After record-breaking dry months in December, January, AND February, we are FINALLY scheduled to receive some MUCH NEEDED rain this week in northern and central California. The desert growing regions are going to remain dry, which is normal, but we are looking forward to a wet pattern for the rest of the state. We need snow pack in the Sierra Nevada mountains to replenish reservoirs and underground aquifers that farmers (and the rest of us) depend upon for valuable water supplies every year.

Long ranger weather in the desert growing regions show normal days and nights for this time of year, with highs in the low 80s and nights in the 50s.

Trucks remain plentiful, but keep pushing for higher rates because of the higher fuel costs that remain in the headlines and are topics of political conversations.

 

LETTUCE–a bit stronger, but nothing earth shattering. Shippers have been desperately trying to get the market off the floor, with little or no success since mid January. We have about another 3 weeks before we switch to the Huron and Bakersfield areas for the spring crop. Lettuce quality in the desert remains good, overall, with nice size and weights, and little quality issues. There are some fields that are behind, and showing some older appearance, and we are trying to stay away from those lots.

 

BROCCOLI–much stronger market out west, especially on crowns. Supplies have been so heavy for the past month, that there is finally a gap. To go with this, Virginia has finished, so this has now allowed shippers here to bump up their markets, and they aren’t holding back. However, we see this trend stalling out, by this time next week.

 

CAULIFLOWER–after shippers ran up the market last week, and retail prices changed, we are now seeing demand drop off and some flex in prices. It is important not to order too heavily this week, as we expect the market to be off $4-5.00//box by this time next week. Also, new areas of Salinas and Santa Maria are starting.

 

LEAF ITEMS–not much change. Still plenty of red, green, and romaine, and the markets remain flat. Supplies in the desert areas should continue for another 3-4 weeks, but we will see other areas start up the first of April.

 

CELERY–no change. Plenty of supplies in Oxnard and the desert, and the markets continue flat on the larger sizes, and a bit stronger on the smaller sizes. The desert should continue for another 3 weeks, or so.

 

ASPARAGUS–this deal is starting to wind down in the desert, and should be done by the first to middle of April. There looks like there won’t be supplies for the Easter pull out of the desert, or at least not much in the way of supplies. The Stockton/Lodi deals are very slow to get cranked up, so things could be VERY interesting for the Easter pull, which we have mentioned in previous bulletins.

 

STRAWBERRIES–supplies are starting to come on, but now with rain forecasted in the Oxnard and Santa Maria areas for this weekend. Then, Easter business will start in about 2 weeks, so this deal could “made” until after the first of April. After that, watch out. There are LOTS of berries out there.

 

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

While not all of the major vegetable items are showing better demand, there are a few that are. Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and strawberries are all starting to pick up, market-wise, out here. This is certainly a good sign overall for the markets, as things have been depressed for over a month in the desert growing regions. Shippers are looking at their bottom lines for the winter season, and they are NOT good. ANY market increase will be welcome, and they won’t hesitate to push prices up as quickly as they can.

Trucks continue to be readily available, and rates are inching up, due to increasing fuel costs. To give you an idea, if it is 3000 miles from west coast to east coast, and it takes about 600 gallons of fuel to make the trip, and the price goes up 50 cents/gallon, that would about $250 over and above normal costs.

Long range weather shows little or no rain in the desert growing regions, with highs getting into the low 80s, and lows in the 50s. The strawberry growing regions of Santa Maria and Oxnard show cool days only in the mid 60s, and lows in the upper 40s. By the way, we can OFFICIALLY say the threat of any freeze in the desert is OVER!

 

LETTUCE–it may be a while for this market to get off the floor. There is just TOO much lettuce in the desert. Instead of getting together and skipping some fields to shrink supply and raise the market, the shippers just keep pumping out volume and keep the market depressed. It’s a REAL head scratcher.

