Spokane Produce

October 7, 2026

Market News

October is here, but summer weather is still hanging on out West.
Another round of heat has pushed temperatures well above normal across
California, adding more stress to crops already trying to finish out a long
Salinas season. The Central Coast is still seeing temperatures in the 80s and
90s, with triple digits farther inland before conditions finally cool later this
week.
Strawberries are taking the biggest hit right now. Growers pushed hard to get
fruit off ahead of the heat, but yields are still dropping and more fruit is being
culled. Smaller berries, sunscald, white shoulders, bruising and overripe fruit
are all becoming more common, and crews are slowing down to keep packs as
clean as possible.
Lettuce remains high on the watch list too. Romaine, Romaine Hearts and the
smaller specialty romaine packs are dealing with heavier INSV pressure, and
usable yields continue to shrink as Salinas finishes out. What was trailing
iceberg a few weeks ago is now starting to catch up.
Huron is scheduled to begin next week, giving the industry another source of
lettuce and leaf before the full desert transition in mid-November.
At the same time, plantings are already underway in the Yuma area. The
desert is still hot, with highs around 104 to 105 degrees through Friday, but
cooler weather is on the way this weekend. There is also some rain in the
forecast. At this point, the Yuma area looks more likely to see light rainfall
than anything disruptive, which growers may welcome as a little free
irrigation while those young crops get established.
Citrus is making its own transition. California Valencias are winding down and
should continue shipping through late October, while the first limited Navel
harvests are expected to begin next week. Volume will build over the following
several weeks, and that should finally bring some relief on the smaller sizes
that have been difficult throughout the Valencia season.
Fall may be on the calendar, but the crops are still dealing with summer
weather that won’t quit. The next few weeks are about finishing Salinas,
getting Huron started and watching the desert crop get established ahead of
the mid-November transition.

July 20, 2023

Featured Conventional Flyer

Featured conventional produce.

July 20, 2023

Featured Conventional Flyer 2

Featured conventional produce.

July 20, 2023

Feature Organic Flyer

Feature organic produce.

February 22, 2023

Feature Organic Flyer 2

Feature organic produce.