The Source - July 21, 2016

Washington - Red delicious are steady on all sizes. Most shippers continue to peak on extra-fancy 72-88s. Golden Delicious are steady but firm and still peaking on Wash-Extra 100/113s. Storage golden supplies are limited so expect some suppliers to gap between C.A. and new-crop earli/gingergolds. Most suppliers still don't have much larger than an 88-size. Granny Smith are steady on all sizes and continue to peak on 88-113s. Most shippers still don't have much larger than an 88. Galas and Fujis are extremely short as most shippers are finishing up if they haven't already. Pink Lady's are steady but the market remains firm due to very strong demand. The quality for all varieties has been good.
California - Galas are steady to slightly lower and they are still peaking on smaller fruit. The quality is good.
Chile - Chilean Braeburns are peaking on 70-90s and they are steady on all sizes. Chilean Pinks Ladys are steady and peaking on 70/80s. Chilean Fujis are also steady and peaking on 80-size. The Chilean fruit availability is better on the east coast. The import quality has been good.

Transitions:
Washington could start packing Galas and Ginger golds at the end of next week.

Asparagus supplies are still steady from Mexico, but lower from Peru. Quality is good from both regions.

California has peaked on their harvest and is on a slow decline to mid August, when the next big drop looks to happed as its season begins its final seasonal harvest.

Mexico has been harvesting for a week now and fruit is now working its way through the supply chain. Inventories are showing good on 60s and 70s, but on 48s, still very limited and they look to stay this way possibly through September.We will be in this Summer Crop (Flora Loca crop) of Mexico’s for the next 6 to 10 weeks and should have decent supplies going forward, unfortunately about 80% of this crop will be 60s/70s/84s. Not many 40s/48s and we don’t see this size curve changing much, maybe 25% 48s and larger by September. We will also see very limit supplies on #2 volume, being it’s early in the season, and fruit is very clean.

Alerts:
Limited volume start hitting the US shipping points. Most of this fruit will be 60s and 70s, with a very small percent of 48's. Demand exceeding supplies on 48s.

Bell pepper has moved up to the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley. Better supply and size on both Green and Red Varieties, Sizing is good on Both colors.
Reds are still showing the effects of the heat with some condition defects, quality is expected to improve

Supply is steady with production out of CA, OH, IN, WA and OR. Some growers are gapping in between varieties out of Oregon. Georgia and North Carolina season has pretty well wrapped up production, much smaller volumes. Demand has increased slightly out west due to GA and NC production coming off. Quality is good out of all areas. There have been some isolated instances of wet and leaky berries.

The Pacific Northwest production in Oregon, British Columbia and Washington has backed off some due to recent rainy weather. We do not expect this seasonal crop to ramp back up. Michigan and Indiana are producing blueberries steadily and expecting a premium price for their fruit over the PNW region. New Jersey, Georgia and North Carolina have wrapped up major production although you may still find some blues in circulation from these growing regions.

Transitions:
Peruvian imports should begin to hit the United States around the first week of September.

Supplies remain short but we should see minimal increases in the coming weeks. CA raspberries passed peak production and hit a low point in mid-July. Production from CA and Baja, MX should now begin to stair-step back up until mid-August. Quality has remained good out of all regions, some isolated instances of wet, leaky or off-color berries.

Alerts:
We will remain in a short supply situation for the next couple weeks. Mid-July was the low point for production and we're now expecting a stair-step up until mid-August in both CA and Baja Mexico.

Supply is fairly steady with good demand. Quality is good with pickers paying extra attention to pack quality and avoid bruised and overripe fruit. There have been a few reports of white shoulders and green tips still showing up in the packs. Sizing is even smaller than the last few weeks with berries running 18-26 per 1 pound clamshell. Weather has been cool leading to a reduction in harvest estimates. Labor is becoming more of an issue with all growers.

Transitions:
Santa Maria (summer-planted) fall crop is expected to begin around the second week of August. Portola variety is coming along very nicely from this area. Harvests are expected to being August 8-10.

Peak Seasons:
We are on the down side of the summer production peak for Salinas and Watsonville growing regions.

There are good supplies from all growing regions. The markets remain aggressive with your best value out of Santa Maria. Quality is really good with good crown size and minimal yellowing.

Supplies out of the Salinas Valley are plentiful with Oxnard and Mexico adding to the volume. This is keeping the market steady. Quality is excellent with little to no complaints on the domestic product. There have been some complaints out of Mexico with black discoloration.

The Bakersfield crop is in full production. Growth is good and producing good percentage of Jumbo size and supplies are getting much better. Supply of baby peeled carrots are good.

The cauliflower market is steady at current price levels. Supplies are plentiful out of Salinas and Santa Maria. Overall quality is good with occasional arrivals showing bruising.

This market has remained unchanged. California and Michigan are having good production daily. The delivered cost between the two regions are not that far off. The tightest availability still remains with the small sizes. Shippers are flexing on large sizing. Santa Maria and Salinas will have good supplies throughout the week. Shippers eagerly await school business to create a demand that currently is minimal.

