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

We at Produce West want to wish you ALL a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! Let us all take time to remember the REASON FOR THE SEASON.

The week before Christmas is usually quiet on production side, most of the product is arriving in the stores and the holiday shopping ensues.  After past weeks freeze problems, we are still seeing signs of the damage 5 straight days of freeze can do.  Signs of blister peel and feathering are still prevalent.  The harvesters are doing what they can to control the damage, and some are doing a better job than others.

The good news is the desert weather is warming up into the 60s during the day and 40s and 50s at night.  Although this warming trend is welcome, temperatures are still too low for comfort, especially in micro-climate areas of Yuma and Dome Valleys.

Truck rates are similar to last week, although we are seeing more truckers looking for loads this week, truck availability should tighten up by week’s end as truckers stay close to home for Christmas.

LETTUCE — the dust is beginning to settle and product is slowly recovering after an eventful 2 weeks of freeze damage and rains.  Outside leaves are less damaged, fewer leaves need to be shed, resulting in better head weights industry wide, and ALL shippers are quoting “with epidermal peel and blister”, with some even saying they don’t want to hear about it when it arrives. We are staying clear of those shippers.  The market has come off slightly, coolers are filling up and shippers are looking to move product.  Temperatures will be in the 70s by next week so we expect some nicer product.

BROCCOLI — Market on crowns has been holding steady in the mid $20 range for over a week now, although we are sensing weaker times ahead, in fact, we could see a $5 decrease by weeks end.  Shippers know this is coming; as product coming out of Georgia and Carolinas are considerably less expensive and west coast product will need to compete with them as supply grows.

CAULIFLOWER — only market that seems to be holding strong, although with higher retails, this market is definitely headed for a big fall.  Supply has not been adequate and cold weather really stunted cauliflower growth.  It will take a longer time to recover as weather warms up.  Quality is fine, although there is some discoloration from the freeze and rains.

LEAF ITEMS — Even though temperatures have warmed up, we will be seeing signs of freeze damage for weeks to come.  Epidermal peel, blister, feathering are all going to be commonplace in the weeks ahead.  Market prices are holding steady, good supplies on all leaf items and romaine.

CELERY — Late last week saw a slight uptick in the market.  Celery is generally a popular item during Christmas time.   Market should come off a few dollars by later this week.  Nice weather for the next 10 days will bring on plenty product. Most celery coming out of Oxnard, with shippers transferring to Yuma for ease of loading. Usually $1-2.00/box up charge for the transfer.

Ed Brem

www.producewest.com

the cold weather in the desert is taking it’s toll on product, both supply, and quality-wise.  Night time temperatures dropped into the 20s in the desert for nearly 5 nights straight, causing a heap of problems. While the workers are doing their best to trim off the freeze effected leaves, there WILL be some issues upon arrival. Blister, epidermal peel, and discoloration are all showing up, so you need to expect these problems, and let your customers know what is going on. This is universal, and no one is free of the problems.
Long range weather shows cloud cover (with a few showers) in the desert today, then clearing. There will be cold mornings in the desert growing areas the next 10 days, and highs only in the upper 60s to low 70s.
Truck rates are coming off slightly from last week.  Tree fruit, grapes and melons are finished for the season , leaving a good supply of trucks looking for loads.  Christmas is approaching and fuel prices remain high so we expect only slight drops in rates.

LETTUCE — Last week’s cold spell took its toll on lettuce.  Blister peel, feathering and discoloration are an industry-wide problem. Shippers are now quoting WITH freeze damage, so if these issues come up on the receiving end, those are NOT scoreable.  The market is holding steady.

BROCCOLI — a screaming market is the result of the freeze stopping growth and production.  Product is tight, and plants simply do not develop in freezing conditions.  Virginia and Carolina product is coming on strong which should alleviate some of the strain on the desert, although shippers are going to keep the market as high as possible, for as long a time as possible.

CAULIFLOWER — With the FOB market pushing the $30 range, shippers are going to keep raising the price until they  eventually kill the market.  Since cauliflower is hardest hit when cold weather sets in, its no surprise that it is the most expensive.  Quality defects such as yellow discoloration and black spotting have been found also.

LEAF ITEMS — blister and peel has really affected leaf and romaine, especially romaine.  Leaf supplies have been much more plentiful and harvesters are able to pick through the affected heads and shed many of the external problems.  Prices have not escalated high mostly due to the current volume of product.  Even if it doesn’t freeze anymore, effects of the freeze will show up for weeks to come.

