The USDA Cold Storage Report issued today shows that current frozen strawberry holdings are high compared to the last five years. IQF holdings are the highest they have been in the past five years. Pails and tubs are the second highest, barrels and drums are the second highest, and juice stock is the highest it has been in the past five years.

The USDA has reported that apple processing use for Washington and California so far in 2008 is off by 90,000 tons over where production was in 2007. The current year is well below the past three years and shorter than the last short processing crop of 2004. As a result, prices still remain high in 2008 over where they have been in the past few years.

Fresh movement of California strawberries to date lags behind previous years. The weekly total for last week shows that volumes are beginning to increase to more average levels of where they should be for this time of year. In 2007 the frost set back the crop. The 2008 season so far has been cool and wet in certain weeks. Warmer and drier weather will help to bring fruit production along. Mexico and Florida are also behind in volume compared to 2007.

The earliest blooming varieties of freestone peach and nectarine show heavy bloom at this time in California. The weather has turned wet for a few days, but next week should be warm and sunny. It is too soon to tell what the later blooming varieties will do, but the season is off to a good start with the small amount of varieties that are out in bloom currently.