 

BROCCOLI–this market is starting to pick up a bit. Volume is dropping in the desert, and shippers are trying to raise their prices. But, with plenty of product in Virginia and Georgia, we don’t see that lasting very long. The quality continues to be very nice in the desert, as well as Santa Maria, Phoenix, and Texas.

 

CAULIFLOWER–we are in a bit of a supply gap, and the shippers are pushing their prices up daily. As we mentioned, they have lost so much money in the desert, that they are trying to get as much, and as fast as they can. But, what usually happens here is they push prices up too high, too fast, and then they kill it. We could see that happening by this time next week.

 

LEAF ITEMS–slightly stronger on all leaf items, red, green, and romaine. No big deal, because even a dollar up doesn’t make too much difference in delivered costs, on an already low price. There is still plenty of product in the desert, and they should go another 3 weeks, or so.

 

CELERY–no change. Large size 18s and 24s are still flat in price, while the smaller size 36s and 48s are commanding $2-3.00/box more. Supplies still plentiful out of the desert, Oxnard, and Santa Maria. Heart 12s and 18s are available.

 

ASPARAGUS–things are finally starting to pick up for the shippers. We have seen some of the lowest prices we have seen in over 10 years. Supplies are still going be available in the desert for another 3 weeks, then fall off rapidly. If you notice, they will fall off just in time for Easter pull. Things could get interesting, as the Stockton/Lodi deal will be going, but may not have the volume to pick up the slack for the Easter demand.

 

STRAWBERRIES–increasing demand for California berries, and the market is VERY firm. We have had a few warm days, which helped to bring on some fruit, but the forecast is for colder temperatures the rest of this week. All we really need is some extended days of warm weather, and the berries will come on. The fruit is OUT THERE.

 

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

The depressed markets for desert vegetables continue, and, except for a few spikes on a few items, we don’t see much change for a few more weeks. Easter business is still more than a month away, so even items such as asparagus won’t see much demand. We are asked ‘what are good items to advertise’, and we respond: EVERYTHING!

Long range weather forecast in the desert growing regions show a few cold mornings the next few days, but no freeze, then warming up this weekend, with highs in the low to mid 80’s. No rain.

Trucks remain plentiful, but we are hearing grumblings about higher rates due to the increased fuel costs. Can’t blame them.

 

LETTUCE–not many ways to say “too much product”, so we will say it again: TOO MUCH PRODUCT.  Most shippers are working minimum days, which is only about 4 hours, picking out the best lettuce, and leaving the rest. This continues to be a great item to advertise, and will be for another 3-4 weeks.

 

BROCCOLI–western shippers are trying their best to get this market up, but with all of the cheap product available in Virginia, Carolinas, and Georgia, not to mention what is out here from Santa Maria, Ca. to Texas, there just isn’t much hope for the market to get off the floor. Quality remains nice, so this is also a good item to promote.

 

CAULIFLOWER–in its typical roller coaster ride, cauliflower at least has a little excitement once in a while. Currently, there is a stronger undertone, but at the same time, a bit of a spread in the market, with as much as a $3-4.00/box difference on 12s, depending upon the shipper and location, so it is worth it to shop around.  Santa Maria has had the best deals, but quality is showing up better in the desert.

 

LEAF ITEMS–no change here. Plenty of red, green, boston, and romaine, and prices are low. It appears that we are finally working out of the freeze issues from DECEMBER.

 

CELERY–plenty of celery in either Oxnard or the desert areas. The deals are on the larger size 18s and 24s, while the smaller size 36s and 48s are $2-3.00/box more than the larger sizes. What this shows is the celery is staying out in fields due to lack of demand, and it grows, making for the large size glut.

 

ASPARAGUS–this market is a bit stronger. We mentioned that the economy is playing a big part in the lack of demand for asparagus, and we truly believe that. Asparagus is not an item the consumer HAS to have, so, unless there is a .99/# ad out there, demand just isn’t there. Normally, we would see the market close to $40 fob this time of year, but not this year. With Easter business a month away, we don’t see much change here for a while. Again, ADVERTISE.

