The California strawberry processing freezer grade crop has been coming in heavy for the past two weeks. Nearly 40% of the total crop for the year has come in between the last week in May and the first week in June. The first week in June had the largest single volume week in the past five years at more than 43 million pounds. The current week we are in could be close to that volume again. Field pricing for freezer grade fruit is still running higher than last year. Within a week or two overall volume should be the largest it has been in the past five years. There seems to be heavy demand for all of the fruit being delivered right now. The condition of the fruit has been excellent. Strawberry fields throughout the state are in very good shape and could yield more heavy volume going forward.
The opposite story is occurring in juice grade fruit. The volume for that is the lowest it has been in the past five years. Field pricing has been moved up over the past two weeks, but the volume of fruit coming in has not increased much as a result of it.
