When a situation happens such as the one we are currently going through, with the freeze this past week, two things usually happen. First, product is lost from damage done by the freeze, so supplies are drastically reduced and quality effected. Secondly, the markets take off. This is exactly what is happening. We don’t even know where to start, except to say that quality of lettuce, romaine, leaf, celery, cauliflower, asparagus, and various other mix items are SO bad that many of the shippers are selling “as is”, and don’t want to hear about any problems at the receiving end. On top of that, they are demanding prices that are off the charts. In other words, we/you are paying top dollar for lousy quality, and the shippers don’t want to hear about any problems! That is why we recommended last week to our customers to pull ALL ads until further notice. Why advertise HIGH PRICED, POOR QUALITY product?

Due to high markets and receivers backing off, trucks are available to all areas of the country, at flexible rates.

Weather looks good in the growing regions of Coachella Valley and Yuma for the next 10 days. Oxnard, where celery and strawberries are coming from, is due for rain starting mid-week and into next week. This WON’T help the already crazy celery market.

LETTUCE–so much product has to be trimmed off of the heads(5-7 leaves!), that there are mostly 30 size heads being packed, or a “standard” 24. Since it is very rare that standards are even packed, so we will describe what they are. They are a “30” size head, packed in a smaller carton, so you get 24 heads in a box. Still, they are a 30 size, so be aware of that. The market on ALL lettuce is upwards of $32-35.00 FOB, which is right at $40.00, or higher, delivered to east coast markets. And, again, the quality is poor and light weight. But, that is ALL there is out there, so expect it.

BROCCOLI–this market is hanging in there because there is broccoli available in Texas, Carolinas, and other areas of the country. The cold weather we experienced has caused some purple cast, and there aren’t many crowns around. There is a $3-5.00/box spread between bunch and crowns, as a result.

CAULIFLOWER–strong market here. Supplies had come to an abrupt halt due to the freeze, but demand is light, so the market, while high enough, isn’t as high compared to many other items out there. We expect this market to remain strong all week.

LEAF ITEMS–CRAZY markets, especially on romaine. There was so much product lost from the freeze, that carton romaine and romaine hearts, for instance, are hovering around $35 fob($40-45.00 in the East). Green, red, and boston are all $30-35.00 in the East. We don’t see the market for any of these items going down for several more weeks. Too much product lost.

CELERY–When will people stop buying celery!?!?! The market for all sizes is around $40.00 FOB, which makes it close to $50.00 delivered in the East!! On top of that, the quality is poor, with burned tops and balled down stalks

ASPARAGUS–the freeze really put the halt to asparagus. SO much product was lost last week, that the shippers basically went out and stripped their fields and are starting all over. Even though the weather is warming up, it takes time to fill the pipe lines. Orders are pro rated, and the market is high.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com