October 27, 2016 OVERVIEW Strawberries are in an extreme market, please see below for more information. Garlic and green beans remain in tight supply. Lettuces, salad mixes, broccoli, and cauli remain in good supply and are steady. Avocados are still very high in price, but we are seeing improvement. MARKET ALERTS AVOCADOS GARLIC GREEN BEANS LEMONS (QUALITY) RED BELL PEPPERS STRAWBERRIES TOMATOES GOOD BUYS ARTICHOKES The artichoke is a thistle that belongs to the sunflower family! A good source of fiber, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, E, and K!!! Artichokes are good fried, steamed, added to pasta salads, and more!!! JUMBO CARROTS Jumbo carrots are an excellent buy right now, add some to your menu! Roasted, glazed, or plain, they are a great side! REGIONAL / LOCAL Here is a short list of local produce that you may want to add to your menus to entice the Locally Grown crowd!!!! We will keep expanding on local product every week!!
Georgia/ Florida- SWEET CORN Georgia sweet corn is steady, moving from GA to the Belle Glade Florida area in the next few weeks. Midwest sweet corn is done. Georgia corn pricing is good for promoting. California and Colorado corn is finishing up. CUCUMBERS have been in excellent supply this fall in Georgia. The beautiful weather has made for great color, good length, and a firm piece of fruit. With the cold spell, we could see some slow-down in production this week, but with Florida cranking up over the next two weeks we don t expect any shortages or gaps in production in THIS region. SQUASH Squashes are readily available and market trends point to supply exceeding demand. There is ample volume of dark green zucchinis in Florida and Georgia, and a really nice yellow squash crop for this time of year as well. With the pressure from the white flies that plagued Georgia s early fall crop way down, the yellow squash volume is increasing and the quality is much more consistent. Georgia is starting on its last new fields this week, with Florida ramping up by the end of the month. EGGPLANT South Georgia still looks to have several weeks of solid production and should have no gapping problems, as Florida looks to start in the middle of November. BELL PEPPERS are in full production in South Georgia right now. Many growers are working on several different fields resulting in a wide range of product and size availability. From Jumbos to XLG to Large or Choice, promotional volume should be readily available until the end of the month and beyond. Cooler weather in fall plantings usually means thicker walls, darker color, and a nice heavy Green Bell. Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and New York - MICRO GREENS and items like Mache, Mizuma, and other salad greens are readily available in these regions!!! Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, New York, South Carolina, and Virginia APPLES A great fall item that is currently coming out of these regions!!!! Oregon, Washington and Michigan - CHERRIES Currently coming out of these regions. TRANSPORTATION & WEATHER Trucks are in adequate supply in most regions throughout the United States. Availability in the Northwest is moderately active by comparison; availability will tighten considerably in November, when demand for hauling Christmas trees kicks in. Rain is in the late-week forecast, beginning Thursday afternoon in Central California, with over an inch predicted for Salinas and Santa Maria; upwards of an inch is predicted for Fresno and almost one-half inch in Oxnard. Unseasonably warm weather is in the forecast for Desert Southwest and Northern Mainland Mexico, with highs around 90 in the Coachella Valley and 100+ in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Showers and thunderstorms are once again in the forecast for the avocado-growing region of Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico following over a week of dry weather. Clear skies and warm temperatures are in the weekend forecast for South Georgia, with highs reaching the low 80s by Sunday.
