While it is now safe to say that we are finally out of our 3 year drought in California, we didn’t expect to get all of water needs at once! This week, for instance, the Sierra Nevada mountains are expected to get upwards of 10 FEET of snow. In Northern and Central California, we expect to get 4-6 inches of rain in the valleys, and possibly 20 inches in the mountains. Flooding, mudslides, and other problems are expected. Go to our Produce West web site(producewest.com) for links for more information.

With all of this weather for our buying purposes, we are mostly concerned with the weather in the growing regions of Coachella Valley, Oxnard, and Yuma. Oxnard, where celery, strawberries, and various other items are located, will get hammered and wipe out strawberries and make celery harvesting next to impossible. The desert areas show rain coming in, but it is more scattered than anything else. It doesn’t take much to knock out harvesting in the desert because the soil is so clay-like, and there is little absorption, so the water just sits there. But, the clouds keep temperatures from freezing, which is a good thing. We would rather deal with some wet product for a few days, rather than peel and blister for a few months.

LETTUCE–with rain forecasted in the desert growing regions this week, we could see a stronger market. To go with that, there are quite a few ads out there for lettuce, since it has been quite a while since prices were this reasonable for stores to advertise, so there is big volume going out this week. There could also be a problem with wet fields and product may show dirt and mud.

BROCCOLI–still plenty of bunch and crowns early this week, but things could tighten up by the weekend. This is mainly due to the rains in Salinas and Santa Maria areas, where a considerable amount of supplies are currently coming from. This will put more pressure on the desert areas for supplies.

CAULIFLOWER–plenty of supplies early week, tightening by Wednesday and into the weekend. Once the shippers get their coolers cleaned out by today and tomorrow, we expect them to start raising prices.

LEAF ITEMS–plenty of red, green, boston, and especially romaine, where there are a LOT of deals out there. We don’t expect to see these markets go up much this week, unless we get more rain that expected, which will slow harvesting and tighten up supplies.

CELERY–well, we are now back up to $30 and $40 fob. This was all BEFORE the rains. Oxnard is expecting 6 to 10 inches of rain this week, which will slow harvesting to a standstill. The only thing that will keep this market from hitting $50 is the expected high retails which “should” slow demand.

ASPARAGUS–most shippers still packing 11/1# boxes this week, although there should be some 28/1# containers beginning later this week, as volume starts to pick up. There is still Peruvian asparagus coming in, but that should start to wind down as the desert picks up their numbers.

STRAWBERRIES–the rain will wipe out any supplies that were coming out of Oxnard and Santa Maria areas. The desert is coming up with a few, along with Mexico, which are transferred across the borders to San Diego and Yuma, but most supplies will stay on the West coast.

With the addition of celery and asparagus, the desert now has a full compliment of items that will carry us well into March and April. This certainly helps with truck loading, with regards to pickups and freight rates. It is also important to note that when a truck finishes in the Yuma area, as opposed to finishing in Salinas, it puts the truck approximately 8 hours CLOSER to the East coast. So, that also helps deliver a day earlier to provide fresher product.

Long range weather in the desert growing regions show dry days, with highs in the mid 70’s, which is perfect. The nighttime temperatures, which we watch very closely, don’t show much in the way of freezing, except for a few isolated pockets in the Coachella Valley. Still, unless it gets below freezing for extended hours, we won’t see much in the way of blister and peel issues. But, by next week, there appears to be a MAJOR weather change headed to the desert, with heavy rains expected. We will monitor the forecasts all this week.

Trucks are available at seasonal rates.

LETTUCE–plenty of lettuce available at affordable prices. Now that retail prices have been lowered, we are starting to see better demand for iceberg, and that could prompt shippers to look to raise their prices later this week. Still, we don’t anticipate a major jump.

BROCCOLI–a fairly wide range in price on bunch and crowns, depending upon the area. Salinas and Santa Maria are where the cheaper prices are due to being out of the way and some quality issues. So, the desert is where you want to be for the best quality, even if you have to pay a dollar or two more.

