The Source - April 11, 2018

Washington - Markets are steady on most sizes and grades with moderate demand on Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Galas, and Fuji. Supplies of Honeycrisp are seasonally lighter with a slightly firmer market. Rising star varietals are steady with a few deals being made on 125s and smaller. There is a good availability small(125/138) varietals reds. Quality is very nice so far this storage season.

Pennsylvania - Red and Golden Delicious and empires are the only varieties left with the season slowly winding down this week. Quality has been good. Markets are steady.

New York - Galas, Red and Gold Delicious, Red Romes, Empires and Ruby Frost are still available. Sizing has been peaking on large sizes. The market is steady with good quality fruit being packed. Mclntosh is almost done for the season.

Peak Seasons:
Washington is still peaking on small fruit sizes

Caborca, and San Luis Mexico should be completely wrapped up this weekend due to seasonality in both regions. Obregon, Mexico has started, and we should see an increase in production with the weather warming up. Gonzales, CA has good volume with less rain in the forecast, and temperatures leveling off. Volume is starting to increase in both Ica, and Trujillo, Peru with weather remaining warm during the day, and cooling off some in the evening. Markets are overall lower with all regions experiencing great growing weather.

California harvest volume are continuing to build and will continue to increase weekly trough the month. Fruit is ripening well and has good flavor.

Mexico's harvest volumes are beginning to return to normal after the Holy Week drop off. Supplies remain slightly tight, but returning. Mexico is still reporting strong volume into May.

Florida shippers are at the end of their winter fields, and have made the transition to their spring fields. More supply on larger sized pods are now available from these spring fields. Some rain hit in most growing regions in Florida over the weekend, but production hasn't been impacted. Quality is good right now, but if rain and wind continues this week, we could see some bloom drop and wind-related issues. Pricing and supply expected to remain steady during this week.

Green Bell Pepper volume out of Nogales remains limited. Supplies will remain consistent for the next few weeks, before winding down in late April. Quality is mostly good. The market has strengthened, still mostly medium and small sizes available. Green bell peppers are also available, in light supply, to load in Coachella. High volume expected out of Coachella in late April / early May. An unusually cold storm last week has slowed production in Coachella. No major freeze damage was reported, but quality and production may be an issue for the duration of the crop

Red and Yellow Bell Pepper supplies are still available to load in Nogales, from Mexico. Field grown colored bell peppers ( elongated ) are available, but mostly greenhouse varieties being offered. The market has weakened, quality is still mostly good. Volume is consistent with the start of the spring crop from Sonora, Mexico. Coachella is due to begin harvesting red and yellow bell peppers in mid to late April. An unusually cold storm last week slowed production and maturity, possibly delaying the start of the spring harvest for colored peppers in Coachella

Blackberry supplies have started to taper off this week. Mexico is past their second peak and production numbers will be decreasing. Domestic harvest has yet to ramp up, so we are left in a demand greater than supply situation. Market prices have been higher and firm. We expect supplies to be limited until domestic harvest increases over the next 1-2 weeks.

Transitions:
Domestic production will gradually increase over the next 2 weeks.

Blueberry supplies are improving this week as California and Florida harvest volumes gradually increase. Florida has seen a bigger jump in production this week than California, but we expect CA to gradually ramp up over the next 2 weeks. Mexican harvest is winding down and most of the Chilean import fruit is finished. Shippers do have some Peruvian fruit available. Market prices have been higher as we transition into all domestic production, but will start coming down quickly as volumes increase. Georgia is expected to start next week.

Transitions:
Domestic harvest is gradually improving. California and Florida are both increasing volume week over week and Georgia is expected to start in the next 2 weeks.

Raspberry supplies continue to be very limited this week. Domestic harvest has yet to ramp up, leaving Mexico as the primary source of production. Unfortunately, Mexico's production numbers are tapering off as we approach the back end of the season. Demand is strong and is greater than supplies. Market prices are high and firm. Quality has been fair. We expect supplies to remain limited for the next 1-2 weeks as we wait for domestic harvest to start.

Transitions:
Domestic harvest expected to ramp up in the next 1-2 weeks.

