Caleb HamptonAg AlertFresh California dates hit grocery store shelves last month after harvest for Medjool dates, the state’s top variety, began in the Coachella Valley in early September.Dates are typically kept in cold storage and sold year-round, with fruit from one harvest lasting until the next begins. This year, handlers said surging demand depleted inventory heading into harvest.“Sales just skyrocketed,” said Albert Keck, president of Hadley Date Gardens, a grower, packer and shipper in Thermal. “There’s really no carryover.”The value of U.S.-grown dates, most of which are produced in Riverside County, grew by more than 25% from 2022 to 2024, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Last month, the private data firm S
