Good Luck to those on the East Coast in the  wake of Hurricane Sandy. Produce will take backseat to Mother Nature for a  few days but once everything settles , hopefully without any major damage,  it will be  back to business as usual. Most major vegetables are running strong on the  West Coast.  Most shippers have good  quality and improving production on the majority of commodities .  By this time  next week the  next stage of transition will begin as a few shippers will start their Winter migration to the Coachella / Yuma desert area. Starting with Peppers, Iceberg lettuce then mix lettuce and eventually by mid to late November broccoli , cauliflower and the rest of the veg category.  Additionally transition with much of the fruit category is ongoing with Melons and berries already headed south for the winter.  With the current storm on the East Coast likely to finish off  the homegrown produce look for strong demand on the West Coast . Many shippers have expressed concern over the initial quality  from the new growing areas due to weather back in early September , combined with early holiday demand prepare for increased pressure on the markets  to react.

Weather in California/Arizona growing districts has been 10-15 degrees above normal ( 72/45 Coast ,  84/58 Inland desert)  but looks to return to Normal for the foreseeable future with very little precipitation predicted for the  month of November.  Everyone  knows about the weather around the  country and colder than normal temperatures are predicted to stay around for an extended period.

Truck availability remains good with rates  starting to edge down slightly. Fuel prices  are also predicted to go lower which will help rates even further.   As always  advance notice will give you the advantage of best rates and service.

LETTUCE-  Transition to the Central Valley continues with most shippers expected to have abundant supplies as most product is ahead of schedule. The second stage of transition will begin next week with a few growers starting production in their Winter home  in the desert. The early shippers  are the  ones who forewent Central Valley growing deals in favor of extending their Salinas  Valley deal.  Quality has been marginal but should  rebound in the Central Valley this week and should rebound in the desert once harvest gets  past the first few initial fields.  With a wide range in quality from both districts  loading fresh lettuce is top priority.   

BROCCOLI- Supplies of broccoli continue to be steady with crowns only slightly tighter than bunch. Production continues to be slightly ahead of budget adding to the current supply but will  cause a tightening during transition and possibly during the end of the Holiday loading period. This past weekends warm weather will continue to keep supplies ahead of budget. Volume  deals  are available but will become harder to find as we get further into November. Quality is  mostly good  Central Valley production will start up this week which will also help contain prices.   

CAULIFLOWER- Inventories continue to be higher than budgeted  but most shippers are starting to see an early end to their Salinas  growing region and likely impact production during the bulk of the Thanksgiving holiday. Quality remains good.   Most growers  continue to run ahead of schedule increasing the likelihood of tighter supplies by next week. There are no new districts to support demand and local homegrown production is nearing an end .

LEAF ITEMS- Romaine  and  Romaine Hearts demand will likely see a spike this week with Homegrown season coming to a Sandy ending although there continues to be plenty of supplies between Salinas, Santa Maria and the Central Valley. Demand on green and  redleaf will follow closely behind. Quality will continue to be  an issue in most loading locations with seeders and rib discoloration being the most prevalent defects. Quality won’t stabilize until getting past the first week of transition to the desert.

CELERY- Market has strengthened with early Holiday promotions starting as early as next week.  Most shippers don’t have the  labor capacity to handle the volume of orders  needed on a day to day basis without inventorying heavy volume in preparation of Holiday demand. A few  shippers  will continue to offer out volume deals to maintain rotation as their holiday demand comes  into focus.

ASPARAGUS– Production from Mexico continues to be  limited and demand has stayed strong. Quality continues to improve weekly. Supplies look to be on track for Holiday promotions but the market will likely start to get stronger as the early holiday promotions kickoff .

GREEN ONION- Production has leveled off  but demand continues to be weak especially on small size Green Onions. Pricing on medium and large sizes are slightly higher.  The market will likely strengthen by the end of the week

BRUSSELS SPROUTS-  Increased supplies and lighter demand has  prices continuing to  head lower. Although  demand for November promotions will likely prop the market  back up  by early November. Take advantage of good values  while supplies last.

STRAWBERRIES-  Oxnard will be the primary shipping region for eastern quality fruit although warm temperatures have softened even their new Fall crop. Availability for shipping east is Very limited. Continue to expect bruising issues on arrival.   Mexico availability will  start to increase quality offerings but expect the market for top end quality  to be strong through the Holiday’s.  Supplies on Raspberry  is better with improving quality.  Blackberries primarily from Mexico have increased and has led to easing in the market.