The full effect of the annual transition of fresh organic vegetable supplies from winter to spring/summer production is still about a month away, but grower-shippers are already bracing for supply challenges.

“We are expecting supply side issues for the next month, and they could last a lot longer than that,” said Brendan Bartley, who is on the organic sales team for The Nunes Company.

Brendan Bartley, Organic Commodity Manager & Sales, The Nunes Company

Bartley relayed that as the winter vegetable deals head to the end of their season, there have been mildew and aphid problems that are impacting yields. Combine that with the planting delays in Coastal California caused by heavy rains for the past couple of months, and Bartley said it is unlikely there will be a seamless transition for most crops. “It’s tough to assess the transition at this point,” he said on March 5, “but we are expecting shortages, especially in the leaf lettuces.”

Brenda Haught, President of Creekside Organics in Bakersfield, California, agreed that the weather conditions have clearly had an impact on veg production and will continue to do so. She noted that spinach has been very tight, with the weather to blame, and other items could follow suit.

Haught noted that Creekside has typically transitioned production from the desert in winter to the southern San Joaquin Valley in the spring, typically in March. But this year, the company will be sourcing from the Salinas Valley as they transition out of the desert. She said that will occur in April rather than March, so forecasting in early March is difficult. She expects to have a much better handle on Creekside’s transition supplies toward the end of this month.

Brenda Haught, President, Creekside Organics

She did say organic broccoli is in a bit of a gap right now as that crop transitions and also noted that organic snap peas are currently very short.

“It’s tough to assess the transition at this point. But we are expecting shortages, especially in the leaf lettuces.” - Brendan Bartley

Darrell Beyer of Bluebird Mountain Organics in Reno, Nevada, said the current situation involves gapping on several organic veg items, while others are in good supply. “Spinach is a very hot item right now,” he said. “It’s in the high $50s, if you can find any.  Organic celery is also trending up. It’s $22, $24, $26. I have a good steady supply out of Mexico for the next month or two … depending on when it gets too hot down there … but celery could get pretty short.”

Darrell Beyer, Founding Partner, Bluebird Mountain Organics

Beyer said the rain has pounded the growing districts from Ventura County to the Salinas Valley, so it has certainly impacted planting schedules. “Oxnard seems to get pummeled with rain every couple of days.”

Speaking of spinach production, which is one of the fastest-growing crops (no more than 60 days from seed to harvest, even in the cold months), Beyer said some growers with unaffected land can change the supply situation in a matter of weeks. But as far out as he can see, he expects that crop to remain tight for the time being.

Michael Boskovich, who handles organic sales for Boskovich Farms in Oxnard, confirmed that Ventura County has been hit hard by rain, greatly impacting planting schedules for spring production. But he added the rain hasn’t skipped the other growing areas. “From Lompoc (north of Santa Barbara) to the Salinas Valley, there has been lots of rain,” he said, noting that the weather has been an issue for the entire state. “We are expecting that there will be shortages of many crops for the next two months. We have had rain nonstop, which means there has been no chance for the fields to dry out. Right now, they are saturated. We will see supply gaps this spring.”

Michael Boskovich, Organic Sales, Boskovich Farms

Speaking specifically of several crops in early March, Boskovich said organic celery is in a bit of a gap because of disease issues in the desert growing districts. He added that organic green onions from Mexico have also had a strong market.