The 2026 California strawberry season started nearly three weeks ahead of schedule after warm temperatures in February and March accelerated the harvest. But cooler temperatures and rain in April and May slowed production significantly and damaged crops, creating a disrupted and compressed supply pattern through the spring and early summer.
This data-driven recap from Agronometrics puts a visual framework around a season that's been difficult to read in real time. California is the dominant domestic strawberry source, and weather-driven volatility of this scale affects promotional planning, pricing, and import sourcing decisions across the entire supply chain.
For buyers and category managers, understanding the shape of this season's production curve is useful context as summer supply from California and other regions continues. Worth monitoring whether late-season California volumes recover enough to support promotional activity or whether Pacific Northwest and import sources need to carry more weight.