As raisin harvest peaks, growers see high demand(1)
Fresno raisin grower Steven Spate checks some of his recently harvested Thompson seedless grapes. Raisin harvest is nearing an end as growers race to get their crop on the ground ahead of any autumn rains.
Photo/Tracy Sellers
A combination of factors that include a late crop, a shortage of harvest workers and demand for Thompson seedless grapes for both raisins and wine production has prompted a price war that benefits farmers as harvest in the San Joaquin Valley continues at full swing.
Thompson seedless growers have found themselves in an enviable position of having to decide whether to sell their grapes as raisins—$1,700 per ton—or grapes for crush—$250 to $265 per ton. It takes about four and a half tons of fresh grapes to make a ton of raisins.
"Right now, we are in a situation where we have stable pricing and there is the opportunity that the price could go up based on field activity by some of the processors that need more raisins," said raisin grower Steven Spate of Fresno. "We work for one payment a year. Our entire investment is laying on that one thin piece of paper out there."
Growers report that the crop is picking out heavier than expected, although the brix (sugar content) has been running behind normal, which has delayed harvest by a week to 10 days. Because of the delay in crop development, harvest time was compressed in mid-September as raisin growers raced to get their crop on the ground ahead of a federal crop insurance deadline.
Sept. 20 was the cutoff date for crop insurance for farmers using paper trays to dry raisin grapes. Growers harvesting their grapes by machine had five more days to harvest their grapes and still meet the crop insurance deadline.
"There is still a lot of picking going on, but most people did get their raisins on the ground ahead of the deadline," said Glen Goto, chief executive officer for the Raisin Bargaining Association in Fresno. "But driving around, I still see plenty of crews out there working, so those people are in jeopardy of not having insurance."
