Strawberry Variety Horse Race: lap 2

Strawberry profitability by variety grown and sold in Auckland, 15 Oct – 15 Dec 2023

“And in the second lap, Ventana is STILL in the lead, closely followed by the newcomer Valiant. Look at the size on Valiant!” 

“We can see why Camarosa has stuck around all these years–look at that old fellow still performing.” 

“Victor and Warrior are neck and neck……

“Those day neutrals are going to come into their own in the third lap of the race, still looking fresh after the second lap.”

Despite having grown up in a thoroughbred horse racing town, my horse race analogies are going to run short pretty soon….. 

The profitability is a function of both yield and price, of course. This year, the wholesale price in Auckland has held up better than usual. This means that while the early varieties still have a big advantage, the later varieties are catching up. 

Bear in mind that the comparisons in the chart at the top are from large plug plants established on tabletops in late May in Auckland. The question of the value of plugs compared to bare root plants can be addressed with the data, stay tuned.