This past week brought a little of everything throughout the week .  A little rain, sun and wind.  Heading into October most forecast call for near normal weather with cooler nighttime temperatures but warm daytime temps. California Coast norms 74/50-52 . The Inland Valley norms 86/58 and The Desert  norms 96/60. 

STRAWBERRIES- Production is starting to slow down after a strong Summer season. Fall crop acreage is  minimal from Santa Maria and Oxnard is still a few weeks away from seeing any additional volume. There is a wide range in quality with many berries being shipped close to market especially after this past weeks showers further soften mature fruit.  The market will continue to be strong for several more weeks . Quality on the new crop out of Santa Maria is showing improvement over the current Summer plantings which are winding down.   Raspberries supplies have  slowed and the market has tightened as well .   

7/16/14

We are now well into the summer months with Fourth of July behind us, and no significant weekends or holidays in the near future.  Many Americans will be on vacation, buying less at home, and grocery sales tend to slow during this period.   Trucks are readily available, although staying busy with melon, tree fruit and berry loads.  Fuel prices are expected to level out and decrease over the next few weeks.  Rates have remained steady but could be cheaper by early next week with less demand. West coast weather remains pleasant and mild and hot inland valley temps over the next 10 days. Ideal growing weather for coastal vegetables and fruit, expect nice quality overall from the west.

LETTUCE – Supply is improving as demand settles and more product is available country wide with cheaper freight costs. Still a fairly wide gap in pricing, although the trend has been downward and buyers are waiting it out.  For now the market seems to have settled with most shippers, with more following suit in the days ahead.  Quality is nice, some pink ribbing and brown butt issues but very minimal.  Could see aging issues as we expect some inventory holdover in the coming days.

BROCCOLI – This market is at the floor level, particularly on crowns. Eastern and Midwest product is flooding terminals with cheap product and demand remains sluggish.  Mild weather will continue on the west, bringing on high quality product.

CAULIFLOWER – Prices continue to settle, more product is coming out of fields and some shippers are looking for load volume sales.  There is still a gap in pricing between shippers and this market has yet to find coming ground. The trend has been downward but cauliflower market have proven to be significantly more volatile than other commodities.  Shippers may have load volume one week and sold out the next. Plenty of deals available but we suggest sticking to normal volumes.

LEAF – romaine is one of the few strong market items.  Numbers are light and demand has been high.  This market will most likely reach its peak within the next few days, high retails will move demand back to lettuce and alternate leaf items as price conscious buyers hit the stores.

CELERY – The past few days have breathed new life into the celery market.  Pricing has increased $4-$5 in the past few days. Supply gaps are mainly to blame for this, and sizing discrepancies have fueled the increase.  Large sized product is more readily available, and very few smaller sizes have resulted in a wider range in pricing between 24s and 48s.  More product has been left in the fields to size up in hopes of better markets.  As markets improve we should see more small sizes available next week.  Pricing, although stronger, is not expected to get much higher into the weekend.

BERRIES –

Strawberries –Produce remains tight, demand is strong, although weaker than previous weeks.  Weather is mild, although humid nights could result in softer fruit and quality issues.  Sizing tends to be on the smaller side, mostly due to current varieties being used.  It is best to stick with better labels this time of year to minimize quality issues.

Raspberries –Very tight, market is increasing and quality is getting worse.  Low supply and marginal quality have resulted in heavy pro rates industry wide.

Blackberries – Similar issues with blacks, soft leaky fruit is common for this time of year. Market is strong with heavy pro rates.

Watching the weather around the  country , specifically in the  commercial growing  areas in the Northeast it appears Mother Nature and  Father Time  are giving them a weeks reprieve before Winter Frost sets in which will likely signal an end to the homegrown season. Demand for West Coast veg should start to increase. Many shippers have been offering promotional pricing but with Thanksgiving promotional pulls  starting as early as  November 2nd and usually running for an extended period most shippers  have started  taking a  cautious  approach to additional  promotions for the month of November. A few veg shippers claim they are running ahead of schedule currently which will eventually lead  to availability issues  during the  transition to the desert (11/12-16) but most are confident they will have budgeted volume  through the majority of the Thanksgiving Holiday pull.

Weather in California  growing districts , especially the  Central  Coast  will be mostly unsettled  with few  showers in the north with below normal temps  until returning  to normal (72/48)  by the weekend continuing through the first week of November . Weather around the country has the opposite trend with above normal temps this  week  and dropping to below normal by next week with plenty of precipitation in most areas.