Cherry harvest from the Northwest will be coming to an end this weekend. Shippers are expecting production numbers to begin dropping significantly starting tomorrow and finish by the weekend. Inventory of harvested fruit is expected to last through the front part of next week. Quality has been holding strong, but the last of the fruit has endured some rain showers earlier this week. Market prices have been increasing as availability becomes more limited.

Alerts:
The Northwest Cherry season is quickly coming to an end. Supplies are only expected to last through the front part of next week.

Anaheim - Sizing and quality remain good. Lighter supply this week. waiting on increase in volume from Central California. Excellent size and color.

Pablano - Slightly lighter supply with some growers finishing. Good quality and condition expected to continue.

Tomatillo - Good supply of tomatillo shipping from California.

Jalapeno- good quality on new crop pepper, mostly large sizing with good color.

Supplies are starting to decrease at a rapid pace. The heat in Mexico has caused a decrease in supply due to burn and black spotting. This has put the pressure on supplies form Oxnard, Santa Maria, and Salinas. Current Domestic acreage will not be able to cover demand. Quality is good on the domestic front but quality out of Mexico is fair at best.

Alerts:
Limited supplies from Mexico due to quality from the heat is trending this market higher.

The Ventura crop is our main supplier. Demand is stronger than normal and continues to build. We are seeing 165s/200s235s supplies tighten clean up daily.

The 110ct continue coming down and are nearly the same price as the smaller ones while the 150ct to 250ct are within a dollar of each other. Demand is good on all sizes across the board. Limes are peaking on the 175 and 200ct and the trend is continuing towards larger sizes. Quality is good overall with some leaf shading (yellow color) showing up. The overall supplies are increasing. The market is steady on the 175 - 250ct limes.

Shippers have good supplies of Valencias and peaking on 88s/113s/138s. Starting to see some early demand on 113s and 138s as school demand starts to ramp up over the next few weeks.

Good quality and condition on cucumbers coming out of Northern Baja coast. Better production has picked up from multiple grower's this week. All sizes are being packed in 1 1/9 bushel boxes. Also 24's-36's-42's being packed. Color is just fair due to hotter temps

With temperature's dropping, eggplant is showing improvement in quality and condition. Fresno showing good quality with limited supply. Cosmetic issue with egg plant are improving.

Green grape supplies continue to be steady as we move forward with new San Joaquin Valley harvest. Quality has been excellent and sizes are peaking in the Large to Extra Large range. Market prices have been fairly steady this week as most shippers are gradually increasing production. We expect continue quality and steady prices next week with occasional spot buy opportunities becoming available as inventory builds.

Red grape supplies continue to improve as shippers increase harvest production in the Arvin growing regions. Quality has been very strong, but sizes are still on the small side. Market prices have remained level on high quality M/L fruit. Large and Extra Large fruit is fairly limited and is demanding a premium price. We expect next week to be very similar in terms of quality and size. However, volume will be increasing and we may see some spot buy opportunities become available on smaller fruit.

There are steady supplies of green onions from Mexico, and Domestic supplies are steady as well. The market is competitive on iced product but the iceless product prices vary. Quality is good with minimal yellow to brown discoloration of the tops.

Kale supplies remain plentiful from all growing regions. The market is steady with competitive prices. Quality is excellent with little dehydration and yellowing.

The market has continued to be on a steady course with this commodity. A lot of flexing is going on with suppliers. Issues such as puffy heads, insect and mechanical damage continue to be reported sporadically. Temperatures in the growing regions have been good, overall. Supplies are expected to be good throughout the week. School business is expected to start up in August. High heats this weekend is forecasted so this market could turn around next week.

This market is steady. Lack of demand should keep pricing stable thru the week. Romaine heart supplies are good, and in particular a few organic suppliers are offering sharp deals for volume typed orders. Romaine, Green and red leaf continues to be heavy in availability. A few defects continue on leaf items. These defects include slight insect damage, mechanical and slight ribbing. The defects are been seen upon arrivals sporadically.

The West Side supplies have increased from previous levels. Some growers are packing all sizes including 15ct and a few 18ct while others are packing only 9ct. Quality out of the West Side is excellent with good sugar levels. The market is steady to lower right now.

Growers are harvesting dews in the West Side and the volume is steadily increasing. The desert honeydews are finished up for the season and Mexico is done now too. Quality in the West Side is excellent. The market is steady to lower right now.

Demand for Western Watermelon has curtailed. Watermelon is being shipped from Southern and Central California. Quality is good with mostly Large sizes being harvested. Extreme heat has increased the sizing to mostly very large fruit,30s,36 and 45s

Yellow onion market out of both Central California and New Mexico remain strong with good demand. Red and White onion markets remain mostly steady with good supplies out of both growing areas and fair to good demand. Quality is still be reported as good. New Mexico has very limited to no supplies of Colossal Yellow and larger which looks to be the case for the balance of their season. The onion market is expected to remain strong until growers from Washington and Idaho begin shipping additional supplies. Washington has started shipping a light way with both yellow and reds. Idaho could start by the first week of August. Growing conditions have been almost perfect for these new areas. Temperatures in Central California are to get into the 100's starting this weekend and looks to hold all of next week. This could hurt the quality but only time will tell.

