HMC News – March 2024

2024 We know there are still only flowers on the trees, but it is never too early to get excited about Plumsicles™. This year we have something exciting to share… our late season Plumsicles are coming into production! This will extend our season further into the summer months. Now you can enjoy everyone’s favorite fruit from mid June –late August.

The 2024 offshore grape season continues to fall short of pre-season expectations with tight supplies on both reds and greens. With the marketing order quickly approaching in mid-April, we expect to see arrivals crest and retreat in a short time frame. The hot weather in Central-South Chile created quality conditions that make the United States a less attractive market post marketing order, due to inspection requirements and fumigation protocols. Mexico is anticipating an earlier start than last year, but it will not be early enough to impact the supply dynamics of the late Chilean season.

Between rain, reservoir totals, snowpack, SGMA, and field irrigation, water is always on our mind in agriculture. Regulations in California are constantly changing, and allocation amounts vary between the different irrigation districts in the state. Our land resides in eight different irrigation districts. These districts either allocate or sell water to growers, which gets delivered via a surface canal system. Currently, the majority of the reservoirs are at 75% capacity or above.