Weather continues to be the hot topic or cold topic in this case. Weather from coast to coast is cold with plenty of rain amp; snow. Temperatures in most western growing areas continues to be wet amp; below normal with Snow storms throughout the Midwest and East making for an extended White Christmas season. As the cold weather in the West has slowed production , cold weather throughout the country has slowed sales.

Weather for most of the West Coast (64hi/36-45lo)  growing regions has been wet and cold . The deserts (68/39) have seen limited rain but have had a week of well below normal temperatures. Most locations have had frost with late harvest starting times which has begun the blister/peel cycle.  Cold but dry weather is expected to last for the next 3 weeks with only a possible brief  return to normal temps Jan 8-12th before dropping below normal for the balance of the month. Soil temperatures continue to drop below the range where normal growth occurs. Central Florida berry growing region is expected to have normal weather (72hi/50lo)  with occasional thunder showers the next couple weeks.

Strong Holiday business provided the demand for Transportation rates to stay steady and with some trucks not reloading until after New Years rates unexpectedly rose this week  but with lighter demand and supplies out west rates should roll back. With the weather in the Midwest and in the East in decline delivery schedules will be in flex.Plan ahead to get the best value and service available.

****WARNING**** Seasonal cold temperatures have resulted in harvest delays due to ice. This will eventually lead to blister,peel and discoloration issues on most vegetable commodities especially leaf and lettuce. 

BROCCOLI- Cooler weather along the coast and in the Central Valley and now in the desert will continue to have an effect on supplies.  Rain along the coast has degraded quality with widespread pin rot and water spotting making much of the broccoli not suitable to ship East. Central Valley supplies have also diminished from quality and production gaps.  The desert has been 1-2 weeks ahead of schedule for most of the season and now we’re seeing gaps in production. There will still be supplies coming from alternate growing districts such as Nogales, Mexico but  even those areas have seen below normal temperatures. The market will spike , especially on crowns , through next week.

CAULIFLOWER- With the cooler weather the cauliflower market  has unexpectedly NOT been overly active but look for that to change with the continued cold forecast. Quality has mostly been good with some reports of mold spots and bruising.   There are currently values on off size 16 count but even those will start to disappear rapidly

****WARNING****LETTUCE- Production has begun to slow and quality is starting to diminish. Bottom rot and now blister and peel issues will become prevalent , causing lighter color with discoloration on arrival . ALL shippers have contract clauses  that prevent inspections to count blister as a scoreable defect although if serious enough decay will become an issue which is scoreable. The market will likely jump initially but if quality issues persist then sales will start to slow. Order minimum quantities until quality improves.

****WARNING****LEAF LETTUCE- Similar to Iceberg lettuce , abundant supply will start to ease but quality will be the biggest issue with blister, peel and discoloration.  Romaine has also begun to be ribby which eventually leads to mechanical damage and pink rib. Look for the market to get  active  but shopping for the product least affected by the frost will be necessary.

GREEN ONION- Supplies have been limited mainly due to labor in Mexico but also with light rain last week  continuing with cold weather this week and the  lack of labor available needed to harvest the Green Onions the market has been very active with limited supplies. Cooler weather will assist in being able to hold the product in the field until sufficient labor returns BUT traditionally not until AFTER New Years. Even with the cool weather expect better supplies of small green onions by the end of next week and eventually jump into the bearish section of PWT. 

CARROTS- Carrot production has been steady but could start to slow with seasonally cold weather.  The market is steady locally but an influx in bulk supplies from Mexico have deals on bulk packs. Good demand  through the heavy Holiday promotional period should help maintain pricing especially for the retail packs.

CELERY- The celery market continues to see strength as good demand and reduced acreage combine to keep market active. Quality has been very nice with medium sizes becoming more prevalent.  Limited quantities being grown in the desert continue to result in a wide ranging market due to the fact most celery is transferred to Yuma for consolidation. The best values will continue to come from Oxnard.

ASPARAGUS- Market continues to be  active with limited supplies coming in from Mexico and Peru.  Increased shipments should help supplies but strong  demand will keep pressure on the market to remain high.

BRUSSELS SPROUT- Supplies continue to be strong with good demand. Take advantage of good promotional pricing through next month.

CITRUS- Navel production continues with good  volume and improving flavor and sizing profiles. Steady increase in production will translate to better values as the season progresses.

STRAWBERRIES- Production is finally starting to increase mainly from Mexico and Florida. Coastal California production is still very limited with quality not suitable to ship East.  The market has begun to adjust until promotions start to get consumer demand peaking once again. Quality from Florida and Mexico is improving daily and shippers are optimistic quality will be sufficient for promotions. Raspberry production  has stalled with most production out West and the market is very active on limited supply. Blackberries primarily from Mexico continue offer a good value.