 

STRAWBERRIES–a few sprinkles around, along with some cold nights have slowed growth for California berries, and keeping the market VERY active. Quality isn’t anything to write home about, with LOTS of white shoulders, and light colored fruit. However, berries are big and hard, so shelf life is very good. We are definitely seeing more interest for California berries.

 

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

As the winter desert season hits its peak, there aren’t many changes to talk about. There continues to be ample supplies of lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, leaf items, and various mix items. This also means there aren’t many changes in the market, much to the chagrin of the shippers. Marketwise, this has been a miserable season for growers, as prices hit the floor about 6 weeks ago, and haven’t moved much at all. With Easter just a few weeks away, we should see markets picking up at that time on certain items, such as asparagus, strawberries, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Long range weather in the desert growing regions show continued dry, with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, and lows in the upper 40s to low 50s. We’re not quite ready to declare the freeze threat is over, but we are close!

Trucks still abundant for all areas of the country, but with fuel prices on the rise, we have probably seen the bottom with rates.

 

LETTUCE–sadly, from a grower/shipper perspective, the market continues to stay on the floor. From a retail standpoint, it’s certainly time to take advantage and ADVERTISE! Quality is mostly good, with better size and weights, so it’s a nice time to show off the quality with those LOW prices.

 

BROCCOLI–we don’t see any hope for this market to pick up for another 3 weeks, at the earliest. Easter is a decent ad time for broccoli. Nothing like Thanksgiving, but at this stage of the game, the shippers will take ANYTHING to increase enthusiasm.

 

CAULIFLOWER–continued up and down market(mostly down), and a wide range in price. We are seeing as much as a $5-6.00/box SPREAD in the 12 size market, depending upon the area and label. Santa Maria continues to be the area where the best deals are coming from on cauliflower(as well as broccoli) because of its  out of the way location. Either way, this is a good item to shop around.

 

LEAF ITEMS–no change in red, green, and romaine, with the market fairly draggy on all those items. Quality continues to improve, as the weather warms. Believe it or not, there are still some effects from the freeze we had in DECEMBER. Those young plants that were hit were only a week or so out of the ground and are just now being harvested,.

 

CELERY–the desert is in full swing now, as well as Oxnard, and the market is pretty flat on the large size 24s and 30s, while the smaller size 36s and 48s are commanding $2-3.00/box MORE than the larger sizes. Quality is generally nice in both areas, so its a matter of trucker convenience. Dole continues to top the market by $2-3.00/box, depending upon the size.

 

ASPARAGUS–this market continues to be on the bottom, and should remain until Easter business kicks in, which won’t be for another month. It is important to note that one of the reasons asparagus remains low priced is the economy. Asparagus isn’t what you would call an “essential” item that people HAVE to buy. Not like lettuce or potatoes. That is worth noting and one main reason why the market remains flat.

 

STRAWBERRIES–this is the only item that is tight. Cold temperatures in the growing regions are keeping the berries from growing. We don’t see volume picking up for California berries until the first week in March. That means another 2 weeks of TIGHT supplies. Quality is only about “fair”, with large, hard fruit, but not much color. White shoulders are EVERYWHERE. Florida weather looks good for the next 10 days, but they could pull the pin at ANY time.

 

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

Not much change in the markets for the major vegetable items, and there is one main reason: TOO MUCH PRODUCT. There is just too much product planted in the desert growing regions of Coachella Valley, Imperial Valley, and Yuma, and the markets just can’t get off the floor, no matter what the shippers do. Often times, they are their own worst enemy. They continue to pump out product every day, and when they can’t sell it FOB ,they send it to various terminal markets with NO price on it, and that continues to keep the markets depressed. Doesn’t make any sense.

