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10 CapitalPress.com December 4, 2015 Subscribe to our weekly California email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters California Navel oranges plentiful amid bumper crop By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press The pickings are sweet and plentiful as navel orange grow- ers in California’s San Joaquin Valley are a few weeks into their harvest of what is expect- ed to be a bumper crop. 7KH ¿UVW QDYHO RUDQJHV started coming off trees in ear- ly October as growers expect to harvest 86 million cartons in the 2015-2016 season, up more than 8 percent from last season’s 76 million cartons harvested, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Tests showed that even the VHDVRQ¶V ¿UVW RUDQJHV KDG D high sugar content, said Bob Blakely, vice president of the Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual. “The only thing that was slowing it down was waiting for color,” Blakely said. “We have a color standard as well as a maturity standard.” The weather has been co- Courtesy California Citrus Mutual 1DYHORUDQJHVDUHKDUYHVWHGLQDJURYHRQWKHZHVWVLGHRI&DOL- IRUQLD¶V6DQ-RDTXLQ9DOOH\7KLVVHDVRQ¶VKDUYHVWEHJDQLQHDUO\ 2FWREHUDQGJURZHUVKDYHEHHQVHHLQJKLJKVXJDUFRQWHQWVDQG KLJKXWLOL]DWLRQUDWHVIURPWKHEHJLQQLQJ operating, too. Recent night- time temperatures in the 30s have brought out the color, and while occasional rain showers have interrupted picking, the rain helps the oranges develop size. Packing houses can use eth- ylene gas to de-green oranges, but they prefer that the oranges develop color naturally before they are shipped, Blakely said. “It gives us a stronger piece of fruit to put in the box and make that export trip,” he said. “We’re there now.” The big crop estimate was fueled by reports that fruit size was larger and fruit set, espe- cially on late varieties, is better in most groves, according to Citrus Mutual. The improved size was attributed to timely rainfall and good growing con- ditions following petal fall last spring, the group explained. Warm weather this summer improved the oranges’ brix, or sugar content, raising hopes IRUJRRGÀDYRU&LWUXV0XWXDO explained. The bumper crop is expect- ed even with at least 2,000 fewer acres of bearing trees in the ground as California’s prime citrus growing region in Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties have received no federal surface water in the past two years because of the drought. Growers have been relying heavily on groundwa- ter, which in some areas is run- ning out. Pickers are now focusing on blocks with larger fruit and leaving smaller oranges on trees to continue to grow, as smaller fruit often must be dis- counted to move it out, Blake- ly said. Tim Hearden/Capital Press $UHFHQW&DOLIRUQLDFROGVQDSDFWXDOO\KHOSHGQDYHORUDQJHVDQ industry group reports. Brief cold snap helps navel RUDQJHVEXLOGFRORUÀDYRU Mutual spokeswoman Alyssa Houtby said in an email. A relatively frost-free SACRAMENTO — The winter would be a welcome cold snap that brought freez- trend for growers after freezes ing nighttime temperatures during the 2013-2014 harvest to much of California’s Cen- cost the citrus industry about tral Valley on Thanksgiving $441 million in revenue, in- weekend actually helped na- cluding $260 million lost to vel oranges, an industry group navel orange producers and processors, according to Cit- reports. While freezes can be di- rus Mutual. Last season, a New Year’s network in 2016. brain and eye health, as well sastrous for citrus fruit, tem- “What we did was we as their potential for lowering peratures in the coldest areas cold snap had growers de- looked around the country at risk of certain cancers. of the valley dropped to 27 ploying irrigation and wind vertically integrated media “We have a global cam- or 28 degrees for only a short machines, costing them about properties — magazines, radio paign of consumer messaging time, which is ideal this early $5 million in fuel. Wind ma- and TV,” Nave said. “We want- in the U.S., Canada and 25 in the navel season, the Ex- chines were running in man- ed to work with one company export markets, and it’s all the eter-based California Citrus darin orchards last weekend in Kern, Tulare, Fresno and with multiple media.… After a same campaign,” Nave said. Mutual said. lot of research, the Food Net- “The underlying idea is that For navels, the brief shots Madera counties to keep or- work is the one that emerged.” grapes have the potential to of frigid temperatures im- chard temperatures up, Citrus The commission has been SURYLGH KHDOWK EHQH¿WV DERYH SURYH FRORU DQG ÀDYRU $QG Mutual reports. Nonetheless, citrus har- working for several years with and beyond their nutrition val- while the valley’s mandarin the Food Network, including ue.” crop is usually less tolerant vests remained in full swing, advertising in its magazine, Nave said market research of the cold, it appeared un- as mandarin oranges were Nave said. has shown that anti-aging scathed by the recent weather, picked and packed for domes- tic sales while lemons, Satu- The latest two commercials properties in foods are “a big the group said. “are pretty much off the charts interest to consumers.” She A strong inversion layer ma oranges and Melo Gold in terms of memorability and said grapes’ image as a health- soon arrived to push tem- hybrid grapefruit continued to motivation,” she said. “I think ful food is enabling demand peratures up, and anticipated be packed for export, accord- those are working well.” to keep up with rising pro- FORXGV DQG UDLQ LQ WKH ¿UVW ing to the National Agricul- The ads are part of the duction, which two years ago weeks of December should WXUDO 6WDWLVWLFV 6HUYLFH RI¿FH commission’s larger strategy set a record at 116.3 million keep night-time lows in the in Sacramento. The federal Climate Pre- of marketing table grapes as 19-pound boxes. 30s or even 40s, according to a healthful food. The panel Growers are nearing the the National Weather Service. diction Center envisions high- has been accepting proposals end of this year’s harvest, “If this weekend’s tem- er-than-normal temperatures for its next round of health which is expected to match peratures are a sign of what’s and equal chances of above- research grants after having last year’s yield of about 110 to come this winter, it could or below-normal precipitation funded studies that touted million cartons, according to mean good things for the for most of California over the JUDSHV¶EHQH¿WVIRUKHDUWMRLQW Nave. valley’s citrus crop,” Citrus next month. By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press A California commodity group is marketing Central Valley table grapes through a unique partnership with the Food Network. The Fresno-based Califor- nia Table Grape Commission has had a pair of commercials airing exclusively on the ca- ble channel and its sister net- work, the Cooking Channel, this fall. The commercials, which show a grower picking a bunch of grapes to serve at a family dinner and three gener- ations of growers strolling in a vineyard, airs on such popular shows as “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, “Cutthroat Kitch- en” and “Cupcake Wars,” ac- cording to the commission. Kathleen Nave, the com- mission’s president, said the spots are aimed at the primary shopper in families and that Tim Hearden/Capital Press Red table grapes from Cali- IRUQLD¿OODWUD\7KH&DOLIRUQLD Table Grape Commission is maintaining a marketing agree- PHQWZLWKWKH)RRG1HWZRUNDV LWDOVRVHHNVQHZUHVHDUFKSURM- HFWVRQWKHKHDOWKIXOTXDOLWLHVRI grapes. the Food Network’s media properties reach consumers in virtually all demographic groups. She said more adver- tising spots are planned for the 49-2/#5 Group’s Food Network ads cast wide demographic net 49-2/#8