The Source - December 3, 2015

Washington - the red delicious remain large and most packers continue to peak on 72/80/88's. The red market is on all sizes but the market is strong and the smaller sizes remain very short. Washington's red delicious volume is down by 30% from last year so expect a season-long strong market. Golden delicious are steady and still producing mostly premium grade 100/113s. Large Goldens are still very short! Washington's golden delicious volume is down by 25% from last year so expect them to stay strong all season. The Granny-smith market is steady to higher on all sizes and they are peaking on 88/100/113s. Most Granny shippers don't have much larger than an 88 and they are still short on 125's and smaller. Galas are steady on all sizes. Most Gala shippers are still peaking on 100/113s and don't have much available on 88's or larger. Fujis are steady and are peaking on extra-fancy 80/88/100's. Honeycrisp are steady to higher and the market is strong due to light supplies. Honeycrisp are peaking on 64/72s. Lower grade Honeycrisp are still relatively cheaper but supplies are short. Jonagolds and Braeburns are both steady and continue to peak on 72/80/88's. The quality for all varieties has been good.
Michigan - Red delicious are steady on all sizes and are peaking on 80/88s. Empires are steady on all sizes and still peaking on 125/138s but Empire supplies are limited. Most suppliers will finish with Empires in late November or early December. McIntosh are steady and they are heavier to 125/138s. Galas are lower on all sizes and are now heavy to 138s. Golden delicious are steady and they are still peaking on 125/138s. Honeycrisp are nearly finished for the season. Jonathans are steady on all sizes and they are still peaking on 150/138/125s. Fujis are steady to lower and they are also peaking on 125/138s. Red Romes, Ida-reds, and Jonamacs, are all still available.
New York - Red delicious, Macs, Galas, Macouns, Romes, Cortlands, and Golden delicious are all steady. Macoun and red delicious volume is good and some shippers will flex on certain sizes and grades, all other varieties have only limited supplies available. The Gala volume is light on all sizes. The quality has been good on all varieties.

Asparagus supplies will be steady for the week. Good Supplies of Peruvian Asparagus off the East Coast remain with limited demand. Steady supplies from Mexico this week as well. The only difference is out of Mexico Limited Supplies of Extra Large and Jumbo sizes. Extra Large and Jumbo asparagus is available off the East Coast. Quality has been Fair to Good upon arrival with some spreading in the tips of asparagus.

Mexican shipments to the U.S. was down just a little due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The pipeline to the forward warehouses have been filled and movement is currently sluggish after the holiday. We are seeing a more normal range of sizes, peaking on 40s/48s, but availability on 60s/70s continues to be an issue for some shippers. This new crop fruit is lower in maturity and will take longer to ripen and not darken as much when ripen. Ripe fruit could still be green in color as the skin isn't mature enough for it to darken. Color is not an indication of ripeness, pressure is.

The CA blackberry crop continues to decline in volume and should end major production by early December. Mexico is ramping up production weekly as we move further into their growing season. There are volume and pricing deals available for fruit crossing in McAllen and San Diego. Quality issues with soft fruit, red cell and juicing have been reported in both CA and MX fruit.

Good availability with increased volume arriving on both the East and West coasts. South America and Mexico are shipping more fruit with the addition of more blueberries from Chile as their crop ramps up production and more shipments are sent to the US. Quality is good overall. Demand has been moderate.

The CA raspberry crop continues to decline in production volume out of all growing districts but central Mexico is ramping up production weekly. Between all production areas, we have adequate supply. Some volume deals are being offered as MX volume increases. CA quality has suffered some with wet, leaky fruit being reported but current reports do show improvements over recent weeks. MX quality has improved and reported with good remarks.

California production remains limited in both Santa Maria and Oxnard. Cooler weather and seasonal decline on the west coast have slowed production. Better demand for CA fruit this week over last. Sizing remains small, average 25-30 count per 1 pound clamshell. Quality has improved some with the cooler weather but there are still reports of bruising, soft shoulders, insect damage, overripe and lighter-colored fruit. Central Florida and central Mexico are both supplying more strawberries this week to help cover the overall demand. Both of these new regions are struggling with sizing as fruit is very small. Better availability for volume orders out of McAllen and Plant City.

Alerts:
California is still limited supply due to decreasing production volume.

The broccoli market is about steady. Supplies have improved slightly as Mexico has begun to come up in numbers shipped. Quality from all areas is also much improved. That being said the quantities available are still insufficient to meet current demand. The desert regions are still struggling to start with cold weather slowing growth and delaying harvest.

Alerts:
The desert regions of Arizona and California start slowed by cold weather.

Transitions:
The desert regions of Arizona and California starting.

Supplies from the Salinas Valley are still extremely limited due to the temperatures in the mid to low 30's at night. Supplies from Mexico are still not ready and they are experiencing cold weather in this particular growing region too. Look for the market to remain active all week with limited supplies. Demand is off and the market looks to decrease.