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 supplies in both locations throughout the week. There are a few shippers  who do not have a Central Valley operation and choose to stretch their Salinas Valley and Yuma districts. Lettuce from Huron shows irregular size and some  quality issues due to overspray and/or tomato virus and some seeder issues. None of which  is  uncommon for the Central Valley lettuce crop. Better stands and quality are anticipated for next week best, but still limited quality for this week will be  from  Salinas although rain will eventually have a negative impact on quality. The market has gradually firmed up as shippers are still apprehensive about their transitional supplies. Once supplies settle look for the market to ease back possibly by the weekend.  With a wide range in quality from both districts  loading fresh lettuce is top priority.   

BROCCOLI- Supplies of broccoli continue to readily available with crowns only slightly tighter than bunch. Production continues to be slightly ahead of budget adding to the current supply but may cause a tightening during transition.  Warmer weather is  expected later this  week  so  look for supplies to continue to be  strong. Volume  deals  will become  more accessible as the week goes on. Quality is  mostly good  with occasional pin rot due to recent rains. Central Valley production will start up by next week which will also help contain prices.   

CAULIFLOWER- Inventories continue to be higher than budgeted  which  allows  volume  deals to be  readily available . Quality remains good.   Most growers  continue to run ahead of schedule increasing the likelihood of tighter supplies  later next month. There are no new districts to support demand and local homegrown production is nearing an end .

LEAF ITEMS- Romaine  and  Romaine Hearts continue to  be  weak with low pricing. Demand on green and  redleaf is also flat. Wide range in quality . Similar to lettuce but to a lesser extent, a few shippers will  transition their mix lettuce program to the  Central  Valley this week and next.  Similar wide ranging quality issues exist in the Romaine as in Iceberg lettuce. Homegrown supplies  are getting weaker by the  day so increased demand is  expected sooner than later . 

CELERY- Market continues to be weaker with increased volume offerings. Michigan  is winding down production but Oxnard is ahead of schedule as is the current Salinas crop which will add to the oversupply situation. This will likely lead to possible shortages during the Thanksgiving demand but take advantage of deals  now and possibly get a more favorable ad price for the Holiday. Although many shippers have  locked in their Holiday volume which will eventually help firm prices in the  coming weeks.

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.

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.  There is a  good  chance the  market reacts  upward with local supplies light and possible unsettled weather in Mexico affecting labor combined with better demand by the end of the month.

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

STRAWBERRIES- Production and quality continue to wind down in Salinas /Watsonville  especially with rain and unsettled weather  scheduled through Wednesday. Oxnard will be the primary shipping region for eastern quality fruit. Mexico availability will also start to increase quality offerings. The market will continue to have a wide range of prices reflecting the quality gap. The market on top end quality will continue to be strong through the Holiday’s.  Supplies on Raspberry and  Blackberries primarily from Mexico will increase and eventually lead to some easing in the market. Production from  Florida is on schedule but is still more than a month away.

GRAPES- The transition into late season varieties has been slow. Color and sugar levels have been inconsistent. Supplies  look to be  inconsistent , especially  on  Reds and  Green.  Globes have had more consistent quality and offerings

Strong high pressure swept across northern CA into the Great Basin on Thu and Fri producing a dry and hot offshore flow event for the Central Coast.  Max temps  warm to the 80s to low 90s Fri, then 90s across the board on Sat and Sun while very low humidity levels  allow morning lows to dip into the mid-upper 30s in the colder inland valleys, mostly 40s to low 50s elsewhere.  Wind protected valleys  touch freezing this weekend.  On Mon, wind shift northwesterly resulting in a sharp cooling of afternoon highs.  Expect low-mid 80s inland by Mon, low-mid 70s along the shores.

MAX TEMPS:  Watsonville-Salinas:  Mid 70s Thu, warming to low-mid 90s by Sat, returning to mid-70s by Mon.  Santa Maria:  Mid 70s Thu, warming to low 90s by Sat, cooling to low 70s by Mon.  King City-Paso Robles:  Mid 70s to 80s Thu, warming to low-mid 90s Sat/Sun, cooling to low 80s by Mon.  Inland small valleys north :  Low 80s Thu, warming to mid-upper 90s Sat/Sun, cooling to upper 80s Mon.

OUTLOOK:  Max temps continue to cool Tue under moderate onshore winds thenpossible Thunderstorm along the coast on Wed  followed by  near normal thru Fri, Oct 9-11 under a dry, offshore regime.

Transportation rates dipped slightly this past week . Overall supply seems to be strong especially for singles. Increased regulations will continue to put pressure on drivers logs and likely delay even the fastest trucks moving forward. Teams will be in high demand.  Plan ahead for best value and service.