CELERY — this market has been showing signs of life over the past week.   Christmas business is here and demand has been picking up.  Most of the product is still coming out of Oxnard, although we can get product transferred to the desert for loading.  There is still a  very wide spread in prices, with Dole topping the market. A few rain showers yesterday and today but clear for the net 10 days.  We have most likely seen the top of this market.

Ed Brem
www.producewest.com

Although winter isn’t until another 2 weeks, it has come to the desert growing regions of Coachella Valley, Imperial Valley, and Yuma. Low temperatures over the weekend and this morning posted below freezing. Forecasts call for much of the same lows for the next 2 weeks, highs in the mid 60s to low 70s. No rain. The key is HOW LONG temperatures will stay below freezing. If it is 1-3 hours, damage will be minimal. When it get 5-7 hours at night and into the morning, THAT is when problems occur. Blister, epidermal peeling, and discoloration start showing up. Effects from those freezes can extend for months. With these colder temperatures, we expect to see just about ALL markets go up.

LETTUCE–even with lettuce ice this morning, there is plenty of lettuce at reasonable prices early this week. However, we see the market going up $2-3.00/box by the end of this week. You might consider buying more heavily early week. Quality holding up, as the freezing hasn’t had a chance to make an impact yet. Good color, size, and weights for now, but could be a different story by this time next week.

BROCCOLI–product spread ALL OVER California, from Salinas to Yuma. The “northern” districts are quoting less because of the lack of items to pick up. Even with lighter supplies, we aren’t sure how high this market will go. Supplies coming out of Virginia and the Carolinas will cover much of the east coast demand and keep shippers out west from going to crazy.

CAULIFLOWER–more than any major vegetable item, cold weather (or warm) effects cauliflower. When low temperatures hit, growth completely stops, and that is what we are seeing now. Prices are higher today than they were last week, and we could see shippers spike their prices another $4-6.00 by the end of this week.

LEAF ITEMS–good supplies of romaine, red, and green leaf, but with cold temperatures hitting, we could see prices double by this time next week. Romaine shows effects from freezing more than most leaf items, with blister, epidermal peel, and discoloring on the outside of the leaf. We should see the harvest workers trim off most of the effected heads for now, but if the temperatures get too cold, there could be real trouble.

CELERY–this weekend starts the first push for Christmas celery business. We don’t see the spike in price like we do during Thanksgiving, although we do see prices going up a little bit. Celery isn’t much of an item anymore for Christmas.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

In what is a typical post-Thanksgiving scenario, most of the vegetable markets are correcting themselves. In other words, going DOWN. Lettuce, romaine, leaf, celery, broccoli, cauliflower are ALL dropping in price this week. But, next weekend starts the pull for Christmas, so things could reverse again. ALWAYS fun in the produce world.

Long range weather in the “new” growing areas of Oxnard and the desert, show mild temperatures and dry. The desert is now the main area for lettuce, leaf, mix items, broccoli. We make it a point to watch temperatures there, as once we get freezing night, ANYTHING can happen, and usually does. For now, though, lows will be in the mid to high 40’s.

Trucks are readily available, although it usually takes a week for the trucks to get back on schedule after Thanksgiving.

LETTUCE–usually lots of lettuce ads after Thanksgiving, and this year is now exception. There will be a LOT of lettuce shipped out this week, but there is plenty available in Yuma and other desert districts. Right now, the market is trying to adjust after the high prices the past 2 weeks. We may see the market go lower than it should, and then could bounce back up. Quality out of Yuma is starting out nice, with good color, size, and weights.

BROCCOLI–supplies scattered from Salinas to Yuma, and points in between. This market has much correcting to do, and currently, we are seeing as much as a $5.00/box SPREAD depending upon the area, shipper, and quality.

CAULIFLOWER–this item is also coming off high prices, but is not coming down as rapidly as some of the other items. There were quite a few ads for Thanksgiving, so once the retails are changed, we should see this market slide further. With that, don’t buy to heavily.

LEAF ITEMS–romaine, green, and red are ALL trying to find the right place, as far as the markets are concerned. There is plenty of product in the desert, plus there is still product coming out of Salinas, Santa Maria, and Oxnard. This competition will force prices down all this week.

CELERY–prices are nearly half what they were for the Thanksgiving push. We will see the celery market continue to slide, then firm back by the end of next week. Dole continues to be $3-5.00 higher than the mostly market. Hearts are available, and that market remains strong.

