“There have been large volumes of cauliflower this last week, so prices have come down,” said Craig Smithback with Fresh Kist Produce. On June 8, prices for a carton of white 9s from Salinas were mostly between $14.45 and $16.65, and prices for that same carton from Santa Maria were mostly between $10.00 and $12.00. But Smithback believes the situation will likely change soon.
“Everyone has gotten through the large volume from this week, and now there's a short supply,” he said. “The market was on a downturn from last Friday through Wednesday, and now it's heading in the other direction.”
In contrast to the ups and downs of the cauliflower market, broccoli prices have remained steady. On June 8, prices for a carton of bunched 14s from Salinas were mostly between $12.45 and $13.55, and prices for a 20-pound carton of loose crowns were mostly between $11.45 and $13.55. In Santa Maria, prices for a carton of bunched 14s were mostly between $11.00 and $12.85, and prices for a carton of loose crowns were mostly between $9.00 and $11.00.
“You can hold broccoli for a week if you put it on ice, but you want to sell cauliflower a day or two after you've cut it,” explained Smithback. “So you have to get that cauliflower sold even if there's glut, and if there's nothing behind that then the market will be short. The broccoli deal doesn't have those kinds of peaks and valleys.”
