The Source - July 25, 2018

As we approach the new crop season, supplies continue to deplete with some suppliers. The market will take a steady climb from here on out until the suppliers get a few weeks into the new crop. Red Delicious seems to be the most active market with supplies cleaning up quickly. Other varietals will help offset that supply depletion. Quality is still really good with decent pressure and sugar levels. We have also started new crop California gala apples. So if you have transportation available, you will benefit from the new crop apples.

The weather has remained the same in both regions Mexico, Central Mexico, and Northern Baja. Volume has increased over last week due to the weather remaining the same. We should see production in Central Mexico wrap up the first week in September, and Northern Baja should wrap up at the end of September. Production and weather are the same as last week in both regions in Peru (ICA/Trujillo). Larger sized asparagus production is still limited due to the cooler weather over the past month. Markets are overall lower with very good production, and with little demand.

The California crop lost another larger amount due to the severe heat wave that lasted several days of the first week of July. Weekly harvest estimates will begin to rapidly decline through August due to the available crop. California season is expected to wrap up for all intents by the end of August, mid-September at the latest.

Mexico's old crop season in near its end. Still peaking on 48's and larger fruit. New crop Flora Loca harvest has begun with light harvest and will peak on 60's and smaller fruit. This summer crop is a small crop and demand is mostly going to surpass supplies.

Green Bell Peppers are coming from a few regions, but none are in big volume. New Jersey probably has the most supply now but quality has been an issue, and overall supply has not been great. Western North Carolina has some supply, but the planted acreage is not enough to satisfy demand. Michigan has started very light supply and is the next big region in line, a few shippers have started, but only in light volume, most shippers will not start until the first week in August. Expect the bell pepper market to stay healthy through the week.

Alerts:
Very tight supplies for the remainder of this week.

Transitions:
Bell Peppers are transitioning to Michigan

Green Bell Peppers - Most pepper supplies are now coming out of the Arvin / Bakersfield area. High heat in the growing area has slowed production. Some growers have begun to harvest new fields, but supplies remain light, especially on choice grade peppers. Quality is good. The market is stronger, and pricing is higher. Shipping areas include Fresno, Gilroy, and Oxnard, as well as Bakersfield.

Red Bell Peppers – Red bells are available to load out of San Diego, with hothouse peppers being grown in Baja California. There are also peppers available from Bakersfield, as we have moved into the summer growing areas. Volume is expected to increase in Bakersfield, but extreme heat in the area has slowed production. The market remains Steady. Shipping areas are San Diego, Fresno, Oxnard, Gilroy, and Bakersfield.

Yellow Bell Peppers – Bakersfield area growers have begun to harvest yellow bells. Quality is good with very few peppers available to offer. Volume has increased, high heat in the area has slowed production. Light supplies of hothouse peppers are also available to load in San Diego, from Baja California. The quality of the fruit from Baja has improved and is mostly good. The market remains strong.

Blackberry supplies have slowed down this week as several areas are finishing up. Central California harvest will be done this week. Georgia and North Carolina are also finishing up this week. We will need to focus loading blackberries on the west coast in Salinas and Watsonville areas. Santa Maria harvest is steady, but light. Salinas / Watsonville production is steady this week with improved volumes expected in the next two weeks. If loading in Oregon is an option, there is consistent production in that area as well. Quality is excellent currently. Market prices have remained steady and firm.

Transitions:
Central California, Georgia and North Carolina are all coming to the end of their season this week. Oregon has consistent harvest. Salinas and Watsonville expected to improve over the next 2 weeks.

We continue to see good supplies of blueberries out of the Pacific Northwest and Michigan growing regions. In the Northwest, we have Oregon, Washington and British Columbia in heavy production. This fruit is being sold directly out of each growing region and is also being transferred and sold out of central California, Los Angeles, and Salinas / Watsonville areas. Quality is being reported as very good with firm berries and good color. Market prices have been steady to firm this week. Opportunity buys are available for volume orders. Michigan continues with steady production as well. Quality is strong. Market prices are steady to higher in this area. North Carolina, Georgia, and New Jersey are finished. We expect good supplies for the next 2-3 weeks.

Raspberry supplies remain steady this week. We did see a bump in production last week from California growing regions. This week, Mexico has product available to load in McAllen, TX. Quality is being reported as very good in all areas. Depending on the shipper, we are seeing a wide range in market prices. Some aggressive opportunities are available in Santa Maria and Texas. Salinas and Watsonville areas remain steady and firm on prices. We expect supplies to continue to improve in all areas moving forward. Promotional opportunities are available in August.