Except for a slight chance of rain forecasted for Thursday, the next 10 days in the desert growing regions show normal temperatures for this time of year, with highs in the mid 70s, and lows in the high 40s.

Trucks are still plentiful, and rates are steady. With the increasing fuel costs, truckers are pushing to get more money to all areas of the country.

 

LETTUCE—this market can’t get off the floor. Shippers are trying desperately to raise their prices to at least a break even level, but with little success. Some shippers are finally saying they are putting a bottom on their price, and won’t go a penny less, so there is a bit of a price range for that reason. Quality is generally good, with better size and weights. Shippers definitely have to put their best product in box when conditions are like this.

 

BROCCOLI–this is like a broken record. Just too much product. Again, we point out that with supplies coming out of areas from Santa Maria to Virginia, there is little chance that the market can go anywhere. We don’t see too much change in the market for several more weeks, or until there is a weather change…somewhere.

 

CAULIFLOWER–more of a price spread here, with as much as a $5.00/box difference, depending upon the shipper and area. The shippers in Santa Maria are where the best deals are coming from because, with most of the trucks loading in the desert, they have to discount their prices to make it worth while to come to Santa Maria. Generally, quality is good in all areas.

 

LEAF ITEMS–slow demand and sluggish market on romaine and red leaf, while green leaf is getting and extra $2-3.00/box. Most of the supplies are coming out of Coachella and Yuma areas, while there is still product in Oxnard.

 

CELERY–not much change here. The majority of the celery is coming out of Oxnard, but Santa Maria and the desert are also pumping out increasing numbers. We are seeing as much as a $3-4.00/box spread in price for the various sizes, depending upon the area and shipper, with Dole leading the way.

 

ASPARAGUS–prices tried to get up last week for Valentine’s Day business, but are now back to the levels of the previous week. Right now, this is a GREAT time to advertise asparagus. Prices are low, there are plenty of supplies, and quality is VERY NICE.

 

STRAWBERRIES–with Florida having problems with freezes, there is a LOT of pressure for California and Mexican berries. There are quite a few ads out west, and not enough product to go around. Still, looking at the long range weather in Florida, things should get back to normal there and take some pressure off the west. We should see volume increase in California the next few weeks, depending upon the weather.

 

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

Excess of product continues to flood the desert growing areas, keeping many of the markets on the floor. Shippers can be their own worst enemy. They just keep planting and harvesting more and more product, then can’t understand why they can’t make any money.

Long range weather in the desert growing regions show highs in the mid-70s to high 80s, and lows only in the high 40s to low 50s. These are ideal temperatures to bring on even MORE product. No rain in sight.

Trucks are no problem, and rates are at season lows for most areas of the country.

 

LETTUCE–not much you can say here. Just TOO much lettuce out there and the markets are on the floor. Quality is also no problem. Most shippers staying on top of their fields, and are packing green, fresh, product. We would, however, like to see better size and weights, but many of the varieties out there are showing ribby lettuce, lighter weights, with poor to fair head formation.

 

BROCCOLI–with product coming out of areas from Santa Maria, California to Virginia, its no wonder this market continues to drag on the ground. You can only push to advertise broccoli so many times, then you get tired of it. We don’t see much change in the broccoli market for several more weeks.

 

CAULIFLOWER–quite a spread in the market here, with as much as a $5.00/box difference on 12s, depending upon the shipper and area you pick up in. With this kind of spread, it’s worth s shopping around. There is product coming out of Santa Maria to Phoenix, and most shippers are doing a good job of packing their product. What we ARE seeing is fewer 9s out there, indicating the shippers are finally catching up on their fields. We could see an overall stronger market by the end of this week.

 

LEAF ITEMS–not much change. Red, green, and romaine are all now priced fairly close, not like the past few weeks where green was nearly double in price over red. Most shippers looking for business, and are flexing on their board prices. Quality mostly good coming out of the desert, as we are FINALLY getting past the freeze effected issues from December.

