After a very brief bump in prices for various items for Easter business, things have dropped back to depressed markets. About the only items that remain active are strawberries. The desert is just about done for shipping, and just about all shippers should be completely gone by the end of next week, moving to Salinas, Santa Maria, and Huron areas. This will help for loading purposes, as we will be more condensed in our pickups. One thing worth noting is that picking up in Salinas, as opposed to picking up in Yuma means about 8 extra hours of travel time to the east coast. Keep that in mind when loading and for your arrival schedules.

Long range weather in the California growing areas show no rain for the next 10 days, but continued cool for this time of year.

Trucks have been pretty tight this past week for Easter pulls to eastern and Midwestern destinations, and rates pushed up. There should be more trucks available this weekend, and rates more normal. Still, trucks seem to be pushing daily for more money because of rising fuel costs.

LETTUCE–just because we have moved from the desert to Huron doesn’t mean the market will change. It hasn’t, the market remains flat, and we don’t see much hope for the stronger situation for another 2 weeks, at least.  Quality is okay in Huron, although we would like to see better size and weights. There are also some internal issues, mostly internal tip burn, which shouldn’t break down.

BROCCOLI–after a brief market bump, shippers back to looking for business on bunch or crowns. Supplies are coming out of Salinas, Santa Maria, San Joaquin Valley, and even a little left in the desert. Best quality seems to be along the coastal areas of Salinas and Santa Maria. Don’t be afraid to shop around, as shippers are “flexing”.

CAULIFLOWER–also after a brief market bump, prices have backed down, and shippers are looking for business. There is range in price of $2-3.00/box depending upon the area, label, and quality, but overall prices are pointing downward. However, we could see this market turn around by this time next week.

LEAF ITEMS–still a few shippers going on red, green, and romaine in Yuma, while more starting in Huron, Santa Maria, Oxnard, and Salinas. This will keep the market on these items mostly down, as the shippers battle for business. Some shippers are discounting prices to get the trucks to come to their area. Quality is as wide ranged as the product is.

CELERY–just about all celery now located in Oxnard and Santa Maria. Some shippers are transferring product to Salinas to load with mixer trucks, and charging $1.50, or so, a box for the effort. Overall, the markets are steady, with smaller size 36s getting $1-2.00/box more than the larger sizes.

STRAWBERRIES–continued battle for supplies. The rain that fell over a week ago is still having adverse effects on supplies and quality. We are still seeing bruising, leather spotting, and light colored fruit. But, because supplies are SO tight, there aren’t many complaints. Truly, that is ALL THERE IS. Hopefully, we will start to see better numbers next week.

ASPARAGUS–with the Easter push all but over, demand and prices are backing off. For the most part, Easter business was uneventful, as there appeared to be enough supplies to go around, just some subbing large size for standards.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com