Strawberry supplies are slowly improving this week. Yields in the Salinas and Watsonville growing regions have improved. The weather is expected to remain steady with highs in the mid 70's this week. Shippers are expecting to have open fruit available to sell throughout the week. Quality is fair. Although it is improving, we can still expect to see some softer fruit and bruising. Market prices have started to adjust down gradually this week. I expect to see opportunity buys later in the week. Santa Maria growing regions continue to have limited supplies. Temps are steady in the high 70's to low 80's. Quality is fair with some darker fruit and bruising. Market prices in this area have remained steady. New fall harvest is expected to start in the beginning of August in all growing regions. We expect improved supplies and quality at that time.

The broccoli market continues to be competitive. There are good supplies out there and have been increasing as we go through the typical growth cycle. Quality remains good with minimal yellowing, little mechanical damage, and decent crown size. The outlook is for supplies to remain at normal levels.

The current market on Brussels Sprouts continues to slowly come off as of late. Supplies in Salinas continues to improve. Quality is much better from the previous weeks and is seeing less insect damage, black spotting and decay.

We are seeing low yields of jumbo size carrots and a firm market on jumbos. Value-added packs and medium-sized supplies remain good.

Cauliflower market has adjusted slightly upward with supplies from both the Salinas and Santa Maria becoming a bit tighter. Overall, the quality has been good. The quality reports have shown weights in the 27 to 30-pound level, little yellow cast to cream color, and occasional bruising.

The market was trending higher due to some seeder issues here in California, although most shippers have moved past that acreage. The lack of demand has also created the market to trend lower. It looks as if increased supplies of 24ct and 30ct celery have decreased the market. Celery 36ct supplies and market vary from shipper to shipper. Quality has improved with decent weights from the 60 to 65-pound level, decent heart material, and vibrant green color.

Jalapeño – The market remains strong. The Jalapenos being harvested in Baja are mostly going directly to the L.A market. Production remains lighter than usual from Mexico. Quality is mostly fair. Santa Maria has now started harvesting jalapeños, volume in Santa Maria is expected to increase in late July. The hot weather in California has slowed production.

Pasilla – Most of the Pasilla for the west coast is coming from the Baja growing areas. There is high demand, and the market is firm. Quality from Baja has been mostly good; however, last month’s storm affected the shelf life of the peppers. New fields will be ready to harvest this week in Baja. Pasilla will also be available to load in Santa Maria, high heat in the area has slowed production.

Anaheim – Anaheim peppers are being produced in Baja, where the quality of the fruit has been good. Production in Baja is expected to increase in the next week. Growers in Santa Maria are expected to start in the next week. High heat in Santa Maria has slowed production. The market is firm; pricing remains high.

Tomatillo – Better supplies available on both husked and peeled tomatillos. The market remains higher on the peeled variety. Most Baja fruit is still being sent directly to the L.A market. Tomatillos are now available in Santa Maria, mostly the husked variety. Volume is light and pricing is higher.

Serrano – Light supplies are now available to load in L.A from Baja. The market remains strong, quality is reported as good.

Cilantro market has picked up this week. Supplies have tightened up from multiple shippers in the Salinas Valley and the southern region. Cilantro supplies also exist out of Mexico. Quality has been a little more hit or miss out of this region. Minimal decay and yellow leaves have been reported upon arrivals out of the California growing regions.

The overall lemon demand far exceeds the limited supplies. Domestic production out of Ventura County is nearly finished with picking and working out of limited storage fruit. Importers of offshore fruit are still waiting on usable volume of fruit to begin to arrive toward the end of July, with crop reporting to be lighter in volume and larger in size.

Alerts:
Demand greatly exceeds supplies.

The market is trending up with limited supplies on smaller fruit ( 200s-250s). The extreme heat in Mexico has brought on larger fruit 150s and 175s. Overall quality has gone from good to fair. Shippers are having to do an extremely good repack to try and keep up with the quality the customer is used to receiving. For example, if a shipper receives ten loads of fruit, only five loads of the ten will meet their standards. There are #2 grade limes out there at a better price. We will also be seeing some offshore fruit from Peru.

California Valencia harvest is moving at a steady pace. Packers are packing only 2 to 3 days a week to spread this light crop out into September. Fruit quality and color are good, with size currently peaking 88s/72s/113s. Demand remains strong and increasing as early school demand is beginning. Small size fruit 113s/138s will be limited through to entire Valencia season.

