CROP REPORT
Fall / Winter 2008

Broccoli. The main pack season for California Broccoli started in late October and will run until just before Christmas. The pack here in the Central Valley is substantially smaller than in years past as water, energy and labor costs have driven a lot of broccoli production off shore. We are currently transplanting the 2009 early spring broccoli crop. Both conventional and organic broccoli transplants look very good at this point. The 2009 broccoli pack will commence in the middle of February.

Brussels Sprouts. The Brussels sprout harvest has started around the Santa Cruz area of California. At this point the quality looks to be excellent. While the demand is not as sharp as it once was, sprouts continue to be a reliable if not a glamorous vegetable. The moderate coastal temperatures have assured us we will have adequate sprouts to meet our pack budget.

Spinach. There have been some minor setbacks at the field level due to unseasonably hot weather streaks during the early weeks of our fall spinach crop. Some “damping off” (transplant deaths) did occur and those fields had to be replanted. Typically the fall pack in California is small and is used to back fill any shortage which have developed since the spring pack. We are currently planting seed for both organic and conventional spinach The 2009 spring spinach pack will beginning in late February.

Baby Lima Beans. The pack is completed. Baby lima yield was very good this year, but the quality at the field level had to be scrutinized at every step of the harvest to maintain the high grade profile necessary to meet our stringent quality standards. The Dixie lima bean harvest is complete and reached budget.

Fordhooks. The crop of Fordhook lima beans this year has not been up to average. Several deficiencies in seed germination left the plant stand at an abysmal start. The outcome was not very good. With fewer plants per acre, yields are very low and quality is lower than required. Our supply will not meet the demand projections.

Pepper. It is always pleasant to close on an upbeat note and on a colorful vegetable.
The sweet bell pepper pack has been completed and proved very successful.
The pepper plants developed good leaf canopies to protect against sunburn.
The entire pepper crop developed thick walls and developed beautiful deep color.
The 2008 bell pepper pack has satisfied all expectations.