STRAWBERRIES–Florida is gearing up, and that will help release pressure for California fruit. Driscoll has pushed their market in 8/1# ANOTHER $2.00 this week, and quality is poor to fair. They are basically saying “go to Florida”.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

Now that the Thanksgiving push is over, we now have to pick up the pieces and continue on.  Supply chains and wholesalers are stocked up and ready for business.  We expect buying to be slim this week and will continue into next week.  Post thanksgiving leftovers will suffice families for days after the initial holiday, turkey sandwiches, turkey casserole; turkey surprise will be on the menu for most families.  As we settle fully into Yuma and Imperial Valley growing regions, early reports are positive for lettuce and leaf items.

Weather has been nice in Yuma, producing some nice early lettuce, something we can hopefully look forward to in the coming months. Huron product was not up to par and we are currently seeing the negative effects of this as product arrived this past weekend.

Salinas weather is cold, wet and rainy.  Some broccoli and celery is still in the area but most product has shifted south.  Huron is not much different.  Shippers could not exit Huron fast enough as product quality fell far short of expectations.  Oxnard is expecting some scattered showers over the next few days, but temperatures will remain slightly coo to mild.  Yuma weather is excellent, no rain in the forecast and temperatures nearing the 80 degree mark.

Truck rates have come off from last weeks highs, there are plenty available early this week.  We will see a drop off in availability towards the end of this week.  The day after thanksgiving will be difficult to get trucks mostly due to the fact that truckers generally take the rest of the weekend off to be with family. Get orders in asap.

LETTUCE — Early Yuma reports show nice lettuce with good weights.  Weather looks nice for the next 10 days.  There seems to be plenty of product filling up the coolers today and we could see the market drop significantly towards the middle of this week.

BROCCOLI — Supply is improving this week, however prices are still high. Quality is nice.  Some shippers are finished in Salinas areas and are moved to Yuma.  Weather has been nice and should bring on some nice broccoli material.  Demand will come off and the market should settle by later this week.  Also, Virginia and Carolina are pumping out supplies, which will affect the west coast markets.

CAULIFLOWER — Product is still tight industry wide.  The market reflects that and shippers are keeping FOBs as high as they can because availability is so limited.  Yuma product will be coming on and should calm the market down to the mid to upper teens by weeks end. Availability is expected to improve in the next few days.  Quality is about what you would expect for a $20+ market. Anything that resembles a head of cauliflower goes in the box.

LEAF ITEMS — Huron quality has not met expectations, and we are glad they are about done.  Condition defects such as red ribbing, browning and decay starting to emerge as the last of the Huron product arrives.  Romaine seems to have most of the quality problems. Reports of green and red leaf have shown light weights and feathering.  Early Yuma reports are optimistic.  Plenty of product for the next coming weeks.

CELERY — Demand never met our expectations for thanksgiving.  Product was plentiful across the board which kept FOB prices down. Another factor that kept the market from gaining steam was the high freight rates.  With only 32 cases per pallet, its difficult to spread freight costs to reflect a desirable delivered price, so as long as freight remains high, FOBs will hit a wall.  Hopefully Christmas business shapes out better.

STRAWBERRIES — the weather pattern we are into, where we seem to get rain every 5-7 days, is NOT helping out strawberry quality or availability. Driscoll has some supplies out of Santa Maria, Oxnard, and McAllen, Texas, but quality is only fair, with leathery skin, rain spots, and decay upon arrival.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com

This week, trucks are loading product for Thanksgiving business to eastern destinations. This is probably the most exciting time we’ve had since Memorial Day business. Shippers are pumped up, anticipating BIG business on items such as celery, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, lettuce. With this increased business, the markets are ALL reacting upward. And while this week will certainly be crazy, it will come to a screeching halt by next week, when the last of the eastern business stops, and just west coast business will be going.

Long range weather in the growing regions shows cooler weather this week, but less rain than had been anticipated.  Salinas, Huron and Yuma all show the possibility of rain Sunday.  Luckily we will be past the major holiday push by then.

As can be expected, truckers are pushing their rates up for the holiday and demand is ensuring they get those rates, however we should see a significant drop by later next week and rates may settle back to where they had been a week ago.

LETTUCE — Mostly loading in Yuma now.  Early reports show lighter weights, ribbing and feathery heads.  This is typical for this time of year, we should never expect perfect quality when so many variables like weather and crop transition are added to the mix.

