The Source - April 4, 2018

Washington - Markets are steady on most sizes and grades with light to moderate demand 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.

Idaho - Done for the season

Pennsylvania - Red and Golden Delicious and empires are the only varieties left with the season slowly winding down over the next two weeks. 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 CA apples of all colors are in peak season

Weather is very warm in Caborca, and San Luis Mexico. Many shippers are starting to close fields, and these 2 regions should be finished in the next 2 weeks. Gonzalez, CA is expecting rain for the next 2 days, but volume is still good from this region. Ica, and Trujillo, Peru have just started, and volumes are starting increase with the weather being perfect in both regions. Markets are overall lower as all 4 regions are in production.

Transitions:
Mexico will be transitioning to Central Mexcio in about 2 weeks.

California harvest is beginning to increase and continue to build throughout the month of April. Much needed rains of a couple weeks ago will help increase fruit size. Fruit is ripening well and has good flavor.

Mexico's harvest last week dipped dramatically due to the short harvest week in lieu of the Holy Week celebrations. Supplies for this week have tighten. We are seeing harvest resume this week with better volume returning for next week inventories. Mexico expects to have good supplies into May.

Florida shippers are nearing the end of their winter fields, and have made/are making the transition this week to their spring fields. More supply expected for larger sized pods during the first picks of these new fields; with warm weather in the forecast in most growing regions, we expect quality to be good and for shippers to have steady supplies. An abnormally cooler March had delayed the new Spring crop slightly. Pricing and supply expected to remain steady during this week.

Blackberry supplies have started to level off with some shippers this week. Mexico continues to be the primary source of production. Depending on the shipper and their particular growing region, volumes differ from one to the other. Driscoll's will continue to have promotable volume for the next week, where as other shippers seem to be falling off on production. Market prices have remained fairly steady and quality is good. We expect Domestic harvest to start mid April.

Transitions:
Domestic production is expected to start by mid April.

We are in the middle of transition this week and supplies are tight. Most shippers are filling orders with the last of their Chilean arrivals as we wait for domestic harvest to pick up. Mexico continues with light production, but volumes are decreasing. California (Santa Maria and Oxnard) has started with very light volumes this week, but is expected to gradually improve over the next 2 weeks. Florida is in the same position, this week is very limited production, but is expected to improve over the next 2 weeks. However, Florida is expected to have a smaller crop this year due to the cold weather this winter. Market prices are higher due to limited supplies. Quality on the domestic harvest is expected to be much nicer. Georgia is expected to get started in 2 weeks with good volume.

Alerts:
Supplies are limited this week as we wait on domestic harvest to ramp up.

Transitions:
California and Florida are expected to increase over the next 2 weeks. Georgia will get started mid April.

No changes in Raspberry supplies this week. Mexico is our primary source of Raspberries at this time and production numbers continue to be down. Supplies are very limited and demand is strong. Market prices are higher and quality has been fair, but we are getting some reports of damage in the fields, lowering yields. We do not expect much improvement until domestic harvest starts up slowly in Santa Maria and Oxnard by mid April.

Alerts:
Supplies are expected to be limited and prices higher for the next 2 weeks.

Transitions:
Domestic harvest is expected to start in 2-3 weeks.

Strawberry supplies are improving this week. Growers have cleaned through their fields, dropped a lot of rain damaged fruit and are finally turning the corner on supply and quality. Oxnard and Santa Maria will be our primary growing regions for the next 2-3 weeks. Outside of a small chance of light rain this weekend, conditions are looking good and shippers are expecting to see increased production and stronger quality out of both areas. We can expect to see markets adjust down later this week and again next week, depending on harvest volumes. Salinas and Watsonville areas are expecting to see more rain this weekend. At this point, the forecasts are calling for 1.5"-2.0" of rainfall this weekend. This will further delay the season from starting. No major volume is expected until mid to late April. All of our Florida shippers have stopped harvest and Mexico production is winding down.

Transitions:
Depending on the severity of the upcoming rain this weekend, Salinas and Watsonville are expected to ramp up my mid to late April.

The broccoli market varies from supplier to supplier. Supplies also vary within the industry. Yuma for the most part is finished with harvesting besides for processing purposes. The most competitive prices are in Santa Maria if you can take advantage with your transportation. The quality has been really good with decent crown side, minimal yellowing, and little dehydration.

The brussel sprout market is steady from last week at current levels. Supplies are also steady. The quality is excellent with a full range of sizes, minimal decay, and vibrant green color.

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.

The cauliflower market continues to find a level of consistency. Supplies have increased in the Salinas Valley filling the void of Yuma finishing its season. Santa Maria also has good supplies as well. The quality is really nice as we have started the Salinas season. We have seen little to no bruising / brown spotting and vibrant white color.

This market is firm. Yuma is in its last week of production. There may be light production next week, but minimal. Southern California will be leaned on more heavily. Expect the market to strengthen next week. Large sizing still has the best availability, with 36s and smaller being a bit snug. Demand is up. Good quality continues to be the story with this commodity. Rains in Southern California is coming on the weekend.

Transitions:
Yuma will be winding down production this week.

Cilantro supplies have remained steady even through the transition back to Salinas. The majority of supplies are coming out of Mexico, Oxnard, and Santa Maria growing regions. Although the market does vary from loading location. Quality has remained really nice with minimal yellowing, little brown leaves, full bunches, and decreased dehydration.

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.

