With the Thanksgiving Holiday and transition to the Desert production areas upon us the markets should start to settle down after a historic run over the past couple months.  Production in most areas could resume “normal” volume barring any extreme weather conditions in the concentrated Winter growing areas in Desert Southwest andMexico.

Weather for most of the West Coast appears to be near normal after unexpected heavy rain showers in the Desert this past week. The long term forecast calls for possible showers this weekend and below normal temperatures with threat of showers and possible frost for next week but nothing extreme currently forecast. Normal temperatures for the Coastal areas 66-68 hi : 42 low    Central Valley 62:41  Desert/Mexico 75:40.

Transportation rates continue to be relatively steady but elevated above last year at this time.  Transition to the Desert Southwest will help reduce miles but may increase load complexity. Teams remain in high demand with increased regulations. Plan ahead for best values and service.

 Lettuce – Production has fully shifted to theYumaValley. The market continues to be soft with light demand other than the rain delay late last week. Delays continue with wet fields but should improve daily. Quality has been good but wet lettuce will result in discoloration especially if shippers don’t bypass some over mature fields created by the rain delays.

Leaf Lettuce – Romaine production continues to be steady with supplies still available in Santa Maria and the desert. Quality is mostly good with some shippers showing slight to moderate fringe and tipburn along with seeders. Green and Red leaf supplies have increased but with a wide range in quality as well.
Asparagus- Production from Coastal Mexico andPeru has been begun to increase slightly and should be sufficient forHoliday promotions although sizing is heaviest to Standards.

 Carrots- Demand from the East has picked up significantly leading to periodic shortages but overall supplies are good although sizing is slightly off. Quality has been excellent

Broccoli-   Broccoli production after a prolonged period has finally begun to increase from all areas (Salinas, Santa Maria, Central Valley, Yuma and Mexico).  This has lead to the market dropping significantly.  Shippers are offering deals on load volume and are once again interested in offering ad pricing. Best deals will come from the Coast and Central valley as truck traffic will be predominantly in the desert.  Production may again slow if the weather forecast for colder temps holds.  Quality is much better and should continue to improve daily.

Cauliflower- Similar to broccoli production has jumped significantly with few promos in place the market looks to bottom out this week but may rebound late next week with cooler temps slowing production.  Quality has improved but still some issues with discoloration and bruising.

Celery- Production continues mainly from Salinas, Santa Maria and Oxnard.  Quality has been good and the market has been steady for the past week with occasional deals available varying from shipper to shipper.  Celery was one of the few items shippers gave promotional prices and demand has been good. Now that the ads are finishing up look for the market to ease especially in Salinas and Oxnard.  Pricing in Yuma will continue to be elevated as most celery is transferred for mixer business.

Bell Peppers- Moderate production currently from the Deserts andMexico. The market has been active through theHoliday especially the Reds and Yellows.  Sizing has been off and between the significant rain and possible cooler temps forecast the market could continue to be strong.

Berries- A few showers last week put an end to theSalinas /Watsonville production.Oxnard and the limited volume fromMcAllen are the preferred loading locations. The market has been active for good fruit that can travel but all fruit will have a degree of bruising and water damage along with a range of coloring. Look for the market to continue to be active untilFlorida andMexico can increase production within a couple weeks. Lighter supplies on Blackberries and Raspberries will continue with increased pricing.

Citrus – Oranges California Navel shipments have been good with very good sizing and flavor profiles. Lemon production fromMexico continues to suffer from previous weather related issues but is picking up in the Desert and Coastal California.

Happy Thanksgiving

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Tim  Tomasello