CAULIFLOWER–a pretty wide range in price, with as much as a $4.00/box spread. There isn’t much demand, overall, so even the shippers that are asking for more money are “negotiating”. We could possibly see this market start to go up towards the end of the week.

LEAF ITEMS–as far as markets are concerned, we are basically back to normal on all leaf. Red, green, boston, and romaine are all priced right, and are good ad items to push. Romaine hearts are still active, due to the heavy demand for romaine in the salads. At the retail level, hearts are still a better deal than buying a head of romaine.

CELERY–pretty strong market here. After dropping like a rock when the market was coming off a $30 and $40 range, prices came down lower than they should have, and have now bounced back up. We continue to point this out in our bulletins, so it is worth noting. Currently, the market for the “preferred” labels are at $20 fob, with the other shippers $2-4.00/box cheaper. Celery hearts are still VERY active and are close to $30 fob.

ASPARAGUS–more shippers are starting up, but good volume is still a week or two off. Still, it is time to think about ads for asparagus, as we get into February promotions.

After 2+ months of crazy markets, things are settling down to more normal conditions. Head lettuce, romaine, green leaf, red leaf, and broccoli prices have come back down to more of a “reasonable” situation, compared to the record-breaking prices we saw. It’s tough to put out any kind of decent retail when these feeding frenzies are happening, not to mention trying to advertise.

Long range weather in the desert growing regions of Coachella Valley and Yuma for the next 10 days show no rain, highs in the low to mid 70s, and nights mostly in the low 40s to possibly freezing. Right now, it doesn’t appear that we will see much in the way of freezing, but that could change. An hour or two of freezing is usually okay when we are talking about freeze damage to crops. It is when we get 4 to 6 hours of freezing that problems occur.

After the past 2 weeks of holiday issues, trucks are now getting back to normal, along with the rates.

LETTUCE–good supplies of lettuce now, with size and weights more normal. After the past 2 months of crazy markets, it is time to think about advertising lettuce.

BROCCOLI–good supplies of bunch 14s, 18s, and even crowns. Again, this is a good item to advertise. Supplies are mostly coming out of the desert, but growers are still harvesting in Salinas, Santa Maria, and Oxnard.

CAULIFLOWER–strong market. This is more of a typical roller coaster ride that we see with cauliflower during the winter months, when cold weather stops growth, and warmer temps bring it on. Right now, supplies are light, and prices are up.

LEAF ITEMS–good deals on red leaf, green leaf, boston, and romaine. Again, these are good items to advertise. Cold weather can turn things around on a dime, however, so it is important to keep an eye on that. Interestingly, romaine hearts are still VERY active, with fob prices in the $20’s. This is mainly due to strong demand for salads, which have more romaine in the bags than anything else.

CELERY–this market is still trying to find itself, after the past month in the $30s and $40s. Right now, there is a fairly wide range in price, with a spread as much as $8 to $10/box. This is typical after coming off such a high market. There isn’t a whole lot of interest in celery out there, but there isn’t much in the way of supplies, either. The desert is starting in a light way, which should help.

STRAWBERRIES–with the freeze in Florida, we are getting calls for California strawberries. It is important to know that January and February we basically have very few berries in California. Sure, Oxnard and Baja come in with some numbers, but, basically it is enough to supply the West coast, and little else. Don’t expect this area to cover the East coast and the rest of the country, when freeze or rains hit Florida.

ASPARAGUS–not much yet out here, but its coming. Small volume is coming out of Mexico, but mainly it is Peruvian supplies we are loading.

