transition from bloom to "a lot" of fruit. As each week goes by, you can see the fruit hanging more and more on the beds. We are probably three to four weeks away from the big volume of fruit.

Sincerely,
Steven Yamamoto

Oxnard 3/3/08

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, we had some strong wind events Sunday and today. Damage to the immediate fruit seems to be minimal, after the wind ceases by tonight we will probably see some wind scarring on the fruit within the next couple of days. The wind plays havoc while we are harvesting. The fruit has nice color, condition and size. The day temps this week are forecasted to be in the low 70's and high 60's with the nights in the mid 40's. As each week goes by, you can see the fruit load coming.

Sincerely
Steven Yamamoto

Santa Maria 3/3/08

The weather for the next week is clear with highs in the 70's and lows in the mid 40's. These pictures are from a ventana field(Santa Maria). In about two more weeks we should start picking the albion, then production will increase.

Pete Dwyer

Oxnard 2/29/08

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, we are beginning our second round of harvest since the last storm, the fruit is looking real nice, we had a couple of nice warm and breezy days to begin to dry things up. You can see the plants loading up with bloom and fruit. The size and condition of the fruit continue to be excellent. One issue we still need to work with is the consistent harvesting schedule, as the days get longer and the temps stay mild 70-75 degrees days and 50-55 degrees at night we will be able to harvest a full week without taking days off in the middle of the week, but we strive to keep the color full, as best as possible. Looks like we will have dry week coming up, need to keep an eye on the following weekend, still calling for a possible wet pattern developing.

Sincerely
Steven Yamamoto

Oxnard 2/25/08

Gentlemen,
Reporting from the Oxnard district, we received just under 1.50 inches of rain from the storms that passed through over the last few days. There is some damage to the fruit, anywhere from 20% to 25% depending on the location of the fields. The conditions are again muddy and sloppy, but the fruit coming out is in good condition, we are unfortunately throwing away some nice fruit, but with weather in our favor for the next ten days, we should be increasing in numbers as we make our second round after the rain, with very little throw aways. The forecast is for warmer days, but the nights will still be on the cool side. As each week goes by, we are seeing the fields beginning to show a strong and clean crop.

Sincerely,
Steven Yamamoto

Blacks 2/25/08

Blackberries continue to arrive in Oxnard on a regular basis.

Strawberry Volume Summary

CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY COMMISSION
Daily Report for 02/20/08

Cumulative Fresh Volume Weekending
02/16/2008: 2,562,015 Trays
02/17/2007: 3,668,066 Trays

Total CA Volume for week ending 02/16/2008: 1,001,377 Trays
Total Week's Volume from 02/17/2008 - 02/18/2008
Orange-San Diego-Coachella District: 29,075 Trays
Oxnard: 195,372 Trays
California Total: 224,447 Trays
Florida: 465,655 Trays
Mexico Crossings Thru Baja Ca: 41,383 Trays

Average price as of 02/19/2008 for Flats 12 1-Pint baskets
Orange-San Diego-Coachella District: $14.90 (Conventional)
Oxnard: $14.90 (Conventional)
Florida: $9.90 (Conventional)

Average price as of 02/19/2008 for Flats 12 8-oz containers with lids
Oxnard: $27.00 (Conventional)

Average price as of 02/19/2008 for Flats 4 1-Lb containers with lids
Average price as of 02/19/2008 for Flats 4 2-Lb containers with lids
Oxnard: $12.90 (Conventional)

Average price as of 02/19/2008 for Flats 8 1-Lb containers with lids
Orange-San Diego-Coachella District: $12.90 (Conventional)
Oxnard: $12.90 (Conventional)
Florida: $9.90 (Conventional)
Mexico Crossings Thru Baja Ca: $5.95 (Conventional)

Oxnard 2/18/08

Gentlemen,
The weather has been somewhat erratic lately, a couple of nice days, windy days, cool days, a little of everything except rain. There is now RAIN in the forecast for next week, we may have some showery periods Tuesday night into Thursday, but the real rain is being forecasted Saturday(23rd) into Monday(25th), they are calling for rain amounts above 1 inch, we will have to follow this early next week. Meanwhile, the fruit has been looking good, the color full, shape and size also good. The fields are coming along nicely, we have all stages on the plants, barring any "bad" weather the increases will steadily begin each week.

Sincerely,

Steven Yamamoto

Oxnard 2/4/08

Gentlemen,
After the rain/showers we had on early Sunday morning(.25-.50), the fields are still very saturated from the previous storm, as you can see the roads and furrows are very muddy making things a little slow to move around. The day temps have been in the low to mid 60's, and night temps in the low 40's. The fruit is making a very nice recovery from the heavy rains, after cleaning off most of the rain damaged fruit last week, we are beginning to harvest some nice fruit this week. This week's forecast calls for mostly sunny days with a slight warming trend and no threat of rain until sometime end of next week. The plants will benefit from all the rain(pushing down the salts), we just have to be a little patient until the fertilizers and nutrients all kick in. The volume will begin to increase across all the fields.

Sincerely,

Steven Yamamoto