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Western organic vegetable producers should be looking at stronger markets until mid-April as the harvest shifts from the winter desert districts of California and Arizona to the coastal valleys.
“We are going to see some supply gaps in specific crops,” said Joe Angelo, organic sales manager for Ocean Mist Farms, Castroville, CA, on Tuesday, March 27. “Organic Romaine and romaine hearts are going to be very tight for at least the next 10 days to two weeks. We saw an earlier finish in the desert because of warm weather and we are not ready to start yet up here (Salinas Valley).”
For some other organic crops – most notably broccoli and cauliflower – Angelo said current production from the Oxnard region is helping to bridge the gap, and while the market price has strengthened, it’s not expected to climb too high. Angelo predicted that for the next two to three weeks, organic supplies will be variable as shippers transition to California on different timetables. “It’s going to be a case of the have and have nots.”
He noted that for almost the entirety of the winter vegetable deal it was a supply exceeds demand situation for organic vegetables just as it was for conventional production. “We had warm weather and no frosts in January,” he said, adding that the scenario resulted in overproduction.
Echoing those sentiments were two other vegetable sales people discussing the organic situation. Doug Classen, sales manager for The Nunes Company, Salinas, CA, said it was simply a case of strong production caused by warm winter weather. “It was a tough deal in the desert this year,” he said, noting that the warm temperatures produced good yields at the same time that cold weather in the East decreased demand. He said the organic vegetable market reacted no differently than the conventional vegetable market.
Amanda Fleming, who handles organic sales for Pacific International Marketing, Salinas, CA, offered the same analysis of the winter deal. “There were no shortages so the markets were down,” she said, adding that more growers are adding organic acreage.
Fleming did say that P.I.M. is in a good situation to fill customers’ needs during this transition period. “We have a deal in Santa Maria which helps us bridge this transition period,” she said.
Classen and Angelo separately noted that the organic vegetable acreage has increased to the point that supply is keeping up with demand. This is good news for retailers looking for organic vegetables to promote as the weather warms up across the country and consumers increase their consumption of salads and other like items. Each of those interviewed indicated that the organic vegetable market, especially on the core items, is becoming a mirror image of the conventional vegetable market.
