Now that the Thanksgiving push is over, we now have to pick up the pieces and continue on.  Supply chains and wholesalers are stocked up and ready for business.  We expect buying to be slim this week and will continue into next week.  Post thanksgiving leftovers will suffice families for days after the initial holiday, turkey sandwiches, turkey casserole; turkey surprise will be on the menu for most families.  As we settle fully into Yuma and Imperial Valley growing regions, early reports are positive for lettuce and leaf items.

Weather has been nice in Yuma, producing some nice early lettuce, something we can hopefully look forward to in the coming months. Huron product was not up to par and we are currently seeing the negative effects of this as product arrived this past weekend.

Salinas weather is cold, wet and rainy.  Some broccoli and celery is still in the area but most product has shifted south.  Huron is not much different.  Shippers could not exit Huron fast enough as product quality fell far short of expectations.  Oxnard is expecting some scattered showers over the next few days, but temperatures will remain slightly coo to mild.  Yuma weather is excellent, no rain in the forecast and temperatures nearing the 80 degree mark.

Truck rates have come off from last weeks highs, there are plenty available early this week.  We will see a drop off in availability towards the end of this week.  The day after thanksgiving will be difficult to get trucks mostly due to the fact that truckers generally take the rest of the weekend off to be with family. Get orders in asap.

LETTUCE — Early Yuma reports show nice lettuce with good weights.  Weather looks nice for the next 10 days.  There seems to be plenty of product filling up the coolers today and we could see the market drop significantly towards the middle of this week.

BROCCOLI — Supply is improving this week, however prices are still high. Quality is nice.  Some shippers are finished in Salinas areas and are moved to Yuma.  Weather has been nice and should bring on some nice broccoli material.  Demand will come off and the market should settle by later this week.  Also, Virginia and Carolina are pumping out supplies, which will affect the west coast markets.

CAULIFLOWER — Product is still tight industry wide.  The market reflects that and shippers are keeping FOBs as high as they can because availability is so limited.  Yuma product will be coming on and should calm the market down to the mid to upper teens by weeks end. Availability is expected to improve in the next few days.  Quality is about what you would expect for a $20+ market. Anything that resembles a head of cauliflower goes in the box.

LEAF ITEMS — Huron quality has not met expectations, and we are glad they are about done.  Condition defects such as red ribbing, browning and decay starting to emerge as the last of the Huron product arrives.  Romaine seems to have most of the quality problems. Reports of green and red leaf have shown light weights and feathering.  Early Yuma reports are optimistic.  Plenty of product for the next coming weeks.

CELERY — Demand never met our expectations for thanksgiving.  Product was plentiful across the board which kept FOB prices down. Another factor that kept the market from gaining steam was the high freight rates.  With only 32 cases per pallet, its difficult to spread freight costs to reflect a desirable delivered price, so as long as freight remains high, FOBs will hit a wall.  Hopefully Christmas business shapes out better.

STRAWBERRIES — the weather pattern we are into, where we seem to get rain every 5-7 days, is NOT helping out strawberry quality or availability. Driscoll has some supplies out of Santa Maria, Oxnard, and McAllen, Texas, but quality is only fair, with leathery skin, rain spots, and decay upon arrival.

Ed Brem

ed@producewest.com