Believe it or not, this week will start the first shipments going to the East coast for Christmas business. They actually won’t start until the end of this week, but nevertheless, Christmas is here! Even though some of the markets are starting to finally hit the wall, like romaine, we see light supplies, strong demand, and active markets for the rest of this year on just about all commodities.
Long range weather in the desert regions, where the majority of the vegetables are coming from, show slight chances of rain, and days in the mid-60s to low 70s. The potential problem would be the nights. We see lows in the mid to high 30’s. This could mean that we may be dealing with ice and freezing, which can cause harvest delays, epidermal peeling and blister. It’s too early to tell, but historically, December and January are the months when we have this to deal with.
Trucks are plentiful, and rates are down. This weekend and next week will be the bulk of the Christmas push, so they may get a bit more scarce and higher priced.

LETTUCE–this market is hanging in there. FOB prices have been hovering around $30 for wrap 24s, and haven’t backed off. Retails are set high for small, light weight lettuce, and that usually means demand starts to fall off. But, again, supplies are so light, and the growers are so far AHEAD in their fields, that they can keep the market active. As mentioned, sizes are small, weights are light. On top of this, salad demand continues to be strong.

BROCCOLI–steady. Bunch 14s, 18s, and crowns continue firm and active. The best deals are still in Salinas and San Joaquin Valley.

CAULIFLOWER–this is the best bargain around. 12s and 9s are available out of the desert at good pricing and nice quality. However, take advantage now, because we could see supplies fall off dramatically as early as this weekend, and prices go up.

LEAF ITEMS–romaine has dropped nearly in half the past week, green continues to slide, while red and boston are hanging in tough. Romaine is showing as much as a $15.00/box SPREAD in price, depending upon the area and shipper. When prices get up this high, and start to come down, that is what usually happens. The market also goes lower than it should, then firms back up. That is what we are starting to see now.

CELERY–rain in Oxnard today has halted harvesting, and Oxnard is where the majority of celery is coming from. Rain is also forecasted off and on all this week, which will keep things unsettled and the market firm. Also, expect wet product, and mud in the celery and the sleeve bags, so be aware of that.

STRAWBERRIES–this rain is finishing off the Salinas/Watsonville deals, and with rain in Oxnard, there isn’t much in California for berry supplies.

This week and most of next week’s shipment’s is “tweener” period. In between Thanksgiving and the upcoming Christmas period, which could be sort of like a lull in the storm Normally, it means the markets settle down for a bit, then start firming back up. It’s hard to say what is going to happen this year. Most of the markets have been on such a roll that they are bound to come crashing down. Still, supplies of head lettuce, romaine, green leaf, and red leaf are so light, that they may come down slightly, and then firm right back up. Also, the weather this time of year will contribute heavily to what the markets will do.
Long range weather in the desert growing regions show mild days and cool nights for this week, then getting colder and forecasts for rain next week.
Trucks are a bit scarce out here today, as they try to get loaded out East to come West. There should be plenty of rigs by this weekend. Rates have slowed down after the Thanksgiving push, and should continue to drop this week.

LETTUCE–supplies are so light in the desert that $30.00 FOB’s are the norm. Weights are only 35-38# for wrap 24s, as shippers push their fields to take advantage of these high prices. It may not be a bad idea to start thinking about 30 size lettuce. The 24s are so small that they look like 30s anyway.

BROCCOLI–this market is starting to come down. Not so much in the desert, because of all the truck traffic, but Salinas, Santa Maria, and San Joaquin are your best bets for cheaper broccoli because of the lack of loads and commodities in those areas. There is about a $3-4.00 spread in price.

CAULIFLOWER–like broccoli, there is a very wide range in price, depending upon where you can load. Not many ads out there, and retails are set pretty high, so we see this market continuing to be unsettled this week.

LEAF ITEMS–romaine is FINALLY starting to crack. Naturally, when the market for an item gets up to $45-50.00 fob, it can only do one thing, and that is CRASH. We are already seeing as much as a $10.00 range, depending upon where you load. The desert is where the higher priced product is, because that is where the traffic is. As we have mentioned many times, when a market gets up too high and starts to back off, watch out. You don’t want to be caught on the way down. Red and green leaf are still short and high priced, although we should start to see those start coming down, too.

