Poor January weather in the desert area did not affect production. Fruit, overall, are showing good quality, size, and color. Central Valley grades looked excellent while quality varied from lot to lot in Southern California. Desert Valley shippers finished packing with high eliminations resulting from ridging, coarse texture, and scarring. Honey tangerine utilization is just over 1.40 million boxes with very limited supplies remaining.
Harvest is over for the year.
Temple harvest was almost over with almost 2.1 million boxes moved. Citrus trees, groves and the current crop are all in very good to excellent condition. Rainfall during March was above normal in all citrus growing counties. New growth and bloom were abundant during the month. The bloom cycle peaked toward the last two weeks of March which is near normal.