BROCCOLI — Very tight.  Ad commitments are putting shippers in a difficult spot, volume is decreasing and markets are going through the roof.  Many ads that were set up months ago are not being honored due to lack of product.  Of course it is easy for a shipper not to honor a $10-12 ad when the market is $24 FOB.  A maddening scenario but all too common in our industry.

CAULIFLOWER — Also very tight.  This cold weather has brought production to a standstill and the little product that is out there is nearing $30 FOB.  That puts delivered prices into the mid to upper $30 range.  This will be a market killer once Thanksgiving push is over.  Salinas product will end production around Thanksgiving time and Yuma will be in full swing.  Early reports show product is holding up, however if Yuma gets a significant amount of rain this weekend we could see some problems further down the road.

LEAF ITEMS — Prices are going up on all leaf, romaine, green, red, boston.   Shippers are inflating prices as high as possible this week to make up for a poor summer market.  Product condition is less than satisfactory; most shippers will put anything in the box to capitalize on high markets.

CELERY — FOB prices hit a wall last week, mostly due to high freight rates.  As long as east coast truck freight nears the 8000 dollar mark, we are not going to see a 20 dollar celery FOB.  Quality is nice, temperate days mixed with cool nights have provided nice growing conditions.  Product is mostly available in Oxnard and Salinas ends this week.

STRAWBERRIES — Huge pro rates currently.  We are now in the pattern of about 1 rainstorm a week, and berries cannot hold up consistently under those conditions.  Florida berries will be starting in a few weeks.  Quality is marginal and most shippers are not willing to go east, with the exception of Driscoll and only a handful of other shippers.

Ed Brem

www.producewest.com

Fall is definitely in the air, nights are getting colder, longer, and days are becoming cooler. Indian summer is nearing a close and more threats of rain are upon us.  East coast and Canadian regions are finished or finishing and more focus is put out west.  Thanksgiving is in the spotlight now and we are gearing up for the busy season.  Ads are being set up for the holiday demand.  Early Yuma crops will be ready as soon as next week and some shippers are getting ready to harvest various items as early as this coming weekend.

Long range weather in Salinas shows cooler temperatures for the next 10 days and showers scattered towards the end of this week.  Huron weather is slightly warmer and less precipitation.  Yuma is having some nice growing weather, temperatures are ranging from the high 70s to low 80s.

Trucks are still plentiful; however rates are getting slightly stronger as west coast demand picks up for the anticipated Thanksgiving pulls.

LETTUCE — Yuma will start the early stages next week, but the main volume and best quality is coming out of Huron.  Overall quality is getting better than it was two weeks ago.  There is still a little ribbing, but nothing near the problems of last week.  There is a chance of rain towards the weekend that could cause some quality defects.  Weights are improving, 37-41 lbs. for wrap 24s.

BROCCOLI — Quality is ok, supplies are getting tighter with better demand starting for Thanksgiving.  Central valley broccoli is in full force and should keep the market from getting out of control.

CAULIFLOWER — Tighter market these past two weeks.  Product is not developing in the cooler weather.  Supplies will continue to be tight for the next few weeks and demand will continue to increase which should spur the market up a few dollars as we head towards the latter end of the week.

LEAF ITEMS — Product is still coming predominantly coming out of Salinas.  Quality is ok, considering the range of conditions it has been exposed to.  There have been reports of some red ribbing and fringe burn from the cold winds, which is normal for this time of year.  Volume is adequate for the current demand, but limited due to the amount of poor quality product that is left in the field.  Market could get stronger later this week, especially if we get a reasonable amount of rain. We don’t expect the market for red, green, and romaine to go too goofy, as these are typical Thanksgiving items.

CELERY — Thanksgiving business nearing and shippers are preparing for business to increase.  Supply is heavy according to early reports and we may not see much of a market into the holiday push.  Quality is fine, all sizes are readily available.  Oxnard is starting up and filling an already flooded market.  Prices are not expected to jump until the end of next week.

STRAWBERRIES — Plenty of fruit this past week out of Salinas and Oxnard.  Quality hasn’t been  great, but adequate.  Rain is expected later this week and that could delay production and  result in pro rates and higher prices.  Still plenty of berries coming out of Mexico and loading in Texas.  Colder weather and longer nights will slow California fruit development, so expect the market to improve by the weekend. Driscoll is still the best way to go.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com