Cooler weather in Bakersfield is still slowing growth and the sizing and tonnage is off. The percentage of jumbo size carrots is lower than normal and market is firm.

Cauliflower production has come to a stand still as Salinas has finished and the desert regions struggle to start. There is some light production coming out of Santa Maria but the quantities are insufficient to impact the market. The desert regions are now dealing with cold temperatures that will delay harvest further and could potentially impact quality. We expect the cauliflower market to remain very strong for the next several weeks; if not into the first of next year.

Alerts:
Cauliflower in an extreme production gap

Transitions:
Yuma and the California desert region due to start

The celery market continues to be demand exceeds supply. Quality is fair but we are seeing most shippers struggle with size and weight due to Fusarium Wilt issues. Volumes continue to be light in Oxnard. Mexico is starting but in numbers to light to impact the market. We see no real change in this market for the next several weeks.

Alerts:
Supplies limited

Supplies this week will be limited causing the market to get active. Colder weather in the Oxnard / Baja growing region will keep the market strong and supplies limited all week. Quality is still a problem with lots showing yellowing and black slimy leaves upon arrival.

Demand remains very good. The Desert crop is 30% lighter in volume than last years crop and is 41% harvested. This crop is producing a larger proportion of fancy grade and is peaking on 140s and larger fruit, which is in good availability with market easing off a bit, but still leaving us in a demand exceed supplies on 165s and smaller fruit. Expect this shortage on smaller fruit to continue through January.

Alerts:
Demand exceeds supply on the smaller sized fruit 165s/200s/235s. Expect shortages to go through January.

The lime market is lower on all of the sizes. Previous rains caused the size profile to go towards larger sizes but the crop has now found equilibrium across the range of sizes. The overall quality is very good on the new crop. Demand has weakened after the Thanksgiving holiday and the market is lower for the near term.

Navel crop is peaking on 88s/113s/72s. Cooler night time temps are bring on better natural color to the oranges and growers are able to drop gas times on the fruit down to 48 hours or less for some. This will help both quality and turn around of fruit. Volumes will continue to be steady, if weather cooperates.

The green seedless market is steady but firm. We are approaching the last few weeks of domestic green grapes. Quality is fair to good at best with inventories dropping rapidly. We are currently seeing Peruvian green's with the first of the Chilean crop arriving around the 15'th of December. Supplies will remain tight through the month of December with much better volumes expected about the middle of January. It's important to note that the import grapes run smaller on pack out. The Chilean large runs more towards the equivalent of a big medium/large domestic grape.

Transitions:
Just 2 weeks away from finishing domestic and going all imported Peruvian and Chilean green grapes.

The red seedless grape market is about steady. Quality is fair to good at best with some mold and shatter showing up in the late season Crimsons. Color is also an issue as the last of the Vintage Red's clean up and the Crimsons are showing 75 - 80% color. The domestic red grapes will be coming out of storage for the month of December. The Peruvian red's are available on both coasts (still primarily East Coast) with the early Chileans arriving around the middle to end of December.

Alerts:
Storage grapes showing some quality issues.

Transitions:
Peruvian grapes available and Chilean grapes starting in 2 weeks.

The Green Onion market remains steady at higher prices. Supplies are still limited coming from Mexico. But we are starting to see better supplies of pencil/small sized green onions. The other sizes are limited and are commanding a higher market price. Iceless Green onions are also limited in supply and the market remains active. Over all quality is good with occasional yellowing in the tops.

Good supplies remain in both growing regions. The market has also remained stable. Quality is excellent with great color and minimal yellowing. Look for supplies and the market to remain steady for the week.

Cold temperatures in Yuma and the outlying areas of Yuma continue to play havoc to growers. Crews will again be delayed in harvesting and this will continue throughout the week. Ice is the major issue. Expect to see blister and peel upon arrivals throughout the month of December. Crews will not begin harvesting until mid morning. Expect trucks to be delayed. Demand exceeds supplies. Escalated pricing is in effect on contract cartons and value added items. Yuma lettuce is reported to have seeder, light weights, small and irregular head size, puffiness, and insect damage. These defects are industry wide. The weights on palletized lettuce continue to range from 32-39 pounds.

Alerts:
Cold temperatures in the growing region causing delays for lettuce harvesting.

Frost continues to be an issue in Yuma and the outer areas of Yuma. Carton romaine as well as romaine hearts will be harvested mid morning at the earliest. The romaine supplies are moderate for some suppliers while others are very light. Delays in shipping will occur all week due to the frigid temperatures. Ice is the major issue. Expect trucks to be delayed. Demand exceeds supplies. Escalated pricing is in effect on contract cartons and value added items. Defects include seeder, light weights, small and irregular head size, puffiness, and insect damage. These defects are industry wide. Green and red leaf as well as butter are all having the same issues as romaine. This is industry wide. The Southern California region has the same issues on all leaf items. Supplies will be light all week. There will continue to be gaps in pricing among the different shippers on all leaf items throughout the week.

Alerts:
Frost on plants causing delays in harvesting on all leaf items.

