OXNARD, CA - Count on me—and hundreds of other shoppers—to always have celery in my fridge. A healthy snack, an excellent addition to juices, or even for my weekend Bloody Mary’s, celery has a versatility that can’t be beat. To see what’s happening in the celery market, I turned to Russ Widerburg, Sales Manager at Boskovich Farms.
“The celery market is reaching a short-term peak,” Russ began. “As high as $40 F.O.B. supplies have been limited over the past three to fours weeks, causing a rise in the market. Growers were harvesting about two weeks ahead of schedule, and as we hit mid-December, the growing days started returning to normal, causing supplies to slow down. It looks like the market has reached its peak for now, and trading is between $35 and $40.”
This pricing can be seen on all sizes, which is a contrast to the $10 price that was seen at this time last year.
“Market has peaked for the short-term with supplies picking up a little and warm weather expected through January 20, and then we’re anticipating another cooling trend,” Russ remarked. “After that, nobody really knows where the market will head, as there are too many variables and unknowns. But the market for the short-term appears to be strong.”
No quality issues have been noted as conditions in Oxnard remain relatively dry and cool.
“We harvest our proprietary celery varieties year-round. From November to June, we’re in Oxnard, California; and from June to November, we’re in Lompoc, California. Currently, we’re roughly two months into our Oxnard program,” Russ explained. “For buyers, we want them to note that our program is steady and stable.”
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