Strawberry supplies are improving this week. The rain growers expected over the weekend was very light in Santa Maria and Oxnard. Luckily it did not have any affects on harvest or quality. Production is expected to increase this week with good availability by the weekend. Quality has been improving, although we are still seeing some occasional white shoulders. Market prices will begin to taper off slowly this week and I expect to see another decrease next week, as volume increases. Salinas / Watsonville areas did get a good shot of rain over the weekend and this is delaying harvest this week. However, we do expect production to pick up by next week with more options to load in these areas.

Transitions:
Salinas / Watsonville production is being delayed by rain over the weekend. Better production next week.

Broccoli supplies are slowly decreasing as they enter the seasonal supply gap. The market has already firmed up and looks to increase into next week. The quality of broccoli has been really nice here in Salinas as well as Santa Maria. We have seen minimal yellowing, normal crown size, and little dehydration.

Brussel sprout supplies are steady for this week. The market has also corrected itself after a brief trend higher. The quality is very nice with little decay and a full line of sizes.

California carrot supplies are good on value-added packs and medium-size carrot. We are still seeing a lower than normal percentage of jumbo sizes coming out of the fields.

Cauliflower supplies remain abundant. This has kept the market competitive. Overall quality is really nice with weights in the 27 to 30 pound range, little yellowing or bruising / brown spotting.

This market is steady. Oxnard and Santa Maria have good supplies on all sizing. The market was expected to get stronger but demand fell off. Good quality continues to be the story with this commodity. Aside from some slight bowing, the product is very strong in quality. Yuma is finished with production.

Transitions:
Yuma is finished for the season.

Most chili varieties are available to load in Nogales, from Mexico. Good supplies are available on most varieties. Quality is mostly good on all hot peppers. Growing conditions have been favorable. We are expecting to begin harvest on spring crop in the coming days ( Sonora, Mexico ) which is delayed slightly due to cold weather last week.Some growers have already started.

Jalapeño - the market is steady, supply is consistent, and there is fair demand for jalapeno. Quality is mostly good.

Poblano - supplies are consistent. Demand is fair to high. Quality ranges from fair to good. Sizing is inconsistent as we see smaller size from older fields and large size from the new spring crop. Few labels available from new fields.

Anaheim - Anaheim pepper supplies from Mexico are steady. Demand remains high. The market is strong; quality ranges, but is mostly good.

Serrano - good supply now available, quality is mostly good. Market steady.

Tomatillo - supplies remain light specifically on peeled tomatillo. The market is stronger. Quality is just fair on both peeled and husked varieties. Expect quality to improve when new district starts this week

Cilantro supplies will vary from shipper to shipper as well as loading location. We have seen more competitive pricing out of Santa Maria and Oxnard versus Salinas. Quality has been really good with an occasional issue with dehydration and yellow to brown leaves.

Good availability in both the Central Valley and the Ventura/Oxnard areas. Central Valley is peaking on 140s and larger sizes; heavier to fancy grade. Ventura/Oxnard is peaking 140s/165s/200s: heavy to the choice grade.

Limes continue to be a challenge as more rain is expected in Mexico later this week. Shippers are expecting to be out of harvest Wednesday and Thursday, then try to harvest as much as possible Friday to cover orders for the front part of next week. With the markets prices being as high as they have been, growers are harvesting all the fruit on the trees, leaving very little to size up. Because of this, large size limes (175-110) are very limited. Market prices on the smaller sizes have come down slightly, but large size prices are firm. This will be the case until the weather warms up enough to push growth.

We are now in the late varieties of navels and eating quality is some of the best of the season. Size structure remains 72s/56s/48s. Small fruit supplies, 113s/138s, are extremely tight and will remain so for the balance on the Navel season. California Valencia harvest looks the begin toward the end of April.

Alerts:
Demand exceeding supplies on 113s/138s.

Most of the Honduras imports have finished, although there are still a handful of importers that will have limited supply for a few weeks longer on premium grade offshore cucumbers that were planted in mountainous regions. Florida shippers have started their domestic spring deal with growers on both sides of the state. Volume increased last week with more production expected this week. Some regions in Florida had some rain and wind this past weekend, which could cause some minor quality issues down the road depending on where product loads. Overall, quality is good on domestics.