FRUITS & VEGETABLES AVOCADOS The avocado market has been experiencing extreme shortages and very high prices over the last weeks, in addition, there is a supply gap. Most growers are playing catch up. We may or may not see shortages in production next week, avocados will remain in an extreme market. BANANAS an unseasonably strong demand has developed for growers in Central America, as supply has been disrupted from the Philippines. BLUEBERRIES Blueberry supplies are a little better than they have been the last several weeks. Transfers from Chile and Central Mexico have begun to arrive earlier than expected. Although quantities continue to be low, a light uptrend in supplies is expected in the coming weeks, as volume from Chile and Central Mexico becomes our predominant source for blueberries. Order fill will improve in the coming weeks and that is our overall objective. Chilean blueberry quality is good to very good. Central Mexico blueberry quality is very good. BLACKBERRIES Blackberry supplies are good. Quality is good to very good. RASPBERRIES Raspberry supplies are average. There is light rain forecasting for next week and we will send another update if this materializes. There has been a slight increase in volume from all areas as plant performance improves and production gets back on schedule. Quality continues to be good to very good. STRAWBERRIES Strawberry supplies will continue to decrease as rain is forecasted in the northern regions (Watsonville and Salinas) for the next three days, which will likely mark the end of the season for these regions. Expect very high prices and prorating. Oxnard is also expected to receive rain, but current forecasts have decreased the chance of rain Thursday and Friday in this area to 20% but the chance of rain remains forecasted at 70% for Sunday. Interruption to harvests due to rain will undoubtedly continue to affect order fill with no guarantee that we will be able to meet demand. Strawberry production out of Central Mexico continues to increase but at a much slower pace than expected. We will continue to offer options as far as pushing orders to load out of any location we fill. This will offer a better chance of order fill, or at least prevent orders from being affected by severe prorates. Quality will be inconsistent, with some locations reporting very fair quality fruit. We are currently experiencing, and will continue to have, challenges with weather. This not only affects supply but also quality and price. Growers are required to do the best they can and will continue to pack the best quality possible. We will be in a critical state with regards to strawberry supplies for the next several weeks and will keep you posted weekly. CALIFORNIA-ARIZONA CITRUS GRAPEFRUIT Market is improving! Florida has very limited volume. Expect very light supply, with moderate prices. Texas has started, so we should see this market improve weekly. LEMONS Market is still very steady. Quality is somewhat scattered across the board due to the different districts that are currently in play. As the new districts increase production, we will see quality improve even more. We expect this market to improve weekly. LIMES (PERSIAN) Quality is good, prices are higher. The 110 & 150ct availability remains tighter than other sizes. Color and quality are very good at this time.
ORANGES Valencias are very tight, and will be somewhat available until mid-november. Navels started in CA this week, we should see production increasing within the next few weeks. Quality is good but not excellent. PINEAPPLE Demand is good and prices are stable. Market is slowly getting better CALIFORNIA LETTUCE GREEN & RED LEAF Supplies on green leaf are normal. We are seeing the occasional fringe burn. Demand is normal for red leaf with good quality. ICEBERG LETTUCE Supplies are normal. Quality has remained good with some fringe burn reported. ROMAINE Supplies are good. There have been some reports of insects and some fringe burn due to the heat, we are seeing some reports that product is breaking down faster than normal due to the heat. This should improve as we transition. ROMAINE HEARTS Supplies are plentiful!! Demand has slowed with quality remaining good. Quality has remained good. EASTERN & WESTERN VEGETABLES GREEN & RED BELL PEPPERS New crop green bell peppers continue with plentiful supplies in the Coachella Valley of California. Rain is expected to curtail the Friday harvest in Central & Southern California coastal valley districts. Prices remain strong for red bells, with supplies tightening in Central California; production in Coachella will not be in full swing until mid-november. Green bells are in good supply from Georgia. CUCUMBERS Plentiful supplies in the west, from Baja California and Northern Mainland Mexico; good availability in South Georgia. ENGLISH CUCUMBERS Availability has improved, with additional product from Northern Mexico now arriving in Nogales. GREEN BEANS Prices remain at extreme levels in the West, as Coachella is the only district currently in production. Availability in Georgia is beginning to improve, with prices easing from recent extremes. ZUCCHINI & YELLOW SQUASH Plentiful supplies, with multiple growing areas in the east and west. South Georgia is the primary district in the east; Northern Mainland Mexico in the west. The exception is yellow squash in Georgia, where prices are moderately higher when compared with Nogales. ACORN, BUTTERNUT & SPAGHETTI SQUASH Steady availability from Northern Mainland Mexico on acorn; spaghetti and butternut are in tight supply. MANGOES Supply and quality are good, prices are rising slightly.
MELONS Larger cantaloupes remain very limited out of Arizona. There does not appear to be any relief in sight with California concluding and Yuma production having already peaked. Sizing, for at least the next 7-10 days, will lean heavier to 15ct. Issues in the field have caused weaker plants, which will produce smaller sized melons. We are hopeful that when new fields are ready to break later next week, they are healthier and produce some better sizing. The Caribbean Gold variety melons are producing some very nice fruit though with brix levels in the 10-13% range. Honeydew supply has picked up over the past 3-4 days out of Arizona. Nogales is also in production which should keep the market steady and below double digit figures. Sizing is also leaning heavier to the mid-sizes (6/8s) but 5s have started to pick up. Import melons will begin the week of November 14 th. WATERMELONS Quality is good to average. We are seeing this market tighten up, as the rain in SC has slowed harvests. We will be transitioning to Mexico soon. HERBS We have very good supplies of MINT, ITALIAN PARSLEY, CHIVES, ROSEMARY, AND THYME. All other fresh herbs remain steady. Please be aware the push for HOLIDAY demand will start in about two weeks. Cilantro: Supplies are average and quality is fair, we are seeing yellowing and decay.
