Cold Temperatures Put Harvests in California and Arizona in Jeopardy

Jan 22, 2013

Cold Snap in Two U.S. States Could Mean Higher Prices in the Supermarkets

An unexpected cold snap in California and Arizona could results in lower quality and quantity of produce in supermarkets. The unseasonably colder temperatures falling between four and five degrees away from normal for this time of year are impacting produce crops and most notably citrus fruits.

Some estimates are already predicting that one-quarter of the region’s orange crop has taken a hit. With some analysis’s saying that if the hit is hard enough, it could result in a price increase of up to 20 to 30 percent.

The extent of the damage is yet to be determined, but if analyses are right it could mean that you should be expecting higher prices on your grocery bill for some produce items soon.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.