Cucumbers loading in Nogales are being produced in the Mexican state of Sonora. The cucumber market has weakened, there is more fruit available, the spring crop has started with high volume. The market has adjusted down. Quality is good. There are also cucumbers available loading in San Diego from Baja California, Mexico. Cooler weather last week slowed production slightly, market trying to gain momentum, especially on retail sizes

New fields of eggplant started last week with most supply near the central part of the Florida. Quality is currently good, however some regions in Florida had rain and wind this past weekend. Supplies are still light as growers are working on small acreages overall; however yields have increased with the harvest of these new fields. We could see some minor quality and production issues down the road if Florida gets more wind and rain this week.

Eggplant volume remains high in Nogales, from Mexico. Sinaloa is now producing lighter volume, however, demand remains low. Light production from the state of Sonora providing additional supply. Quality is mostly good; the market remains sluggish.Some growers have stopped packing the choice grade labels. Coachella is expected to start in late April / early May. Light volume is expected out of Coachella.

The green grape market has spiked. This is due to shippers trying to stretch the product they have available for the remainder of the Chilean season. Prices are in the mid 30 dollar range. Quality is good. Possible defects include splits and decay.

The red grape market is steady. There is a wide variety of sizes, but there are still grapes on the market with issues so be sure to check upon receiving. Splits and decay are the main issues we are seeing.

We have experienced a steady supply of green onions coming from Mexico. The market has remained fairly competitive on both iced and iceless green onions. Quality has also been really nice with green tops and white tips.

There are steady supplies of kale from all growing regions. The market remains competitive from all suppliers. The quality is really nice with dark green color, minimal yellowing, or dehydration.

Salinas will have production on this commodity by the end of the week. Yuma is very warm and expect this to be the final week. The product is tired. Huron continues to be going strong throughout the week. Demand is moderate. Santa Maria continues to have some availability. The defects that have been reported upon arrivals include mechanical, puffiness and some discoloration. Weights are to averaging e 42-46 pounds. Shippers are listening for offers for volume type orders.

Romaine as well as green and red leaf is active. Yuma is finished and Huron is minimum in production. Salinas has moderate to light production as well. Santa Maria is minimal. Romaine hearts continue to be on escalated pricing. The quality has picked up dramatically compared to last week. Blister and peel is less seen. Insect damage and ribbing is being seen on all leaf items including romaine. The quality should be stronger next week as new fields will be harvested. Salinas production is stronger compared to last week. Santa Maria will have light availability for the week.

Transitions:
Yuma is finished for the season

As we finish the last week of transition from Yuma to Salinas, overall supplies remain steady. The growing conditions in the Salinas Valley have been ideal for a smooth transition. Although we have battled some mildew issues in the organic side of supplies. The conventional quality has been really nice as the new crop has favored from the growing conditions. The market remains stable.

The cantaloupe market remains steady for this week. The size profile still trends towards the 6 count, 9 count, and 12 count sizes. The smaller sizes are still extremely limited. Quality is really nice with decent brix / sugar levels, minimal soft spots, or decay. The off shore season looks to continue for the next 4 to 6 weeks.

We continue to see supplies that are heavy into the 4 count, 5 count, and 6 count size profile. There are limited supplies of 8 count and 9 count honeydews. The market has held firm at higher than normal prices even with supplies favoring the large size profile. The quality has been really nice with minimal soft rot / decay, good sugar / brix levels, and little brown spotting.

Seedless watermelon production from Mexico is lower from the Southern growing regions. The market remains strong; demand is high. Quality is good, sugar (brix) is just fair. Lighter supplies are available from Southern areas. The spring crop is expected to produce high volume. Promotional opportunities are available. Cooler weather last week has slowed production and the start of the spring crop.

Onion market continues to be steady on all colors and sizes out all shipping points. Northwest Storage supplies ( Idaho, Oregon) and New Crop Mexico Onions shipping out of South Texas are still being reported to have good quality with very few issues being reported. Storage supplies are slowly winding down. The larger Idaho shipper will finish by the end of this month with a few Washington shippers going into the first or second week of May. California is will start in a light way with late next week. All reports are saying the Southern California crop looks good. Texas supplies have started with a few shippers with light supplies. Quality is looking good. Mexico supplies will be transitioning to new growing area. Look for the markets to stay fairly steady as supplies wind down out of the North and new crop supplies increase volumes. California will start in a small way sometime next week.

