California’s citrus season is turning a corner. With the navel crop over 90% harvested and Valencia oranges beginning their run, growers and shippers are navigating the natural challenges of a season in transition, from quality pressures on late navels to early export hurdles on Valencias. Meanwhile, the lemon market is telling a quietly bullish story, and orange juice futures continue their year-over-year slide. Here is a look at where each segment stands as of Week 23.

Navels: A Strong Finish With Late-Season Headwinds

The California navel season is in its final stretch. With more than 90% of the crop already harvested, movement on the remaining fruit remains solid, a testament to consistent consumer demand through the close of the season. Limited import competition has helped maintain pricing stability, but the fruit itself is showing signs of late-season wear.

Re-greening, soft fruit, and decay are the primary factors behind weakening pack-out rates, which currently sit at 70 to 80 percent utilization. Peak demand is centered on 56s and 72s, followed closely by 48s and 88s. While these quality challenges are not unusual for this point in the season, growers should expect utilization to continue drifting downward as the crop winds to a close in the coming weeks.

Valencias: Early Days, Promising Internal Quality

The baton is being passed. Valencia oranges, California’s summer citrus workhorse, are roughly 10% harvested and beginning to move on the domestic market. The early read on internal quality is encouraging, with reports of strong flavor development and limited external pest damage.

Re-greening is once again creating early friction, particularly on the export side, where volumes have been reduced as a result. On the domestic front, the sizing focus has shifted toward smaller fruit, as larger navels still competing on the market have slightly slowed Valencia movement in the bigger size categories. Utilization mirrors navels at 70 to 80 percent, and peak sizing is centered on 56s, 72s, and 88s.

Lemons: Supply Tightens, Prices Climb

The lemon segment may be the quiet standout of this week’s update. District 1 harvesting has wrapped up, and the industry is now approximately halfway through the District 2 lemon season. After some early challenges with green fruit coloring, the crop is catching up — though some early fruit drop has also been noted.

A combination of limited domestic supply and minimal import pressure has created favorable market conditions, pushing lemon prices upward over recent weeks. For growers who weathered the early-season color issues, the trend is moving in the right direction. Utilization holds at 70 to 80 percent, with peak sizing in 115s, 95s, 140s, and 75s.

Orange Juice Futures: A Long Road From Last Year

Orange juice futures closed the week of May 29, 2026 at $1.59 per pound solid, down slightly from the prior week and a significant distance from levels seen a year ago. At the start of the navel season on October 31, 2025, futures sat at $1.69 per pound solid. A year ago this same week, May 22, 2025, the market was trading at $2.72 per pound solid. That year-over-year decline of more than a dollar per pound solid reflects broader pressures in the processed juice market, including shifting consumer preferences and increased global supply.

From the Orchard: A Word From Bee Sweet Citrus

“Navel harvest should finish up just before the 4th of July. Utilization has taken a hit over the last few weeks, as expected. We will continue to see large sizes available when we fully transition to Valencia oranges, but quality and juice content have been good.

Lemons are doing great right now; prices are high, and we are very optimistic that we will see good returns over the next few months. We have good supply and quality coming in from District 2, and it should fit in nicely with our summer import program.”

— Randy Stucky, Bee Sweet Citrus

Looking Ahead

As California moves into the heart of summer, the citrus industry’s center of gravity shifts from navels to Valencias and lemons. Growers who managed quality well through a challenging late-navel stretch will be looking to the Valencia season to deliver on its early internal-quality promise and to see re-greening issues resolve as the crop matures. On the lemon side, favorable supply-and-demand dynamics give reason for cautious optimism heading into the next several weeks.

For the full pricing data and import reports, visit California Citrus Mutual.