 

CELERY–not much business here, and markets have been drifting downward for the past 2 weeks. Even Dole is looking for business on various sizes, although they are still $2-3.00/box higher than the general market. The desert continues to pick up more volume, and that is why the market is trending downward. Still, Oxnard continues to be the main area for celery.

 

ASPARAGUS–good numbers coming out of the desert and the market has bottomed out.  There are quite a few ads lined up in the coming weeks, and that will probably help to firm the market. Right now, however, is a good time to buy grass, as the quality is top notch, and priced right.

 

STRAWBERRIES–with Valentine’s Day business, there isn’t enough fruit to go around in California, even with Florida going strong. Most of the product coming on in Oxnard and the LA/San Diego areas are committed for Valentine’s Day, and ANY fruit available that doesn’t have a price on it is $2-3.00 higher than the ad lids. Chance of rain today may hurt the quality in southern California, but overall the fruit is very solid.

 

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

Whether it is the end of the month, the economy, too much available product, or a combination of all three, there just isn’t much excitement out there for produce. We’re hoping for better things to come in February.

Long range weather for the next 10 days in the desert growing regions show normal seasonal highs in the mid 70s, and lows in the middle to upper 40s. No rain. As far as the rest of the state of California, we are HURTING. No rain forecasted for the next 10 days, in the time of year where we do get most of our rainfall and snow pack. This is shaping up to be one of the worst years on record.

Trucks are abundant, especially since the business out there is so slow. Rates are flexible to most areas of the country.

 

LETTUCE–quality slowly improving, although we would like to see better size and weights out there. The choice we have is buying young, green, healthy lettuce, but small and light weights, or heavier lettuce that is older, harder, and more pale. The market is FLAT for head lettuce, and what shippers can’t sell fob, they roll to terminals, thus depressing the market further.

 

BROCCOLI–plenty of supplies and prices are low. Good item to advertise.

 

CAULIFLOWER–this market appears to have bottomed out, as shippers are finally catching up on their fields. We could see the market up $3-5.00/box by this time next week. You may want to bump up your orders for loading this weekend.

 

LEAF ITEMS–plenty of romaine, and prices are drifting downward. Green leaf is finally coming of its season high price, and is now more in line with red leaf. Quality is improving daily on all leaf items, as we continue to slowly get out of the effected product from December’s hard hit freeze.

 

CELERY–after weeks of high prices, even celery is finally coming off. Just no business. Still, there continues to be a pretty good spread in price between 24s and 36s, with as much as a $5.00/box spread in price. Now is the time to shop for celery deals.

 

ASPARAGUS–plenty of grass out there, although prices seem to have hit the bottom. One of the larger shippers told us that they are “drawing a line in the sand” and won’t go any lower, which is further evidence that the market has hit the bottom. Quality is VERY nice in the desert.

 

STRAWBERRIES–with no rain, quality of California berries are EXCELLENT. Big, hard, and terrific tasting berries are available in Oxnard, as well as San Diego, Yuma, and McAllen, Texas. Not to mention Florida, which is where most of the fruit is coming from this time of year. Still, you won’t be disappointed in California fruit.

 

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

1/24/12

 Produce West would like to introduce a new addition to our team, Tim Tomasello. Tim brings to Produce West nearly 25 years of produce experience. He was most recently sales manager at the Canadian-based company, Ippolito Produce at their office in Salinas. He oversaw the numerous items that Ippolito handles, and was sales manager for 7 years. Tim has been married to wife, Kristen, for 23 years, raising 2 daughters, 17 and 12 years old. We look forward to Tim’s contribution to Produce West!

 

Long range weather in the desert growing regions show daily highs in the mid to high 70s, and lows in the high 40s. It’s too early to say if we are over the freeze period, as, if you recall, were hit in February of last year with below freezing temperatures that hurt the vegetables for weeks. Still, we like to think that once we get through January, we are almost “out of the woods”. Stay tuned.

