It has been unusual in recent years for most grape growers in the San Joaquin Valley of California to have fruit in the market for the Fourth of July to any significant extent. That period has been served primarily by fruit from the Coachella Valley of California, or from Mexico.

But this year, some producers are expecting to begin harvesting in the San Joaquin Valley toward the end of June, early enough to have fruit in at least the western markets for the Fourth of July pull. Pandol Bros. Inc. in Delano, CA, is one of those.

“In our early-season program, we’ve got a few more Flames” this year than in 2012, Jeff Olsen, vice president of The Chuck Olsen Co. in Visalia, CA, said in an interview with The Produce News. The additional volume will come from a new grower whose fruit the company will be handling this year.

“Other than that, it is about status quo as far as the early season is concerned,” Olsen said.

Top Brass Marketing Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, is the exclusive sales agent for table grapes, wine grapes and potatoes grown and packed by Vignolo Farms in Shafter, CA.

“We do table grapes from the end of June or beginning of July to December,” said Brett Dixon, president and sales manager.

The wine grapes are “a pretty quick deal, fast-paced,” running from the end of August to the beginning of October, he said.

Richard Papen, sales manager of Papen Farms Inc. in Dover, DE, told The Produce News that prices are up across the board this year, and it’s not due to a shortage in volume or delayed movement.

“The price to produce a crop is simply too high to not raise prices somewhat,” said Papen. “We cannot grow product like we did years ago and come out profitable.”

Laurel Farms Auction Market in Laurel, DE, is getting an early start on its operation this year. Calvin Musser, market manager, told The Produce News that this is not because product is coming on early in the region. In fact, product is running a little late along the entire East Coast due to the cool and wet spring.

“We plan to start movement on June 25, about a week to 10 days later than normal,” Benny Hall Sr., owner of Benny Hall & Sons Inc. in Temperanceville, VA, told The Produce News on June 4. “We had a late planting because of the wet and cool spring. It was May before it finally started to warm up, and we’re getting plenty of heat now.”

Hall added that it’s been dry for the past month, but the storm that moved in from the middle of the country dumped a nice rain the previous weekend.