“The first part of the deal brought cooler than normal weather, which wasn't ideal,” said Mark McBride with Coastline Family Farms. “In addition to cool weather, we had quite a bit of dew and leaf moisture in the early stages. With a tender crop like spinach, that moisture doesn't necessarily guarantee problems, but you have more issues like discoloration and mildew.”
Now that the weather has straightened out, production quality has improved. Temperature highs are expected to remain in the 70s for the rest of the week, so climate conditions are unlikely to affect production again in the near future.
With improved production, good demand has made for a steady market. On June 28, prices for a carton of bunched 24s from the Central Coast were between $5.95 and $10.55. McBride noted that prices in the $9.00 and $10.00 range are good yet still keep the product affordable.
“It's been a roller coaster situation with a large portion of the issues we've had directly related to unusual weather,” he said. “Since the weather situation straightened out, we should see steady supplies if the weather remains as billed.”
