Agronometrics in Charts: Strawberry Harvests in California Witnessing Growth of Up to 6 Percent

In this installment of the ‘Agronometrics In Charts’ series, Sarah Ilyas evaluates the state of the strawberry market in the US. Each week the series looks at a different horticultural commodity, focusing on a specific origin or topic visualizing the market factors that are driving change.

Last year, California witnessed an unusually frigid winter, resulting in low volumes. The current season has seen fairly warm  temperatures and earlier production. “Fair weather has been contributing to some early production especially in Southern California, so we are currently ahead of 2021 and ahead of our three year average,” Christian says.  Peak production is expected at the end of March and early April. Prices in Weeks 11 and 12 ranged between $10.98 and $11.48 per package, compared to $13.72 and $14.91 per package a year ago during the same week, according to USDA data. 

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Bowery Farming, a Vertical farming firm recently launched a new “discovery” pack that features two vertically grown strawberry cultivars in juxtaposed compartments, the pack serves to depict the array of flavors that it’s R&D team can achieve. “Strawberries are the first phase of a strategic road map focused on bringing unique and genetically diverse fruiting and vine crops to communities across the U.S. and eventually the globe.” says Irving Fain, CEO & Founder of Bowery Farming. According to a report published by RaboResearch, U.S. strawberry consumption is continuing to grow, both in terms of household penetration and volume, and is facilitating an increase in imports as well as planted crops in California. The California Strawberry Commission has also been eagerly promoting the “Love, Strawberries” campaign. With 90 percent of the U.S. strawberry volume coming from California, the commission is confident this promotion will continue to foster consumer loyalty while connecting shoppers to the farmers, workers, and people behind the industry.