March 30, 2012

Warm weather shaking up produce market

Much has already been said about the effects of the warm weather on strawberry crops in south Florida. The weather is now being repeated in the north of the state also. However, it has not produced similarly low prices, or abundant fruit as drought and rising fuel costs and upped the cost of irrigation.

An unseasonably warm winter that produced an early and bountiful strawberry crop in South Florida is repeating in North Florida, but it has not produced similarly lower prices as drought and higher diesel prices have raised irrigation costs.

Strawberries from Alachua- and Melrose-area growers are just starting to come in, said Brooke Ward, produce manager at Ward's Supermarket. She said crop quality is strong this year, but prices are up from a year ago with pints at $1.69 compared with $1.29 a year before and flats at $17 compared with $13.

As a result of the drought Rogers farm in Alachua have had to spend a whopping $5,000per week on diesel to run irrigation equipment, said Earline Rogers.

She said that, despite the higher running costs, the farm is keeping to a price of $12 per flat and $1.25 per pound for self picked fruit. She says she has to maintain low prices,. even in the face of rising costs as she faces too much competition from the south and from Mexico.

"The heat made it peak early, and everything came on at one time, and that's what's happening to us," she said. "We're not supposed to be having 85- to 90-degree weather right now."

South Florida has not only enjoyed an abundant crop from the weather they have been having - they have also increased acreage this year. Added to this is the influx of fruits from Mexico. This has led to a reduction in prices of strawberries at the consumer end of the market, where they are selling in the region of $2.15 per pound, down 28 cents from last year.


Published 03/30/12

By Anthony Clark, Business editor at The Gainesville Sun

March 15, 2012

With La Niña breaking up, Florida growers can expect a warm, dry spring

This chart shows the weather pattern that predominated the United States this winter, with a La Nina affect over the Pacific Ocean bringing warmer, drier weather to the south and cooler, wetter weather to the north.

After two years of freezing temperatures and other abnormal climate conditions, Florida growers can content themselves with the knowledge that the La Niña weather pattern responsible for recent weather extremes is expected to resolve some time this spring.

In the early season, that may be little comfort to growers, according to Daniel Noah of the National Weather Service in Ruskin, FL.

“I am not sure how moisture conditions will impact crops, but we are dry and the March-April-May seasonal forecast calls for a greater than 50 percent chance of below-normal precipitation,” Mr. Noah told The Produce News March 8. “The spring is usually dry in Florida and drought conditions are not uncommon. However, we are drier than normal and extreme drought conditions are beginning to spread across parts of the state.”

The area from Tampa Bay south to Immokalee is in severe drought, while a dozen north-central Florida counties are experiencing extreme drought conditions. South Florida is in better shape, with normal conditions for most of the area except the southeast coast – home to much of the state’s vegetable production – which is abnormally dry but not drought-stricken.

The good news is, “Basically, La Niña is forecast to go away within the next 3 months with neutral conditions expected,” Mr. Noah said.

Scott Spratt of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Melbourne, FL, agreed with Mr. Noah. “The La Niña pattern of colder than normal Pacific Ocean temperatures appears to be breaking down over the past few weeks,” he said. “ It appears the Pacific may be beginning to transition out of the La Niña pattern towards neutral conditions — a prolonged period of near normal water temperatures, and a state between the extremes of La Niña and El Niño. The consensus of El Niño climate models also suggests a return to neutral conditions soon, which are expected to persist through the summer.”

That does not mean Florida growers can count on the weather in the interim.


“There typically is a lag time between the change of the state of the La Niña/El Niño Pacific Ocean temperatures and the associated atmospheric conditions over the southern United States, including Florida,” Mr. Spratt said. “We expect La Niña-like atmospheric conditions to persist through the remainder of the central Florida dry season, through April; warmer than normal temperatures and drier than normal precipitation. The typical onset of the central Florida wet season occurs during late May or early June. It is too early to tell if the wet season may begin on time, or perhaps earlier. A recent statistical forecast based on expected La Niña conditions and past La Niña relationship on our local temperature and rainfall records indicates a 65-67 percent probability of above normal temperatures during the February-April period for central Florida and a 73-85 percent probability of below normal rainfall.”

NWS Melbourne Climate Program Leader Derrick Weitlich noted that the forecast applies to the entire state of Florida, despite climate difference between the north and south regions of the state.

“This forecast does hold true for the entire state of Florida,” he said. “The dry season outlook actually covers the entire state of Florida and the latest three month outlook from the Climate Prediction Center continues greater chances for drier than normal conditions and warmer than normal temperatures into the spring.”

By Chip Carter / Published March 14, 2012

March 3, 2012

Southeast Weather Forecast


Lingering rain will extend from the eastern Carolinas to Florida Sunday.

Scattered thunderstorms will target central and south Florida and a few of these may be severe.

Lows will be generally in the 30s and 40s except 60s and 70s in central and south Florida.

With temperatures near average to 10 degrees below average in the Southeast but near average to 15 degrees above average west of the Mississippi River, highs will range from the 40s and 50s in North Carolina to the 70s in Texas and near 80 degrees in south Florida.

Forecast from Weather.com