Lime growers are just getting back to work after the Easter holiday. Supplies are expected to be limited until later in the week, as we wait for fruit to get packed and transferred across from Mexico. Demand continues to be strong and market prices have been high and firm. Shippers expect new harvest and quality to improve moving forward. We will see a increase in smaller sizes at first, with prices adjusting down over the next 2 weeks. Larger sizes are expected to remain limited as the growers work through new blossoms and allow the fruit to size up.

Alerts:
Supplies will gradually improve over the next 2 weeks and we expect to see a good increase in smaller sizes.

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 are limited and pricing is starting to increase as availability tightens. California Valencia harvest looks the begin toward the end of April.

Most of the Honduras imports will finish this week; there could possibly be one or two importers that will have limited supply for a few weeks longer. Florida shippers have started their spring deal with growers on the eastern and western sides of the state. Volume has already increased this week with warmer weather. Florida has been windy for the past six weeks, which causes some scaring issues and irregularly shaped cucumbers. Overall, quality is good on domestic and import cucumbers.

New fields of eggplant have started near the central part of the state and quality is good. Supplies are still light as growers are working on small acreages; however yields are expected to be very steady during the harvest of these newer fields. Cooler temperatures during March delayed start dates for harvesting, but warmer weather is currently in the forecast for these areas which will help with supply.

Green Grapes are in a two-tier market. New arrival grapes are terrific quality but are in the 30 dollar range. There is still storage crop available to ship in the lower 20 dollar market, but we are seeing more difficulties with quality and shelf life. Expect to see a more difficult green grape market for the remainder of the Chilean season.

The red grape market is steady with product still coming in, as well as sitting in storage.There is a wide range of variety and sizes, but quality is spotty, especially any grapes purchased cheaply. Splits and decay are the main issues we are seeing so make sure to check quality upon arrival.

Even with the Easter holiday, supplies have remained abundant. The market is also steady. The overall quality has been nice with little yellow to brown tops. Supplies and the market will be steady into next week.

The kale market is steady at competitive prices. Supplies are abundant as well. The overall quality is excellent with full bunches, dark green color, minimal dehydration, and little to no yellowing.

Yuma supplies are winding down and Huron production has picked up. Demand overall is off. This market is softer. Santa Maria continues to have some availability if needed. Light production will start this week in Salinas and better numbers are expected next week. The defects worth noting include puffiness, mechanical and a bit of ribbing, along with some discoloration. Expect weights to average 41-46 pounds as an industry standard right now. Currently shippers are flexing on this commodity for good volume type orders.

Transitions:
Yuma will have production 1-2 weeks more then be finished.

Romaine as well as green and red leaf is steady in the marketplace. Romaine hearts continue to be on escalated pricing. Issues on this commodity include blister and peel, discoloration, frost damage due to cold temperatures in past weeks as well as small sizing. Hearts are expected to pick up in quality next week as new fields are expected to be ready to harvest. This will occur in Huron and Salinas. Green and red leaf as well as romaine continue to have defects like ribbing, mechanical, blister and peel and twisting. Better quality is expected next week as well. Salinas production is light this week but production will be better next week. Santa Maria will have light availability and fair quality on all leaf items throughout the week.

Transitions:
Yuma will finish up on all leaf items this week. Huron and Salinas as well as Santa Maria will be the areas of harvesting for these commodities.

Currently we have two growing areas harvesting tender leaf items, Yuma and the Salinas Valley. Supplies are steady on both the conventional and organic side. The market is stable even through this transition back to Salinas. The quality in both Yuma and Salinas is really good with minimal bruising of the leaves, little excessive moisture, or discoloration of the leaves as well.

Cantaloupe supplies remain heavy to the bigger sizes such as 6 count through 9 count. Although we will see an influx of 12 count supplies towards the end of the week. There are still extremely limited supplies of 15 count and 18 count. The market remains firm at current levels. The overall quality has been really nice with little to no arrival issues. We have decent brix / sugar levels and no soft spotting or decay.

The honeydew market remains firm at current market levels. Supplies are still heavier to larger sizes. Predominantly 4 count and 5 count honeydew are in good supplies while 8 count and 9 count are extremely limited. The overall quality has been really nice with good sugar levels, minimal scarring or spotting.

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 over the next week an half. Look for the markets to stay fairly steady as supplies wind down out of the North and new crop supplies increase volumes.

Transitions:
Northwest Storage season slowly winding down with new crop supplies in California about ready to start.

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 have a steady market with supplies slowly winding down for the season. 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 pears are shifting from Chilean to Argentinian on both coasts. Sizing is peaking on 90/100s Quality is very nice.

Volume coming from the tropics is good and looks to be so through April. Size continues to peak on 5s/6s.

Demand is good 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 slowly winding down. Markets are steady with sizing peaking on A-Size on both. Availability on Yellows are good supplies winding down on Reds. 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. Quality is very nice.

Squash growing regions continue to produce high yields in south and central Florida. Homestead will 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, and with warmer weather in the forecast, no weather related quality issues is expected.

We are near the end of the Chilean season, and all fruit is arriving bigger, which means less volume fills and more tray packs. The market remains steady with good quality. Ship arrivals have been sporadic depending on the weather. Availability of Chilean peaches, nectarines, and plums continues to be light.

Spring harvests are adjusting tomato FOBs downward across the board. Strong supplies to start the season coupled with low demand are helping to exasperate the price drops this week. 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.