The Road to Nogales

Bonita’s Garcia concurs. “We’re a nationwide company, so El Niño conditions aren’t our biggest worry. If the weather is bad anywhere, it affects us. It will either shift our shipping points or cause a shortage of loads due to less demand for fresh produce.”

Resiliency & Diversification
“Everyone has their own way that they think they can outsmart the weather,” says SunFed’s Mandel. Most, he observes, are “hoping it will validate their approach of spreading production throughout the region. Growers employ redundancy in different areas with the same specifications so they don’t put all their eggs in one basket.”

Righetti says, “Last season, a lot of melon growers in Sonora were challenged by the rain. Watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe were affected in terms of quality and volume. It wasn’t catastrophic, but it mostly upped the price from 18 to 30 cents a pound.”

“It’s always a challenge when you have rain during the production months,” observes Righetti. “However, growers are a resilient bunch—there are so many things they do and different regions, the jury’s out with respect to what El Niño will do. Growers understand the weather and know how to make things work.”

Moore echoes Righetti’s comments, discussing the importance of diversifying crops as a way to beat the odds. “Mexico has a lot of diverse growing regions, so if the weather is bad in one place, the entire region won’t be affected.”

And since Mexican produce ships October through May, it’s like an endless summer of supply for North American consumers with fresh fruits and vegetables crossing the border, destined for grocery retailers throughout the Southwest, Midwest, and to the East Coast and Canada.

Looking Ahead
The new Mariposa port has already proved itself an invaluable asset for the growth of Santa Cruz County and the U.S.-Mexico produce trade by generating jobs, crossing more than 14 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables, and supplying a third of the county’s economic output.

“Our business has become smoother due to improvements at the port,” says Havel of Fresh Farms. And though the port “still lacks enough personnel to operate efficiently, we see Mexico continuing to grow excellent quality products, with good supply and utilizing great food safety practices.”

Dutram, too, is optimistic about the future. “This is a very exciting time for Arizona under Governor (Doug) Ducey’s leadership. He has reignited our state’s relationship with Mexico and recognizes the importance of cross border trade for the benefit of those in Santa Cruz County and all of Arizona.”

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