California Citrus Starts 3-4 Weeks Early at Kings River Packing

By Nathan Brooks

Kings River Packing in California began harvesting navel oranges in late September, its earliest start in the company’s experience, as lemons, grapefruit, navels and pomelos arrived roughly three to four weeks ahead of schedule.

Vice President of Sales Jesse Silva told AgNet News Hour host Nick Papagni that unusually warm conditions during the earlier growing season drove the accelerated picking. Silva described California’s citrus season as historically early, but the figures he provided describe one packer’s operation, not a statewide acreage or harvest tally.

Silva said sugar levels have been excellent despite concerns about early maturity. Some fruit is developing its characteristic orange color more slowly and is smaller than initially anticipated. These are condition reports from an early harvest, not final packout or grade-out results.

Some production estimates run 20% to 30% above last year’s yields. Those remain forward-looking company estimates rather than harvested results, and the interview did not provide acreage, final yields, realized prices or the methodology behind the range.

No farm-gate price or basis figure appears in the interview, so the larger-volume claim cannot be translated into a grower-margin calculation.

What does the early start mean for grower margins?

Silva expects "an abundant supply of high-quality California citrus" for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mandarins, navel oranges, Cara Cara oranges and an expanding organic assortment head the holiday lineup as the company prepares a larger crop for expected demand.

California fruit will meet citrus imports from Chile, Argentina, Peru and Morocco during the same sales window. Silva said international competition, tariffs and different production costs shape pricing and marketing decisions. The early start extends that overlap rather than avoiding it.

More fruit. Not automatically more money. Rising labor expenses, tougher pest management and increasingly restrictive regulations are raising grower costs while commodity prices have remained relatively flat.

Silva said thrips pressure has forced some growers to increase pesticide applications substantially, adding expense without a corresponding rise in commodity prices. He did not name pesticide products or quantify application rates and treatment costs.

The global juice market remains weak, with excess juice supplies limiting opportunities for processing-grade fruit. Packers must work harder to find profitable outlets for growers’ production, Silva said, so additional volume can increase marketing pressure instead of improving returns.

Kings River Packing, an eighth-generation family farming operation, is investing in advanced sorting equipment and packing facilities. It also runs year-round organic citrus programs and is expanding organic production while maintaining relationships with retailers and growers.

Silva said potentially heavy winter rains are approaching. The company adjusts harvest schedules and packing operations to protect fruit quality and maintain consistent supplies, bringing the early crop into a weather period that could disrupt picking and packing.

The full AgNet News Hour conversation with Silva is available in the episode player and on podcast apps.

Silva expects California citrus to deliver "an exceptional season" for holiday shoppers. For growers, more volume will mean better returns only if the added fruit offsets higher labor, pesticide and regulatory costs. That test remains ahead through the holiday selling period.