LETTUCE – Improved quality was short lived as lower yields and heavy contracted volume have rebounded the market to higher levels. Quality concerns with  Mildew, Fringe burn and seeders continue.  With only a couple weeks in the Coastal production area  the market will have little pressure to ease until the new growing areas in theCentral Valley start up in a couple weeks
LEAF LETTUCE-  Romaine production continues to be sufficient

but with the elevated iceberg market the Romaine market is poised to react especially with the eastern homegrown production starting to wind down . Continued defects range from  fringe and tipburn along with mildew and seeders although there is still some nice quality available. Green and Red leaf  supplies have increased but with a wide range inquality as well.

ASPARAGUS- Production continues to increase from Coastal Mexico  and Peru.  The market should continue to ease as supplies increase.

CARROTS-  Carrot production has been steady but with slightly smaller sizing.  Jumbos have been in short supply but have shown improvement.

BROCCOLI- Salinas and Santa Maria production continues with light to moderate supplies . The market has been extremely tight with   cooler nightime  temps and shorter days. Increased  production from Mexico  and slightly warmer days should help supplies but heavily contracted and reduced acreage has kept the market on a record pace.Brown bead and hollow stem are still a concern but quality seems to be improving.  The crown market has been unusually active with strong demand from export and processors.

CAULIFLOWER-  Lighter production  due to a preceding overly heavy production period  combined with an active broccoli market led to a rise in the Cauliflower market. Supplies should even out and the market should stabilize

machine a sous colombus

by the end of the week . Quality has been mostly good with some light cream coloring.

CELERY-   The market has been steady with improved sizing and yields.

Lower freight rates and slowing production fromMichiganwill put pressure on the market to go higher especially heading into the Thanksgiving contract proposal period.
BELL PEPPERS- Production  in the California  Central Valley andCoastalValleys   continue to produce excellent quality.

Demand has held steady as well as the market

with Greens . Red and Yellows have started with better volume and the market has eased slightly but still remains active with many local growing areas in theMidwestand East still having issues.

STRAWBERRIES- Production is starting to slow down

fromSalinas/ Watsonvilleafter a strong Summer season. Fall crop acreage fromSanta Maria is starting to increase andOxnardis still a few weeks away from seeing any additional volume. There is a wide range in quality with many berries being shipped close to market.If forecast precipitation comes in on Wednesday look for additional product to be diverted to freezer .  The market will continue to be strong for good fruit but will continue to ease for softer fruit. Raspberry amp; Blackberry supplies have  slowed and the market has tightened .

_________________

Tim  Tomasello

7/29/14

We are now well into the summer months with Fourth of July behind us, and no significant weekends or holidays in the near future.  Many Americans will be on vacation, buying less at home, and grocery sales tend to slow during this period.   Trucks are readily available, although staying busy with melon, tree fruit and berry loads.  Fuel prices are expected to level out and decrease over the next few weeks.  Rates have remained steady but could be cheaper by early next week with less demand. West coast weather remains pleasant and mild and hot inland valley temps over the next 10 days. Ideal growing weather for coastal vegetables and fruit, expect nice quality overall from the west.

LETTUCE – Supply is improving as demand settles and more product is available country wide with cheaper freight costs. Still a fairly wide gap in pricing, although the trend has been downward and buyers are waiting it out.  For now the market seems to have settled with most shippers, with more following suit in the days ahead.  Quality is nice, some pink ribbing and brown butt issues but very minimal.  Could see aging issues as we expect some inventory holdover in the coming days.

BROCCOLI – This market is at the floor level, particularly on crowns. Eastern and Midwest product is flooding terminals with cheap product and demand remains sluggish.  Mild weather will continue on the west, bringing on high quality product.

CAULIFLOWER – Prices continue to settle, more product is coming out of fields and some shippers are looking for load volume sales.  There is still a gap in pricing between shippers and this market has yet to find coming ground. The trend has been downward but cauliflower market have proven to be significantly more volatile than other commodities.  Shippers may have load volume one week and sold out the next. Plenty of deals available but we suggest sticking to normal volumes.

LEAF – romaine is one of the few strong market items.  Numbers are light and demand has been high.  This market will most likely reach its peak within the next few days, high retails will move demand back to lettuce and alternate leaf items as price conscious buyers hit the stores.

CELERY – The past few days have breathed new life into the celery market.  Pricing has increased $4-$5 in the past few days. Supply gaps are mainly to blame for this, and sizing discrepancies have fueled the increase.  Large sized product is more readily available, and very few smaller sizes have resulted in a wider range in pricing between 24s and 48s.  More product has been left in the fields to size up in hopes of better markets.  As markets improve we should see more small sizes available next week.  Pricing, although stronger, is not expected to get much higher into the weekend.

BERRIES –

Strawberries –Produce remains tight, demand is strong, although weaker than previous weeks.  Weather is mild, although humid nights could result in softer fruit and quality issues.  Sizing tends to be on the smaller side, mostly due to current varieties being used.  It is best to stick with better labels this time of year to minimize quality issues.