CELERY–after Thanksgiving, the market usually starts to drop, and this year is no different. In fact we are already seeing prices as much as $5-7.00/box less than last week at this time, especially on the smaller size 36s and 48s. Actually, 24s and 30s are a bit lower, but are  hanging in there.

STRAWBERRIES–Florida has started, and now California is taking a back seat for supplies. Driscoll has dropped their price on 8/1#, but are still about $6-8.00/box more than the general market. With rain forecasted for early next week, that may/should finish off the Salinas/Watsonville season.

Even using the term “ridiculous” for the current market conditions doesn’t describe it. Things are BEYOND ridiculous. Lettuce, romaine, green leaf, red leaf, boston, are ALL off the charts, as far as the markets are concerned. Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, while high enough due to Thanksgiving demand, pale in comparison to the items mentioned. When will these conditions improve? Most shippers think things will be crazy right through the end of the year. We’re starting to believe them.
Long range weather in the growing areas of Salinas, Santa Maria, San Joaquin Valley, and the desert areas of Yuma and Imperial Valley, show mild, dry days, and cool nights. Not much in the way of freezing yet, which could come the first part of December. Also, no measurable rain forecasted for any of these regions for the next 10 days.
Trucks have been a real stressful situation last weekend and into this week. Typical supply and demand scenario for Thanksgiving. Truckers held out this past weekend for TOP DOLLAR rates, and got them. Rates for trucks to the East coast were as much as $1500-2000 MORE than they were the week before. We see the same situation this week, as the last of the Thanksgiving loads go out.

LETTUCE–Huron is just about finished, as we now switch to the desert areas of Imperial Valley and Yuma. We will be loading out of those areas for the next 4-5 months. The market, after a run up the past 2 weeks, has appeared to have peaked, but at a high price. We see a continued strong trend all of this week, and into next. The market is easily $20.00 FOB, which could equate to close to $30.00 on the East coast for wrap 24s.

BROCCOLI–good demand and strong market for this typical Thanksgiving item. LOTS of ads out there, so orders are heavy, and should stay that way all of this week. Next week we could see things start to back off.

CAULIFLOWER–another item that is usually a good cooking item for Thanksgiving. The market has backed off from last week’s highs, but will probably bottom out where it is. This is one where we could see the market get stronger by this time next week.

LEAF ITEMS–what can we say here? Romaine $40-45.00, green leaf $20-25.00, red leaf $25-30.00, boston $25-30.00. Obviously, there is a shortage of supplies out West, and the shippers have run things up to the point of, did we mention the word, “RIDICULOUS”? The desert has now started and those growers and shippers have been chomping at the bit to get some of these prices.

CELERY–good movement last weekend and into this week, with big volume going out to all areas of the country. Still, celery isn’t as big as it once was for Thanksgiving, when you actually MADE turkey dressing. We will probably see demand start falling off this weekend, and there could be some deals available at that time.

STRAWBERRIES–a VERY wide range in price for berries. In fact, there is as much as a $10.00 SPREAD between the mostly market and Driscoll. Overall, though, demand is only so so for berries. Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and golden raspberries are available, but with very inconsistent supplies.

The much anticipated Thanksgiving  business starts this week and goes through next week.  Overall, for the past several weeks,  the markets for lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, romaine, leaf, strawberries, and assorted mixed items have been crazy, to say the least. These next 2 weeks will have natural strong demand for most of those items mentioned, so we see no reason why the prices won’t remain active. Still, retail prices have been pushed up to reflect the higher markets, so we could see some of these markets start to come down. In particular, some of the leaf items, and broccoli.
No measurable rain is forecasted for the next 7 days in Salinas, or the growing regions in San Joaquin Valley, but a chance for rain by the end of next week. We DO see cooler days and even some below freezing at night in some regions, which is typical for this time of year.
Trucks will certainly tighten up during this week and next, and truckers will look for higher rates. Book your trucks early.