Supplies of eastern cucumbers are getting better; there are small pockets everywhere from the mountains of North Carolina to New England and Canada and west to Michigan. Pack-outs have not been good leading to tight supply on Supers, but quality overall has been good in all growing regions. There is forecast for rain across the eastern seaboard this entire week so look out for the supply in those regions. Supplies in Michigan, which is the largest supply region this time of year, should get better later this week.

Alerts:
Supplies are getting better, but rain along the eastern seaboard could change quality for the worse.

The San Diego (Baja California) crop will continue production through the summer. The quality from San Diego has been mostly good. High volume is expected out of Baja for the season. Extreme heat in Baja has slowed production slightly, while demand remains steady.

Good eggplant is in short supply this week, but that trend will not last long with Michigan set to start next week. The southern states are finished and New Jersey which is the largest producer at this time does not have enough to fill all the demand. Ohio and Michigan will start light volume by the first of next week, that should take some pressure off the market.

Alerts:
Eggplant is in short supplies.

Transitions:
Eggplant will transition to Michigan next week.

Eggplant is now also available from the Arvin / Bakersfield district, where supplies are expected to increase slightly. Demand and pricing have been steady. Some deals available on choice grade eggplant. High heat in the growing area has affected quality. Shipping areas include Bakersfield, Fresno, and Gilroy.

California greens are readily available and of excellent quality. The main area for harvesting right now is Arvin CA, pulling all colors. The Fresno area started a few weeks after Arvin but is now also in full swing. Fruit is seeing excellent size, color, with very healthy stems.

California greens are readily available and of excellent quality. The main area for harvesting right now is Arvin CA, pulling all colors. The Delano and Fresno area started a few weeks after Arvin but are now also in full swing. Fruit is seeing excellent size, color, with very healthy stems.

The market continues to be competitive. Sizing is still trending to the smaller sizing. At this point, Jumbo Green Onions are nonexistent. With the hot weather in Mexico, quality has been improving overall, and the presence of thrip damage and leaf minor is minimal. This hot weather is continuing to help fight off thrip and leaf minor presence.

The kale market continues to be steady with no signs of changing in the coming week. Supplies continue to be good with steady demand. Quality is good with good color, full bunches, and only an occasional yellow leaf being reported.

We currently have plenty of supplies of lettuce from all suppliers here in the Salinas Valley. The market started to trend higher, but the lack of demand changed that tune. We are still having some quality issues with tip burn, internal burn, and fringe burn but it varies from each supplier, although we have had very minimal quality complaints.

There are plenty of supplies of romaine, red leaf, green leaf, and butter lettuce from all suppliers. We are in peak season for the Salinas and Santa Maria growing regions. Quality is really good with the exception of some tip burn and fringe burn from previous warmer weather. The markets are steady with offers on all leaf items.

Tender leaf continues to have abundant supplies of arugula, spring mix, baby spinach, and cello spinach. The quality has been really nice with minimal yellowing, excessive moisture, or bruising of the tender leaves. The weather for growing conditions has been optimal for all tender leaf items.

Weather in the San Joaquin Valley has been in the triple digits. That being said it has brought on fruit a lot quicker. We are seeing a lot of larger fruit 9s, jumbo 9s and 12s and limited supplies on the smaller fruit 15s and 18s. Quality over all has been good with good brix/sugar levels around 12. We are a few weeks out from hitting peak season.

Weather in the San Joaquin Valley has been very hot with some days pushing triple digits. That being said the heat has brought on the fruit a lot quicker. Quality has been good, and brix/sugar levels remain in the 10-12 range. Plenty of fruit available on all sizes. We will be in the peak of the summer season within the next few weeks.

The Bakersfield area has begun watermelon production. Volume has increased throughout Central California. Demand remains steady; pricing has adjusted down slightly with additional supplies creating pressure to promote sales. Quality is good out of Bakersfield.

California and New Mexico are still the main shipping points for all onions. This will start to transition to the Northwest by the middle of August. Washington and Idaho have had ideal growing conditions so far. This should make for a smooth transition. Quality is still being reported as good with few reports of issues upon arrivals. Hot temperatures in the growing areas of California look to be hitting records with no cooling in sight. This will hurt the quality of the onions to some degree. Only time will tell. Stay tuned. Luckily demand has been good keeping the supplies moving. The forecast for New Mexico and Washington is for cooling into the mid 90's as this week moves on. New Mexico Yellow onions are peaking on Jumbo's and smaller with very few colossal and Super colossal being packed. Transportation is limited and pricey.

