This week starts the beginning of the Easter pull, mostly for east coast receiving. And there are some issues we are dealing with, and it mostly involves WEATHER.  Rain fell in the strawberry areas of Oxnard and Santa Maria, creating REAL messes, all adding up to SHORTAGES and PRO RATES this week. 1 1/2-2 inches fell in these areas over the weekend, and most shippers are stripping early this week, pushing trucks into tomorrow, then again into tomorrow after that. As far as any of the vegetable items are concerned, about the only interest is asparagus. Being the routinely major item for Easter, there are shortages here, as well, but not as bad.

Long range weather shows rain scattered for the next 10 days in Salinas area, and basically nothing forecasted from Oxnard to the southern desert growing districts.

Trucks are much tighter this week, what with the Easter pull, and truckers are pushing for higher rates, because of this increased demand. Still, they may loosen up, as strawberry loads are cut back.

LETTUCE–supplies coming out of 4-5 areas now. Huron, Bakersfield, Santa Maria, and all the way to the desert and Phoenix, where most shippers are finishing up. Still, others saying they will continue for another 2-3 weeks. We feel the best quality is still coming out of the desert, so we are staying there, unless our truck loading forces us to buy in Huron. The market is still fairly flat.

BROCCOLI–a real wide range in price here, with as much as a $5.00/box SPREAD on crowns, depending upon the area. Quality is mostly good in all areas, so it is certainly worth shopping around for the best deal.

CAULIFLOWER–like broccoli, supplies are scattered from Salinas to Yuma. Yuma is definitely winding down, and should be totally done by early next week, where we will start loading trucks out of Salinas and Santa Maria areas. And with the scattered supplies, comes scattered prices, with a range of $3-4.00/box. This item is also worth shopping.

LEAF ITEMS–supplies are still coming out of the desert, while Huron has now started. We are trying to stay in the desert, where the best quality is. Prices on red, green, and romaine are still fairly flat, although there are signs the markets could get a bit stronger by this time next week.

CELERY–with the desert finishing up, the concentration for supplies will be in the Oxnard/Santa Maria areas. And, with the rain they got over the weekend, harvesting is a real challenge early this week. Expect muddy cartons and muddy product. The market is reacting up, due to the supply shortage, but this will be short -lived.

STRAWBERRIES–as mentioned above, things are a REAL MESS, especially after 2 inches of rain in Oxnard over the weekend. Demand was already strong for Easter business, so this rain issue does NOT help! Expect pro rates, and quality is something to deal with. Shippers are doing the best they can, but EXPECT dirty fruit, rain spotting, and some bruising. It CAN’T be helped.

ASPARAGUS–Easter business is in full swing, and there are A LOT of ads out there. Normally, any grass that is NON-committed gets priced out $4-6.00/box MORE than the ads. We aren’t seeing that. At least, not yet. We have mentioned in previous bulletins, that with the weak economy, asparagus is not a a “must have” item. That, we believe, is a MAJOR reason why the market hasn’t taken off.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com