LETTUCE–higher retail prices are posted on the shelves in the supermarkets, so demand should start to die off, but supplies continue tight, so we may not see prices come down this week. When they DO start to drop, it will be fast and furious, so we don’t recommend booking too heavily. Most of the supplies are still coming out of Huron and Salinas, while the desert looks to get going soon, in hopes of catching the high markets.

BROCCOLI–lots of ads set up for Thanksgiving, so demand should be strong for the next 2 weeks. Prices are already high, but with the lids out there, we don’t anticipate the market going too much higher than that. Supplies are mostly in Salinas and Santa Maria areas, along with some supplies coming out of the San Joaquin Valley.

CAULIFLOWER–cooler temperatures and a few ads should keep this market strong for the next 2 weeks. However, we are seeing a pretty wide range in prices today, with as much as a $6-8.00 SPREAD in the market, depending upon the shipper and area. Good item to shop around for.

LEAF ITEMS–romaine still off the graph, with prices hitting $40.00 in the East. We feel prices should start coming down, but there is heavy pressure for bag salad with romaine in it, which is keeping the price for carton romaine very active. This is another item that when the price starts coming down, you DON’T want to be in the way. Green and red are still active, but, again, there is a pretty wide spread between the mostly market and the preferred labels.

CELERY–these next 2 weeks are THE premier shipping time for celery for the year. EVERYONE has celery on ad, and retails will be comparable across the country. So, we see strong demand this week, and early next week, then orders getting canceled by the end of next week, as receivers start backing up with supplies.

STRAWBERRIES–shorter days and cooler nights are slowing up supplies. But, demand has REALLY come down for berries, so the market has leveled out. Driscoll continues to pro rate, but not as heavily has they have been the past few weeks. This is an indication that the market has finally killed overall demand. With no rain in sight, the berry quality should improve, with harder fruit and better shelf life. There are some white shoulders out there.

As we approach November, one thing is certain; weather will have a huge impact on product availability and quality.  Not only did the early rains two weeks ago strain our supplies, but it put extra strain on quality of California produce, particularly lettuce and leaf items. The Yuma transition will begin towards the middle of November and markets will be strong up to that point.  Long range weather is showing mild temperatures for the Salinas Valley.  No rain in the forecast for at least the next 10 days.   Huron  will have similar weather as Salinas, mild weather with little or no precipitation.  Mid November is usually the time when days become shorter and rain begins, so expect the unexpected in the coming weeks.  Trucks are plentiful for now, as demand picks up over the holidays we expect the tables to turn and rates to climb into the high 5000 marks, but for now lets enjoy the cheaper freight.

LETTUCE — Lettuce may have a chance to get active as Salinas finishes up.  The last of the Salinas lettuce is quite poor, full of red ribbing, decay, and discoloration following bruising.  The early rains ended up causing more damage than was originally anticipated and the past few days have been full of rejections. Huron quality is looking okay, but the final prognosis is yet to be determined until product begins arriving on a daily basis, we will have to wait and see how the product holds up.

BROCCOLI — Quality is looking very good on broccoli.  The market has come down significantly since last week at this time, deals are out there, and it is look like prices should  will stay  put for now.  Be aware that demand could pick up for the holidays.  Buy heavy at the first sign of higher demand because the market will quickly become active.  Stay ahead of the game.

CAULIFLOWER — Demand will pick up as we near the holiday buying season.  Quality is looking good, nice white presentation and very little spotting.  Prices may creep up towards the latter part of this week so try and order heavy today and tomorrow.

CELERY —  Market is already strong as we near the holiday business.  Somehow the celery market has continued to stay active, FOB prices are well into the high teens.  Larger sizes are less prevalent, product just isn’t sizing up like we had hoped for this time of year.  There have been some reports of pith, possibly from the rain, but incidences are few.