Alerts:
Temperatures in all the growing areas have been in the low to mid 100's. New Mexico and Washington will cool into the mid 90's by the weekend with California staying in the 100's into late next week. Transportation is limited

The storage crop on Anjou pears in Washington is finishing up over the course of the next few weeks. The market remains firm at higher prices. Quality remains nice for the storage crop with minimal arrival issues. California has started Bartlett and crimson red pears. There is a full range of sizes. The market is steady for this week. Quality is excellent as we begin the California season.

Pineapple volume coming from the tropics is beginning to drop due to normal seasonal decline for the summer and fall. This is planed production drop as summer time a period of good availability of other fruit types which compete with pineapples.

Storage potatoes are still being shipped out Idaho, Washington, Colorado, and Wisconsin. Quality overall is still good with a few lots showing some light to moderate internal bruising. Colorado and Wisconsin have just enough supplies to cover their regular customers till new crop start the front part of August. Washington new crop potatoes have started with a couple of shippers this week. Supplies will increase as each week moves on. Quality is being reported as good. Idaho will start with new crop in a very light way next week. The week of August 6th is when most shippers will start to break into their new crop potatoes. Most will have some overlap of storage verse New Crop. Look for the market to weaken over the next two weeks as shippers try to clean up their storages. New crop Norkotah will start out with moderate sizing which will increase as they get into their later fields.

Transitions:
All areas will be transitioning to new crop in the next couple of weeks.

Red potatoes are available out of California, Washington, Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Alabama. Quality is good with a steady market. White potatoes are limited and are available mainly out of California with few coming out North Carolina/Alabama. Quality is good with a firm market. Gold potatoes are available out of California, Texas, North Carolina/Alabama. Demand and quality are good. Big Lake, Minnesota will break ground on Red potatoes next week. Supplies will build quickly as we get into August. Growing conditions have been excellent. As the new areas start, look for a little skinning showing up in the packs.

Transitions:
Big Lake, Minnesota to start in a light way on Reds next week. Tri City Washington area has started with reds and golds.

Squash supplies are coming from every direction; local deals are in full force all over the eastern half of the country. Demand has been good, but with an abundant supply, the market has been trending lower this week and should continue in that direction. Quality has been good in most regions, with green squash in better demand and better quality.

Transitions:
Squash supplies are coming from every direction.

Peak Seasons:
Squash is in peak season.

Zucchini and Yellow S/N - Good supplies are available from Santa Maria, CA. Quality is mostly fair. Production in Santa Maria is expected to remain consistent through the summer season. High heat in the last few weeks has affected the quality and shelf life of the squash. The market is steady; demand has slowed with additional supplies being offered across the country from local growers.

We are in peak season for stone fruit. There is plenty of fruit available in larger sizes, and in tray packs. As the fruit sizes up, there are less smaller sized fruit and volume fills available. Growers are willing to make deals while fruit is prevalent, and the demand is slow before the school season starts up.

There is a healthy supply of tomatoes exceeding the demand of the nation with the largest growing region producing in the west. Eastern operations have finished in southern regions of Alabama and South Carolina and transitioning up the coast to North Carolina and Virginia where markets are steady at this time. Quality has been excellent but heavy rain over the past week may bring challenges in the next fruit that is picked. Eastern Tennessee is also in production but has slowed down harvest due to weather as well. Round tomatoes from all these regions are steadily priced above their western counterparts. Similarly, Roma tomatoes are available and steady with some attractive pricing offered for smaller sizes. The primary growing areas for grape and cherry tomatoes have been exposed to rain and wind halting picking schedules causing to supply to shorten a bit. As the overall supply shrinks, prices have increased for the short term. There is enough supply coming from California and Mexico to ease concerns of any type of shortage, but buyers may have to adjust their sourcing to what is available as the Eastern felids get back on track.

There is no real change in the market this week as harvests continue to produce significant supplies of tomatoes in California and Mexico where growing conditions have been ideal. Round tomatoes are nearly half the price of eastern grown tomatoes, and there continues to be healthy supply of Roma tomatoes from California and Mexico alike. The San Joaquin Valley is such a large growing operation the quality is mixed but good overall. Oceanside California has begun shipping this week as well helping to promote a competitive market further. Baja has begun to slow down as they move past their peak of the season resulting in strong grape tomato prices. Mainland Mexico is forecasted to have steady supply through the rest of July helping to stabilize imports.