Raspberries –Very tight, market is increasing and quality is getting worse.  Low supply and marginal quality have resulted in heavy pro rates industry wide.

Blackberries – Similar issues with blacks, soft leaky fruit is common for this time of year. Market is strong with heavy pro rates.

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.

Direction of markets continue to be dictated by Mother Nature. Whether warm thunderstorms in Florida, Cold nights in the California deserts or windy, foggy conditions along the California coast. On opposite ends of the country Florida has been unseasonably warm for the past month other than this past weekends frost warnings whereas California has been unseasonably cold with a few exceptionally warm days this past weekend. These ranges  in temperatures have made for inconsistent quality and supplies. The good news is March should bring some stability and with it promotable supplies. 

With the start of a new month and a major produce holiday approaching most shippers are positioning their marketing strategies to take advantage of the increased demand. Shippers on most veg items are artificially inflating prices in an effort to reach their lid pricing for the Thanksgiving Holiday pull, set to begin this week. To meet  the surge in demand, shippers  must inventory most core commodities. The balancing act between selling out daily and holding product for “future” prebooked orders  is  tricky. Warm weather over the weekend will continue to push crops ahead of schedule and if bulk shipments  don’t start soon warehouse space becomes a potential issue along with quality.  This all leads to price instability especially when demand from the East Coast, New York / New Jersey area,  has been unstable due to the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

Weather in California/Arizona growing districts will be 10-15 degrees above normal ( 68/44 Coast ,  80/55 Inland desert) through midweek   but looks to return to normal  for the foreseeable future with the only precipitation predicted for November arriving early the week of Thanksgiving.

Truck availability remains good with rates continuing to edge down slightly although increased demand for the Thanksgiving Holiday pull will begin as early as this week putting pressure for rates to hold.   As always advance notice will give you the advantage of best rates and service.

LETTUCE-  Part II of the transition is underway. Those shippers who chose not to participate in the Central Valley will start their Winter program a week earlier than budgeted in the Yuma Valley this week.  With ALL three districts going there is abundant supplies available. Although quality is another story.  Shelf life of Salinas lettuce is substantially reduced especially after this weekends warm weather. Quality in the Central Valley  (Huron) has improved slightly but is  still just fair  and Yuma is reporting the usual initial defects from Seeder to tip burn . Quality from Salinas and Huron will continue to decline but Yuma will improve once harvest gets  past the first few initial fields.  With a wide range in quality from ALL districts  loading fresh lettuce is top priority.   

BROCCOLI- Supplies of broccoli continue to be steady with crowns slightly tighter than bunch. Production continues to be slightly ahead of budget adding to the current supply. Broccoli is grown in multiple districts (Salinas, Santa Maria, Central Valley , Yuma and Mexico) during this transitional period which should lead to ample supplies for the Thanksgiving pull. This past weekends warm weather will continue to keep supplies ahead of budget. Volume deals are available but with much of the crop heavily committed for the Holiday they are very sporadic. Quality is mostly good  from all districts.   

CAULIFLOWER-   Unlike broccoli, production of Cauliflower is more concentrated during the month of November. Salinas and Santa Maria are the primary growing regions and with production ahead of budget there is currently good supplies BUT will likely run short during the Holiday pull as there are no new districts to support demand until the desert ,which isn’t scheduled to start until the week of November 19th. Quality remains good.

LEAF ITEMS- Romaine quality continues to be the driving force behind the improved market.  Much of the current crop continues to suffer from defects from seeder, tipburn, twist , mildew and rib discoloration. Most shippers are “trimming down” defects and converting to hearts.  This has lead to carton Romaine market improving but the heart market has been over-saturated. Demand should improve but quality will continue to be an issue even with Yuma scheduled to start later this week.  Demand on green and redleaf will follow closely behind. Quality will continue to be an issue in ALL loading locations.

CELERY- Market has strengthened slightly with early Holiday promotions starting this week.  But as stated in the intro 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 steady 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 as the week progresses.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS-  Increased supplies and lighter demand had prices continuing to head lower last week but increased demand for Holiday promotions will likely  jump sharply this week and prop the market back up. Take advantage of good values while supplies last. Most shippers are offering multiple packs  including clamshells, 1 amp; 2 lb microwaveable packages , and Stalks which is a Great intro display item.

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  continues to be 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 of Raspberries  is better with improving quality.  Blackberries primarily from Mexico have increased and continue offer a good value. Production from Florida is  still a month away.

CITRUS- California Navel shipments have begun . Quality is excellent with high flavor profile while color is only slightly off. Both will continue to improve throughout the season.  The crop is projected to be extensive and promotional supplies available.

Don’t forget to get do your civic duty and like they say ,  “Vote Early and Vote Often“