LEAF ITEMS — Prices are rebounding from what looked like a bottomed out market late last week.  Demand has picked up again and larger shippers have adjusted their prices accordingly.  Deals are still out there however and smaller shippers are keeping fairly competitive pricing.  Mildew and red ribbing are beginning to play factors upon receiving, romaine seems to be most affected by this.  Green and red leaf quality is still holding up ok.

STRAWBERRIES –Driscoll continues to pro rate heavily.  Watsonville ended so abruptly that all demand began focussing on Oxnard, putting huge strains on supply.  Product that was  originally available had been gobbled up faster than the blink of an eye and availability gaps have plagued Oxnard fruit.  Quality is marginal at best, very small berries across the industry, but buyers are taking what they can get.   This week Driscoll will continue to pro rate 70-80% of orders.  Product is not pretty, but its all we have.

Last week’s rainstorms wreaked havoc on our industry, but luckily things are getting better and we can slowly settle back into our normal crazy routines.  Shippers are trying to keep prices up as long as they can, but the reality is there is nothing holding many of these prices up, and they are bound to fall, as you have seen over the past few days.  Keep in mind that the big name shippers are usually the last to drop their prices in a market like this, so be on the lookout for deals offered by many of the other shippers.  Salinas Valley weather is going to be nice over the next few days, with temperatures in the low 70s during the day, but dropping into the low 50s and high 40s at night.  With days getting shorter and nights getting colder,  there is less time for product to size up, resulting in smaller sizes across the board.  Huron lettuce and leaf items have begun, and quality is looking okay overall.   Yuma product will not start until mid November, so we have a few more weeks to stick it out in the north. Trucks are still very plentiful and California to east coast freight rates are in the high 4000s.

LETTUCE — Good overall quality, these past few weeks.  Some shippers have heavy numbers coming in from the fields and deals are starting to pop up.  Some quality issues include light weights and puffy heads.  This is a result of cooler days, product just doesn’t size up.  Huron product is looking pretty good, transition should be somewhat smooth this year and head weights will improve as the warmer weather continues into next week.

BROCCOLI — Good supply has caused the market to creep back down to where it should be.  Deals will be out there over the next few days.  Expect an occasional misshapen head, but weights are excellent and structure is firm.  Because of mild temperatures, we can expect nice coloring with little or no purpling.

CAULIFLOWER — Quality is excellent, plenty of deals are around.  The rain did not affect structure or color, and plants remain good and strong. Some shippers are reporting that although numbers are good this week, we may see less product next week as the fields clean up.  As for now, the market has come down to around 9 or 10 dollars FOB and should stay put for the time being.

LEAF ITEMS — Steady supplies into next week.  Although product is sizing up nicely, there have been a few quality issues to look out for.  Browning and russet spotting are some of the issues  reported on romaine.   Decay has also been an unfortunate factor in all types of leaf.  After the rain stopped it was followed by some very warm weather, creating humid conditions in the fields.  Mildew can arise from this, but quality controller are doing what they can to prevent it.  Just be aware that quality is not outstanding by any means.

CELERY — Most shippers are hitting their numbers in the field, and demand is just enough to keep Fobs reasonably high for this time of year.  As we head in to thanksgiving ads, shippers will do everything they can to keep FOB prices up and set at the $14.00 range and even though supply may exceed demand, steps will be taken in keeping the general market high through that time period.  Some issues have been reported such as pithing, but no other consistent problems to speak of.

STRAWBERRIES — Watsonville is finished.  The rain ended the season early with no hope in recovering to where it had been.  Sights are now set to Oxnard and here come the Driscoll pro rates.  Quality will be poor, as it always is after a period of extreme weather.  Bruising is a major factor in berries right now, and will be for the next week and a half.  Driscoll is not quoting acceptance final, but they are telling everyone to close one eye upon receiving.  Do not expect spring quality berries, and we should be happy with what we get.