Trucks are readily available, and rates are “negotiable”, although with high diesel costs, most truckers are bowing their backs at rates too low.

 

LETTUCE–some shippers came out firing this week with higher prices on wrap 24s and there currently is a wide range in price. The market has been on the floor so long, that they are trying anything to push their prices up. We understand that. We NEED the growers to make some money to stay in business. Quality is slowly improving, but there continues to be effects of the freeze that hit in early December. Size and weights are definitely getting better.

 

BROCCOLI–good deals on bunch and crowns, and the market is down. Supplies are coming out of Santa Maria, Coachella, Yuma, and Phoenix, and McAllen, Texas. Not to mention Virginia and Georgia.  With this many areas going, its difficult to get the market going in the direction the shippers would like to see it go. Quality is slowly improving here, too. There is purple cast showing up, due to the cold temperatures in the desert, but it really doesn’t affect the quality.

 

CAULIFLOWER–a bit of a range in price here, but mostly down. There are deals on 12s and 9s, and quality is improving here, as well. Most of the supplies are coming out of the desert growing regions, although there are some supplies out of Santa Maria.

 

LEAF ITEMS–still a strong market undertone on green leaf and romaine, although we feel things have peaked out. There could be deals on those 2 items by the weekend, so you might want to shop around. Red leaf has been $3-5.00/box less than green, which is unusual, so we don’t see much change in that. Still some blister, peel, and discoloration showing up, especially on romaine. Romaine heart deals are available, and the quality is better than carton romaine because they are able to trim the freeze-effected areas.

 

CELERY–tight supplies and HIGH market, especially on the larger sizes. In fact, there is as much as a $5.00/box SPREAD between 24s and 36s, which is worth considering. The cold weather in Oxnard has been the main reason why there aren’t as many large sizes available. The celery just won’t grow when its too cold, so there isn’t much in the way of big size 18s and 24s. Heart 12s and 18s are available.

 

ASPARAGUS–we are FINALLY seeing good numbers of asparagus in the desert, and prices have dropped nearly in half from two weeks ago. More shippers are now switching to 28/1# cartons, which gives you a better delivered price than 11/1# cartons. Still, you can easily get 11/1#, for ease of handling at the store level.

 

STRAWBERRIES–we finally got some much needed rain over the weekend, and it hit the berry fields, with as much as 2-3 inches in the Oxnard area. Keep in mind that we hadn’t gotten any rain since mid-November, so nearly 2 months of dry weather during our “rainy” season has been highly unusual. We appear to be more in a normal weather pattern now, with a few days of rain, followed by 4-5 dry days. Still, the berries out here are hard, large, and sweet. Most will make the ride to the east coast.

 

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

A NEW YEAR BEGINS

2012 has begun, and in the blink of an eye, we’ll be talking about how fast the year went! Let’s all be sure to take each day one at a time, ENJOY life, and be THANKFUL for what we have all be been blessed with.
For the produce business in the desert growing regions, 2012 is starting out about the same as 2011 ended, with plenty of lettuce, broccoli, some leaf items. But, at the same time, we are still dealing with FREEZE EFFECTED product. Blister, peel, discoloration are ALL showing up, and shippers are quoting WITH those problems. Some shippers don’t want to hear about it upon arrival.
Long range weather in the desert growing areas show days getting into the high 70s and even a few low 80’s, and nights not quite as cold, although there is some freezing in some of the colder, more protected spots. NO rain in sight.
Trucks are starting to settle back in, after the past 2 weeks dealing with holiday issues, although rates this week are still firm, and higher than before the holidays. Next week things should start to settle back down.

LETTUCE–still PLENTY of lettuce, and prices are steady, albeit at the low end of the market. STILL dealing with freeze issues, discoloration, blister, and peel. Most shippers are doing a good job trimming off the problems, but, as mentioned, shippers are quoting WITH problems, and some don’t want to hear any complaints when it arrives.