HERBS HERB SUPPLIES QUALITY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Arugula Good Good USA Basil Good Good USA/MEXICO Opal Basil Good Good USA/MEXICO Thai Basil Good Good USA/MEXICO Bay Leaves Good Good COLUMBIA Chervil Good Good USA Chives Good Good USA/MEXICO Cilantro Good Good USA Dill Good Good USA/MEXICO Episode Good Good MEXICO Lemongrass Good Good USA Marjoram Steady Good USA Mint Good Good USA Oregano Good Good USA Italian Parsley Good Good USA Rosemary Limited Good USA Sage Good Good USA/MEXICO Savory Good Good USA Sorrel Good Good USA Tarragon Good Good MEXICO Thyme Good Good USA Lemon Thyme Good Good USA Lavender Good Good USA Lime Leaves Good Good USA Hora Santa Good Good USA
ARTICHOKES We expect good supplies of artichokes this week; supplies industry-wide have increased. Better volume is expected in the upcoming weeks. Prices are steady to lower on some sizes. ARUGULA Supplies of both baby and wild arugula are good. Quality is fair but improving. ASPARAGUS The market is stable and quality is good. BOK CHOY Availability is good. BROCCOLI Supplies are much lower this week. Prices are steady. Good green color and texture. BRUSSEL SPROUTS The market is good. Supplies are good this week. Quality has improved. CARROTS Great quality and good supply! CAULIFLOWER Supplies are good. Locally grown deals are done. Quality is good, with good weight and white to creamy color. CELERY Supplies are plentiful, with many growers in Salinas now. Quality is good and prices are low. Some light insect damage and light dirt in bottom of stalks. CORN Midwest Sweet is still available but the prices have gone up and stabilized. Quality is still good but production will be finishing up over the next few weeks. New Crop Georgia Sweet Corn will be starting next week, with Florida to follow soon after. Colorado Corn is still available, finishing up in October. FENNEL Supplies for the week will be good. GARLIC The garlic market continues to be volatile. Demand exceeds supply. The CA harvest finished last month, and crops were down 15-30% from where we had hoped it would be. We are uncertain where the supply on garlic from China will be, we are hearing that it will get even tighter, but we are uncertain. Quality remains good and we will keep you posted as we hear what China will be doing. GINGER Chinese ginger is in good supply and is being offered at a substantial discount compared to the Ginger from Brazil. GREEN CABBAGE Average supplies. We should be steady this week. Prices are climbing a bit; quality is good with some reports of insects.
GREEN ONIONS The market is improving. We are still seeing a very high percentage of smalls being packed. Prices are moderate and supplies are getting better. KALE (GREEN) Demand is steady and quality is average, we are seeing mildew in this product. MACHE Adequate availability. NAPA Supplies are good. Demand is strong with lower prices. Quality is good, with increased reports of internal defects, primarily with seeders. Prices are high. PARSLEY (CURLY,ITALIAN) Prices are normal and quality is excellent. RADISHES Quality is good! Plentiful supply. RED CABBAGE Quality and sizing has been great, with good color. Overall, the market is strong. SNOW & SUGAR SNAP PEAS Snow and sugar snap peas are still in high demand. Quality is good. BABY SPINACH Baby Spinach and Clipped Spinach supplies are light. Quality is fair to good. Prices are good. Some reports of insects. BUNCHED SPINACH Supply is good and demand is strong. Quality has improved. We are still seeing some sun scalding and tip burn, but this has improved. There have been some reports of insects, but this is getting better. ONIONS The onion market has had a sluggish feel, as supplies have outpaced demand. The size profiles are getting larger and there has been a surplus on colossal and super colossal yellows. Growers have finished harvest for the season, and onions will be exclusively coming out of storage, more growers will begin shipping rail cars at this point. Quality remains strong on all colors and sizes. POTATOES (IDAHO) Harvest in the state is complete. As stated before we have 7.2 to 7.4 million more sacks of potatoes available for fresh pack sales than we did last year at the end of harvest. You also have a major processor in the state closing down an operation in the state the end of December. This is a dehydrated slice and dice plant, not frozen. Demand on consumers remains good, carton demand is fair. We did not see a push upward in prices after the cellar doors got closed as in years past. You should see demand on consumer packs get tight in the coming weeks with Thanksgiving holiday season approaching. This could put pressure on the carton market towards a downward trend. If the operations are running full shifts this will put more cartons on the open market. We should see truck transportation tighten up in the next few weeks with the holiday season fast approaching. TOMATOES East: Rounds - Supplies in the east will gradually improve as production in Quincy, FL begins to ramp up. FOB prices are expected to remain high, despite the new
