Salinas Heat Wave/Wildfires Update

Salinas Valley has seen five consecutive days of extreme heat following weeks of higher than average humidity and warm overnight temperatures. The heat and humidity have impacted most crops in the valley with lower yields and carton weights, fringe burn, internal burn, sun scalding, dehydration, and general weaker texture.

On Sunday, a lightning storm ignited the first of three wildfires surrounding the region. These fires are still raging, with minimal containment, and though they are not a direct threat to field operations, ash is settling in most of the fields throughout the Salinas Valley.

Growers are doing their best to shake off the ash during pack-out; however, field pack carton supplies (especially leaf items) will likely have some ash on them.

The warm, humid conditions have increased pest and disease pressure in the fields, and we expect to see an additional spike in insect pressure due to the fires as well.

The severe heat will impact the overall quality for the next couple of weeks at a minimum. Overall size and weight will be on the lighter side as crews trim out defects in the box. These issues are industry-wide in the Salinas Valley, with all growers affected by the heat and ash.

A brief cool down is forecast for this weekend, followed by another round of warm temperatures and high humidity next week. Authorities project the fires burning through the end of this month. If you have any further questions please let me know. Also please inform your customers of these current & ongoing issues as overall quality will be affected.