BROCCOLI–good supplies of bunch and crowns and prices are competitive with Virginia and Georgia, even with the higher freight. Quality is nice, although purple cast is showing up everywhere, but is NOT a quality issue.

CAULIFLOWER–better supplies, and there is a BIG market range, with as much as a $4-5.00/box SPREAD in the market depending upon the label and area it picks up in. Don’t get overloaded with flower, as this market has a LOT of room to come down. Quality is wide spread, too, with the freeze causing discoloration on the head and jacket leaves.

LEAF ITEMS–epidermal peel is quite prevalent with ALL leaf, red, green, romaine, and boston, particularly romaine. Again, most are doing a good job trimming off effected product, but you need to let you customers know that there ARE problems, and to EXPECT problems. We can’t stress enough that some shippers are NOT standing behind their product with freeze issues.

CELERY–good supplies of all sizes, but there is a WIDE market spread, depending upon the shipper, with Dole and Duda commanding top dollar for their product. Most celery still coming out of Oxnard, with Yuma looking to get started the end of this month.

ASPARAGUS–desert still trying to get started, with only small numbers crossing the border. Most product still coming out of South America, and prices are VERY high for 11/1# cartons.

Ed Brem
ed@producewest.com

As 2011 closes in on us, we at Produce West would like to wish everyone a HEALTHY, SAFE, and PROSPEROUS 2012!

Still some cold nights in the desert growing regions in Yuma and Coachella Valleys, but, fortunately, not as cold as they had a few weeks ago.  This morning, for instance, there is a late start to harvesting due to lettuce ice. The workers are doing a very nice job trimming off the freeze-effected leaves on lettuce, romaine, and leaf. Still, there ARE problems showing up, and will continue to show up for several more weeks, even if we don’t get any more freeze. The days are warming into the mid to high 70s the next 10 days, and NO rain in sight.

Trucks are a bit tight this week, due to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, and what few trucks that are available are asking for more money to Midwest and eastern destinations. Overall business for just about all veg items are slow.

LETTUCE–little demand and weak market. That about summarizes the lettuce deal, and we don’t see much change for the next 2 weeks, depending upon the weather. It is important to note that there ARE problems with lettuce quality, due to freeze issues. While most shippers are doing a good job trimming off the problems, it is still noticeable. There are still shippers that are quoting their lettuce, “with problems”, and are NOT scoring freeze damage upon arrival. We are staying away from those shippers.

BROCCOLI–more supplies coming on, and the market is coming down for both bunch and crowns. There is still product coming out of Salinas and Santa Maria, as well as the desert. ALL regions are showing freeze issues in the form of “purple cast” on the bunches. It doesn’t effect the quality or break down, but is IS noticeable.

CAULIFLOWER–quite a range in price here, with as much as a $6-7.00/box SPREAD.  It would be wise to shop around, or make offers, as there is definitely some “wiggle room” with many of the shippers. What you don’t want is to get stuck with high priced cauliflower.

LEAF ITEMS–good supplies of ALL leaf, green, red, and romaine, and prices are down, however, there is freeze damage showing up, especially on romaine. Again, workers are doing a good job trimming the product, so the that appearance is minimal.

CELERY–good deals on all size celery, especially the larger size 24s. There is still quite a price spread, depending upon the shipper, with Dole demanding $3-4.00/box more than some the mostly market shippers. Oxnard is still the major area going, with some shippers transferring product down to Yuma for mixer loading. The desert has started, in a light way, with their Winter deal, and will slowly pick up volume.

ASPARAGUS–with cold temperatures, we are still waiting for the desert grass deal to get going, and all reports show it will be the middle of January before there are decent numbers to quote. Altar, who is one of the largest growers, indicates they won’t have anything local to sell for another 10 days, They are currently bringing in Peruvian asparagus.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com