Weather continues to be the story across the country with mild sunny days out West and severe cold in the Northeast. Now that the Holidays have past most production, shipping and transportation activities will get back on schedule.

Normal temps for the West Coast the past week are now forecast to continue for the next couple weeks with only a minor disturbance for the end of the week.  Slight frost in the morning with abundant sunshine has been the norm. Ground temps are still slightly below necessary levels for normal growth.

Normal temperatures for the Coastal areas 63 hi : 39 low    Central Valley 53:38  Desert/Mexico 71:37.

Transportation rates spiked during the Holidays but should ease as more trucks get back into circulation.  Although tighter regulations will continue to have rates elevated from previous years. Teams continue to remain in high demand with the increased regulations.  Plan ahead for best value and service.

Lettuce – Heavy shipments continue early this week but continued lettuce ice delays have kept supplies from completely saturating the market along with a reduced labor force.  The market has been mostly weak with few promotions and Quality slowing sales with signs of blister, peel and discoloration for the next couple weeks.

Leaf Lettuce – Light Frost also has slowed production of most leaf items slightly but a return of a full labor force after the Holidays will help shippers cover more ground even if further frost delays continue. Blistering and peel will be the norm for most shipments for the next few weeks. Green and Red leaf supplies and quality are also being affected by the previous freezing temperatures but should rebound quicker than Romaine.

Asparagus- Production from Coastal Mexico and Peru continues to be light to moderate. Increased production was forecast to begin in the West Coast as soon as ground temps get above necessary levels.

Carrots- Sizing has improved but good demand has kept the market active.  Better sizing is expected as ground temps  improve.

Broccoli-   Broccoli production has improved but demand is still soft.  Quality should start to improve especially in the desert locations.  The market will likely remain soft until further promotions are put in place to help jump start demand.

Cauliflower- The market softened last week but looks to gain strength this week with better demand  and lighter supplies as Yuma and Santa Maria are the only production areas available. Quality has been ok but should start improving.

Celery- Production continues mainly from Santa Maria and Oxnard but a few shippers have plantings in Mexico and or Yuma which allows them to avoid transfer costs  of moving product from cooler to cooler.  Quality has been fair out of Santa Maria with significant blister and peeling. The market has been much softer in Oxnard and Santa Maria mainly because of quality but also convenience. Pricing in Yuma will continue to be elevated as most celery is transferred for mixer business.

Bell Peppers- Production from Mexico has been steady but with good demand to match especially the Reds and Yellows. Quality has generally been very nice.

Berries- Production in Oxnard have been limited due to previous freezing temps but new crop production has started to increase with warmer temperatures.  Previously the only fruit with sufficient quality to ship East was from Mexico/Texas and Florida but some weather issues have stalled production and strengthened the market.  Supplies will take at least another week to get back to sufficient levels.  Light supplies of Raspberries will continue with increased pricing but Blackberries will continue to be available.

Citrus – Oranges California Navel shipments have been good with very good sizing and flavor profiles. Lemon production amp; quality had been improving from Coachella and Coastal valley although the recent freeze has reduced the quality and overall available yields.  Look for the market to continue to be strong.

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Tim  Tomasello