Alerts:
Very limited to no supplies of Colossal Yellow Onions and Larger out of New Mexico growing area. Temperatures to hit the 100's in Central California starting this Sunday

Transitions:
Washington growing area has started in a light way. Idaho to follow the first week of August.

California - Bartlett pears are steady on all sizes and continue to peak on 100/110/90s. The quality has been good. Crimson pears are also steady and they are peaking on half carton 45/40s but supplies are limited. There are a few full carton Crimsons available. The quality has been good.
Washington - D'anjou pears are steady but supplies are very short and their season is just about over.
Chile - Chilean Bosc are steady to lower and they continue to peak on 70-100s. The quality has been good.

Transitions:
Washington could start packing Bartlett pears next week.

It's rainy season in the tropics. We are starting to see some water translucency show up in the pineapples and a greener shell color. Shippers will picking the fruit a little earlier to help prevent the water translucency, this leads to the greener shell color. Shell color is not an indication of ripeness. Supplies are tight and are expected to be so through July.

2015 russet storage crop is declining quickly out of Idaho, Washington, Colorado and Wisconsin. Limited supplies of New Crop russet potatoes are available out of Washington. All other growing areas will start up in a light way the first to second week of August. Market is starting to firm up slightly as supplies get into fewer hands. This will be short lived as new crop starts. Quality is still being reported as good.

Bakersfield California - supplies are short and the season is almost finished. The quality has been good.
Stockton California - reds, whites, and golds are steady to slightly lower and all are peaking on A size. Baker/Premium white, red, and gold availability is hit and miss. They have good quality for all colors.
Alabama - Red potatoes are steady and they are peaking on A-size but supplies are light and they are winding down. The quality is good.
North Carolina - reds and golds are steady on all sizes but supplies are fairly limited in both colors. Whites are finishing so only light supplies of them. All colors are peaking on A-size and larger. The quality is fair to good.
Muleshoe Texas - gold potatoes are steady on all sizes while the reds are steady to higher. The quality has been good.
Missouri - they are steady on all Reds. The quality is reported as good.
Wisconsin - red potato availability is light right and they are peaking on B-size with very few As. The quality, skin-set, and color are good.
Washington - eastern red and gold potatoes are steady and both are peaking on A-size. Bs and smaller are limited in both colors.

Transitions:
Minnesota will start packing red potatoes next week

Heavy production on both zucchini and yellow squash are being offered in volume. Sizing is mostly larger due to warm weather. Quality is mostly good but some scarring on certain lots.

Heavy production on both zucchini and yellow squash are being offered in volume. Sizing is mostly larger due to warm weather. Quality is mostly good but with some scarring on certain lots.

Stone fruit availability and markets have been very steady. Peaches, nectarines and plums continue to be readily available in larger sizes. Smaller sizes (volume fill) fruit continues to be limited. As we move into next week we expect to see much of the same. Quality has been strong on all sizes and the product has been traveling well. As we move toward the end of summer and the weather begins to cool, we can expect to see an increased production in smaller fruit in preparation for upcoming school business.

Rounds - The market is higher. Hot, rainy weather east of the Rockies has shortened supplies. Some fields starting to show disease, due the weather conditions, causing less production. Out west, Califorina is in a gap, and Mexico has lighter supplies. Markets are stonger in all areas. Quality has a range from fair to good.
Roma - The market is higher. Supplies in the east has lighter number due to weather. Out west, California is in the process of switching areas or crops. Mexico also seeing lighter supplies, with less available to cross. Range in quality from fair to good.
Cherry - The market is steady. They are smaller cherry growers in production in all areas. Most east coast supplies coming from Maryland / Virginia, but with lighter numbers. Few cherry's are also crossing from Mexico, shortened supplies everywhere. Quality is Good.
Grape - The market is steady. East is looking to be back into supplies with production in Virginia/Maryland, eastern shore. Mid-south, mainland, Mexico, and baja looking to also have good numbers. Quality is good.

Rounds - The market is higher. Supplies looking to be lighter in California, due to gap. Less volume in the west, bringing up market. Vineripes out of Mexico also have lighter numbers. Back east, hot, rainy weather east of Rockies has taken it's toll on supplies. Demand is stronger in all areas. Range in quality from good to fair.
Roma - The market is higher. Cenral California area is in the process of switching areas or crops. Lighter suppliers are also happening in mainland, Mexico. Baja area also looking lighter. Back east, supplies are lighter, with demand on the rise. Range in quality from good to fair.
Cherry - The market is steady. There are smaller cherry growers in all areas. Few cherry's coming out of Mexico. Main supplies back east are Maryland/Virginia, and eastern shore. Demand steady. Quality is Good.
Grape - The market is steady. Supplies better this week in all areas, including Mexico, California, and in the east with Virgina/Maryland, and eastern shore. Look for supplies to continue to be good in the next week or so. Quality is good.