Tag: salinas

The California water picture has gotten enormous amounts of attention from both the agricultural press and the general media, but most of this has focused on the San Joaquin Valley and the Yuma Valley on the Arizona border. The Salinas Valley, the “nation’s salad bowl,” has water issues of its own, but they are very different.

Spring marks the return of fruit and vegetable harvest in the Salinas Valley region. With heavy rains, cold winter weather and our area recovering from flooding, that harvest has been delayed but consumers can be assured that they will enjoy leafy greens, vegetables and strawberries with the harvest continuing into November.

Markon Live from the Fields' video shows significant widespread flooding currently taking place in California’s Salinas Valley.

Our region has experienced repeated storm systems that have flooded homes, roads and businesses and impacted farms. While we continue to dig out and assess the damage to our communities, the resiliency of the people on the Central Coast and their ability to work together against diverse conditions comes into clear focus.

Markon Cooperative released a Live from the Fields video October 19, showing the damage and significant yield loss in Salinas Valley lettuce crops caused by soil disease and plant virus issues.

Markon Cooperative's Markon First Crop (MFC) Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine packs are extremely limited; Markon Best Available (MBA) is being substituted as needed.

Markon Cooperative issued a new crop report on lettuce, leaf and row crop quality issues. The expected weekend rain came, with more forecast early this week, which will further stress product in the field and decrease shelf-life.

After a short respite from high temperatures, the Salinas Valley will once again experience a heatwave starting Thursday, July 14 and continuing through the middle of next week.

The water crisis has especially hit the vastly productive San Joaquin Valley, where this year’s news roughly corresponds to everyone’s most horrific fears from 30 years ago.

Fire provides the drama, but the erratic weather the past month in the Salinas, CA, region takes the blame for market problems now. Prices for many leaf items are rising rapidly as growers report lighter yields and disease problems.