production, as we are still seeing shortfalls on round tomatoes throughout the country. Roma Supplies are slightly improved with higher production anticipated and lower FOB prices. We are seeing increased volume on the import side, driving demand pressure to McAllen, as well as Otay. Grapes Supplies are up slightly with added Florida production, FOB prices are down. Sizing will remain off due to the crown pick taking place, however we should see this ease back to normal sizing over the next 10 days. Cherries - Supplies are lighter this week and FOB prices are up. Quality is fair due to weather related impacts. West/Mexico: Will continue to see lighter volume on round tomatoes and cherries. Roma and grape supplies will improve. Rounds - Vine-ripe production is unchanged from Baja and Central Mexico. California mature green growers will continue to slow down, and continue to see ongoing issues with quality and color week to week. FOB prices have ticked upwards due to lighter inventories. Romas - Supplies are improving out of Southern Baja and Central Mexico. Still seeing some weather-related quality issues post-harvest but we expect that to improve over the next several weeks. California Roma production will continue to decline as the season end approaches. No ongoing quality or color issues, FOB pricing will be lower this week. Grapes Supplies are improving and pricing is down this week. Cherries - FOB prices will remain high, quality is good. WASHINGTON APPLES, PEARS & TREE FRUIT Apples and pears are in season! Quality and availability are good. Apples are running on the small side. Prices are up from last year due to the sizing of the fruit. Red plums- Autumn red plums are in and will be in for about 3-4 weeks. Red pluots- Packing sweet pluots now, should be available for about a month! COMMODITY PRICE EXPECTED PRICE TREND QUALITY Avocados-California Avocados-Mexican HIGH Varies by Size Good Blackberries Moderate Steady Good Blueberries Moderate Steady Good Raspberries Moderate Steady Good Strawberries Moderate Steady Good Grapefruit Moderate Steady Good Lemons Moderate UP Good
COMMODITY PRICE EXPECTED PRICE TREND QUALITY Limes High Steady Excellent Oranges-Navels Navels Good Good-Navs Pineapple Moderate Steady Good Green and Red Leaf Good Down Good Iceberg Moderate Up Fair Romaine Moderate Down Good Romaine Hearts Moderate UP Good Eastern & Western Vegetables Cucumbers Moderate UP Excellent Green Beans EXTREME Steady Excellent Green Bell Peppers Moderate Up Good Red Bell Peppers Moderate UP Good Yellow Squash Moderate UP Good Zucchini Moderate UP Good Grape & Tree Fruit Grapes-Green Seedless High Down Good Grapes-Red Seedless Moderate to High Down Good Plums Moderate Steady Good Melons Cantaloupes Good Steady Good Honeydew High Steady Good Mixed Vegetables Artichokes Good Steady Excellent Arugula Good Steady Good Asparagus Good Down Good Bok Choy Good Steady Good Broccoli Low Steady Good Carrots High Steady Good Cauliflower Low Up Good Celery Very High Down Good
COMMODITY PRICE EXPECTED PRICE TREND QUALITY Frisbee Moderate Steady Good Fennel/Anise Moderate Steady Very Good Garlic, Peeled High Steady Good Green Cabbage High Steady Excellent Green Onions Moderate Up Fair Kale (Green) Low Steady Very Good Mache Moderate Steady Good Napa Moderate Up Fair Parsley (Curly/Italian) Moderate Up Very Good Red Cabbage Moderate Steady Excellent Snow and Sugar Snap Peas Steady Up Poor to Fair Spinach (baby) Low Steady Good Spinach (bunched) Low Steady Good Spring Mix Low Steady Good Onions Red Moderate Up Good White Moderate Lower Good Yellow Moderate Lower Good Potatoes (Idaho) Idaho Russets Variable Steady Good Tomatoes Round, Grape Moderate Steady Good Romas Moderate Steady Fair to Good Washington Apples & Pears Red and Golden Delicious, Granny Smiths, Pinks Steady Steady Good Golden Delicious, Fuji New Crop Steady Steady Good Galas, Honeycrisp New Crop, D Anjous, Bosc Pears High Up Good Bartlett Pears Moderate Steady Good
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