The desert finished packing lopes. Mexico is crossing very very small volumes of cantaloupes. Offshore melons are arriving in Florida and volumes will continue to increase weekly, however this week will be extremely short in supplies. Offshore melons are trickling in on the west coast and supplies will build slowly. Offshore quality is good and the peak size is 9ct and 6ct with very few 12ct and even less 15ct. The 18ct sizes will not be available for several more days. The large size fruit trend will continue for the near future. We are experiencing very good demand for the cantaloupes that are arriving. The offshore growing areas have experienced 4-6 inches of rain two weekends ago. Supplies will be lighter than normal for the month of December and the peak size will be 9ct to 6ct. The current market is up on all sizes and looks to continue the upward trend.

Alerts:
Supplies will be lighter than normal this month. The peak size will be 9ct and 6ct with very few 12ct, fewer 15ct and almost zero 18ct coming in this month.

The peak size is currently 6ct with more of all sizes coming in than previously. Honeydews are now finished in the West Side district. The desert has also finished harvesting. Mexican dews continue to ship out of Nogales AZ. Demand is good on all sizes. Offshore dews are arriving in small volumes in Florida with the peak size being 5ct. Offshore dews will arrive on the west coast mid December. The market is steady on Mexican dews and higher on offshore dews.

Washington - the market is steady on all sizes and all colors. Several shippers have only limited supplies of medium yellows. The quality is good on all colors.
Idaho/Oregon - the market is steady on all sizes and colors. Demand has been fair.. The quality has been good on all colors.

Washington - Bartletts are steady on all sizes but the market is strong due to lighter supplies in storage. The fruit continues to peak on 110/120s and large size Bartletts are still short. Bosc are steady and continue to peak on 90/100/110s. D'anjou pears are also steady and continue to peak on 90/100s. Most shippers are short of D'anjou 80s and larger. Red pears are steady on all sizes and are still producing mostly half carton 45/50s and full carton 90/100s. The quality has ranged on the bartletts as some suppliers are between regular storage and C.A. The D'anjou, Bosc, and red pear quality is good.

Supplies have improved and look good for December. Exports to Europe has backed off and this is helping our supply issues we have seen over the last month.

Washington - cartons and number-twos are steady on all sizes but the availability is light. The norkotah quality has been good.
Idaho - the market is steady on all sizes in both varieties. Several shippers have only been packing only limited shifts due the recent cold weather in Eastern Idaho but the temperatures are supposed to warm up for the weekend and into early next week. Demand has been steady to light. The quality for both varieties has been good.
Colorado - the carton market is steady on all sizes. The norkotah quality has been good.
Wisconsin - the carton market is steady on all sizes. The norkotah quality has been good.

Bakersfield, California - all sizes and colors are steady and they all continue to peak on size A. Premium/Baker size reds and golds remain limited. The quality has been good.
Western Washington - reds and golds are steady and they are peaking on A size. The quality has been good on all colors.
Idaho - Reds and golds are mostly steady although there are some volume deals available. All colors continue to peak on A-size. The quality has been good.
Wisconsin - Reds and golds are steady and both colors are peaking on A-size. Number-two Bs, premium and baker reds, premium and baker golds, and gold Cs are still short. The quality has been good.
North Dakota - Reds and golds are steady and still peaking on size A. US#1 and 2 Red B volume remain limited along with premiums and bakers in both colors. The quality has been good.

We are seeing Chilean cherries and apricots on the West Coast this week. Quality is reported as good with limited numbers available on both. Peruvian cherries are available on the East Coast in good numbers. Quality is reported as generally good. These markets are steady with good demand.

Transitions:
Chilean cherries and apricots starting.

Rounds - The market is higher. Will see shorter supplies this week, due to intermitten weather through some of the regions. Availability and harvest has tightened. Palmetto-Ruskin will struggle to find sizing. Mexico also tightening due to weather conditions they are experiencing. Quality is Good.
Roma - The market is higher. With lower volumes on the rounds, the Roma market has picked up, causing lower supplies in the market. Mexico limited in volumes as well, due to conditions out west. Market should continue to be up at least through the week. Quality is Good.
Cherry - The market is steady. Florida continues to see good supplies, however, rains are forecasted over the next couples days which may slow things up. Quality is Good.
Grape - The market is higher. Florida seeing lower production due to weather. Mexico also seeing lower numbers, with the market higher out west. Quality is good.

Rounds - The market is higher. Mexico volume down due to weather conditions. Florida also seeing lower supplies, with rain forecasted in the couple couple days. Market may continue to increase depending on weather. Quality is Good.
Roma - The market is higher. Supplies are lower out west. Weather continues to be an issue. Florida also up in market due to lower supplies.
Quality is Good.
Cherry - The market is steady. Mexico supplies steady, but rains could slow those down. Florida also has steady supplies. Quality is Good.
Grape - The market is higher. Rains have curtailed harvest in the west and east. Market on the rise and could see it higher through the week. Quality is good.