Transitions:
New Texas and South California will slowly be the growing areas.

Washington - D'anjou pears are peaking on 90's and larger. Moderate supplies of 100/110s market steady. 120s and smaller are limited and have a firm market. Bosc pears supplies are winding down quickly. Quality is still be reported as good. Sizing is peaking on 80/90s. Red pears supplies have been limited. Supplies should last into the start of May. Quality has been good on all flavors.

Offshore - Supplies of Bartlett and Bosc pears are shifting from Chilean to Argentinian on both coasts. Sizing is peaking on 90/100s Quality is very nice.

Volume from the tropics remains very good. Size continues to peak on 6s/7s.

Demand is good with moderate supplies on most sizes of cartons (60-100). 40 and 50 are limited but available with a little notice. Norkotah variety is slowly winding down with Burbank now being the main variety shipping out of Idaho. Quality is still being reported as good with very few problems being reported. Look for the market to stay fairly steady with a slight upward trend moving forward on the larger cartons.

Western/Eastern Washington - Red and gold potatoes supplies are winding down. Markets are steady with sizing peaking on A-Size on both. Availability on Yellows are good. Quality is still being reported as good.

Bakersfield, California - Reds, golds, and white are steady on all sizes and are peaking on A's. Growing areas are switching but we should not see any interruption in supplies. Quality is good.

Idaho - Supplies are steady on but reds and gold, Both colors are peaking on A-size. Quality is good. Supplies will go into May.

Wisconsin/Colorado - Supplies are winding down for the season. The market is steady. Quality is still being reported as good.

North Dakota - Market steady on both reds and golds, Quality is good. Supplies will go into June maybe longer.

South Florida - Market steady with good supplies. Gold A and Premium potatoes are limited Quality is very nice.

Squash growing regions continue to produce high yields in south and central Florida. Homestead, FL expected to continue supply during most of April. Squash remains in peak availability, and the market is reflecting that with very reasonable pricing. Quality has been good in all growing regions. Some wind and rain in parts of Florida over the weekend could hinder production slightly, but not expected to cause significant market changes this week.

Squash available to load in Nogales, from Sonora, Mexico. Supplies are consistent; markets have adjusted down sharply as supply now exceeds. Quality of both zucchini and yellow squash is very good, high volume is expected through mid to late April. Cooler weather last week slowed production slightly, warmer temperatures are expected for the remainder of the spring. No long term damage reported

We are at the tail end of the Chilean season. There are some tray packs still available. Quality is good on the product still available. California will be starting the first week in May, first with tray packs and then some volume filled available halfway through May.

Strong supplies to start the Spring season coupled with low demand are helping to exasperate the price drops just a week ago. Florida prices has dipped below the mandated minimums of their Mexico grown counterparts. Round tomatoes are still trending very large in size as harvest pick through the first fruit on the plants, making XL gas greens the cheapest/best value on the size spectrum at a dollar savings against large and medium fruit. Similarly, roma tomato supplies have rebounded and available at half the prices published just 2 weeks ago. Following suit, grape and cherry tomatoes in the bite size category are selling for the lowest prices of the year. Recent cold weather over Florida may slow production a bit in the next couple of weeks, however it is not likely to show up in and drastic increase in prices as Palmetto/Ruskin districts continues to ramp up production transitioning up the state through the end of the month.

Tomatoes from Mexico are back to minimums where prices are forecasted to remain for the month of April. Both gas green and vine ripe round varieties are nearing peak production and expected to harvest through Mid April together. From then on, vine ripe tomatoes will lead the category though the end of May. Similarly, roma tomatoes are expected to harvest all the way through May with no supply interruption pending a significant weather event. Grape and cherry tomatoes are also widely available and offered at minimums where they are forecasted to remain for the immediate future. As production tapers from mainland Mexico in mid May, Baja will begin operations to offset any interruption in supply helping to keep western offerings even through much of the 2nd quarter.