When one talks about the “worst case scenario” they usually do not expect it to actually happen, and when it does, chances are very slim.  The worst case scenario has happened here in California.  Clouds have accumulated and unleashed their wrath on the Salinas Valley and surrounding regions.  Rain and winds that began Tuesday morning have already wreaked havoc on roads, power lines, causing huge damage and power outages throughout the county.  The worst part about this early rain is the damage it is doing to our produce industry.  Millions of dollars are being lost every hour of the day because we simply cannot harvest the fields.   Whatever small amount of product that is in the fields cannot be taken out.  Our entire Tuesday picking is ruined, along with the majority of Wednesday’s harvest.   Loads upon load are being canceled, but what can we do? The answer is to just sit and wait out the storm.  Never before can we remember a time where we got so much rain in in so little time in October.  Normally we get beautiful weather this time of year, rains just don’t come until mid November.   With all that said, we ask that the entire industry be patient, and understand that there was nothing we could have done to avoid this.  The market was already way too expensive coming into this storm and business was slow, the rain is the finishing touch.  Long range weather shows rain all day Tuesday and  Wednesday.  Warmer partly cloudy days are expected starting Thursday and through the rest of the week into next. Trucks are as plentiful as drops of rain in the fields.  Calls are coming from all over the industry, from truck lines, brokers, consolidators, etc. looking for loads.  Trucks are just sitting and waiting.  Even though there may be plenty of trucks currently, you better believe that once business picks up and thanksgiving rolls around the tables will turn and we will be begging them for trucks.

LETTUCE– Shippers are not harvesting Tuesday and most will not harvest Wednesday.  As for now we are waiting out this storm.  Whatever else can be harvested and loaded this week is a gift.  Quality is going to be fair to poor from here out, and expect some mud in the packaging.   The Market is still up around mid $20 range FOB, and some shippers are even quoting acceptance final on product getting out this week, they simply do not want to hear about any problems.  Huron lettuce will begin next week and should gain momentum from there.  Product seems to be ok, but there are some questionable signs of quality issues such as red ribs and internal decay, but so far tests have been minimal.

BROCCOLI– Supplies still available in the East coast, but as that deal wraps up, there will be more pressure on west coast product.  The rain will not affect quality on broccoli the same as it normally does with iceberg and leaf, but with harvesting put on hold, there is plenty of broccoli out in the muddy field and none in the cooler. Most shippers have been quoting sold out for the past 2 weeks and are only covering contracts.  We are hoping for better numbers by the end of the week, assuming we can get into the fields by Thursday.

CAULIFLOWER– Although rain does not ruin cauliflower, temperatures can really affect it. Warm weather can bring supplies on, while cool weather can basically stop growth and production.  Supplies should pick up soon, but for now product will sit in the muddy fields.  On the contrary, too much moisture can cause molding, but we are hoping this storm does not last more than a couple days.  Numbers are practically at zero now, but will hopefully pick up by this weekend.

LEAF ITEMS– Rain will certainly affect the leaf, red ribs, decay, and mud all will play a factor in the next few weeks arrivals.  Keep in mind however, these problems will be industry wide.  Most shippers are sold out of all leaf.  A few shippers will be moving their leaf production to Huron in 2 weeks,  early reports show quality is going to be ok but it is too early to tell how the overall condition is going to end up.

CELERY–  After a few weeks of what seemed like an endless supply, celery supplies are dropping off.  With the Canadian and Michigan deals winding down, and Thanksgiving business around the corner things are tightening up and markets are getting active.  There are fewer smaller sizes now, mostly attributed to higher demands for celery hearts.  Rain should not affect celery quality and overall condition, but once again, harvesting has been a challenge.

STRAWBERRIES–The rain has caused a DISASTER in the strawberry region.  With much of the storm centralized in the northern Salinas Valley and Watsonville area, they are expecting 2-4 inches in some of the fields.  What does 2-4 inches of water in a strawberry field mean to us?  It means entire orders are cut, not just pro rates, but completely cut and thrown away.   We will need to see what happens toward the end of this week, but for now, things do not look good.   Even if there is some product available, quality will be poor, so it may be just as well.