The Source - July 28, 2016

Washington - Red delicious are steady on all sizes. Most shippers continue to peak on extra-fancy 72-88s. Goldens are higher due to light supplies and they are still peaking on Wash-Extra 100/113s. Some suppliers have finished packing and shipping Golden delicious new-crop and will start packing earli golds/ginger golds this week or next. Granny Smith are steady on all sizes and continue to peak on 88-113s. Gala, Fuji, and Pink Lady supplies are extremely short as most shippers are done and the others are shipping from final floor-counts. The quality for all reds, goldens, and granny-smith has been good.
California - Galas are steady and they are still peaking on smaller fruit but supplies are light. 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 than the west. The import quality has been good.

California harvest is in its seasonal decline. Harvest volumes are expected to decline significantly starting next week. Southern groves are in clean up picking and northern groves are picking early and heavy to get fruit off the tree and take advantage of the market and for the health of the trees. Crop is still skewed towards smaller fruit. Market on 48s and larger remain strong with 60s and 70sweakening due to increased volumes of smaller fruit from Mexico.

Mexico has backed off slightly on their harvest after a huge harvest week 2 weeks ago. Inventories are growing, and Mexico's harvest has slowed in response to dropping and unstable market pricing

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 as we move forward. Extreme temperature in California.

Supply is steady with production out of CA, OH, IN, WA and OR. Some growers are gapping and in between varieties out of Oregon. North Carolina season has pretty well wrapped up production, much smaller volumes. Quality is good out of all areas. There have been some isolated instances of wet and leaky berries, also reports of red cell.

Supply is lighter than recent weeks and markets have strengthened from all growing regions. 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 although we will see some late variety Elliot from Washington in a few weeks. Michigan was slow to start this week due to rain and Indiana is producing blueberries steadily. 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 blueberries should begin to hit US ports around the first of September.

Supply and availability have improved over recent weeks. Quality has remained good out of all regions, some isolated instances of wet, leaky or off-color berries.

Transitions:
Baja Mexico production will increase by mid-August.

Supply is steady with very 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. Although there are still a lot of berries in the fields, it is taking more berries to fill each 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 new Fall crop (Summer-planted) strawberries are expected to begin harvests the first couple weeks of August.

Broccoli supplies will remain abundant into next week. Markets are aggressive out of all growing regions. Quality is really nice with good crown size and minimal yellowing.

As Mexico finishes up over the next couple of weeks, this will put pressure on supplies out of California. The market has an upward trend but supplies remain abundant. quality is excellent out of California but product from Mexico is having arrival issues with black leaves.

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 with good supplies from both Salinas and Santa Maria growing regions. Quality has been good with minimal arrival issues. Some of the quality issues being reported on arrival have been black to brown bruising of the cauliflower.

This market has remained unchanged. Expect pricing to be steady throughout the week. Production in Michigan is getting stronger, with supplies heavier to large sizes, twenty-four counts in particular. The smaller sizes are higher priced with most shippers. Quality overall continues to be strong. With Salinas and Santa Maria also having good production numbers, expect this market to be steady throughout the week.

Cherry harvest has ended out of the Northwest. Availability is limited on remaining inventory and is expected to be gone by the end of the week. The import cherry season is expected to start in November.

Alerts:
The domestic cherry season has come to an end.

Transitions:
Import cherries are expected to start in November.

Anaheim - Sizing and quality remain good. Good volume coming out of the San Joaquin Valley . Excellent size and color.

Pablano - Good quality and condition expected to continue.

Tomatillo - Good supply of tomatillo shipping from California. Good color and fresh husk . Good quality over all on tomatillos.

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

The cilantro market is being driven by the lack of supplies from Mexico. Some shippers are finished with harvesting their acreage in Mexico. this is putting the pressure on California to fill the demand. Quality from Mexico is showing black spotting and yellowing of the leaves. Quality from California is nice with minimal yellowing and dehydration.

Alerts:
The cilantro market remains active with limited supplies.

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

The 110ct 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 175ct now. Quality is good overall with some leaf shading (yellow color) showing up. The overall supplies are steady. The market is steady on the limes and prices look to be working on increasing.

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. 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 are steady out of the San Joaquin Valley. Currently we have two varieties to choose from. Sugarones and the recent harvest of Thompsons. Both varieties are being reported as very strong in quality and great availability of large and extra large fruit. The warm weather may cause some occasional amber color on the berries, but should not affect the condition or shelf life. Market price have remained consistent all week and we do not expect much change next week.

San Joaquin Valley harvest continue to move forward with steady supplies of red grapes. Quality has been very strong on the Flame variety and sizes are bigger. Scarlet Royal variety will start this weekend. Shippers are expect good size, color and quality as we transition. Market prices have been steady on all sizes ranging between a medium to extra large with some aggressive spot buy opportunities on small sized grapes. We do not expect much change in markets or supplies as we look toward next week.

Supplies of green onions are steady with aggressive prices for iced product. Iceless green onions are commanding prices at higher levels. Quality has been really nice with minimal yellowing.

Kale supplies remain abundant. The market is unchanged as well with aggressive prices. Quality is excellent with little yellowing or dehydration.

This market appeared to be getting stronger, but has leveled off. There is a price gap in the marketplace up to four dollars , so please be aware. Expect pricing to be fluctuating as we enter the new upcoming school season. Warm temperatures have sped up the growth of this commodity. This has made a few suppliers having to harvest ahead of schedule. Common defects include mechanical, puffiness, insect damage and misshapen heads.

Suppliers are swimming in product. This market is flat on all leaf items. Red leaf, green leaf, butter leaf and romaine are commodities that have all shippers flexing. Some common defects include insect damage due to warm temperatures, fringe burn and mechanical damage. This market looks to be flat for the entire week.

The West Side supplies have increased slightly from previous levels. Some growers are packing all sizes including 15ct and 18ct. Quality out of the West Side is excellent with good sugar levels. The market is steady on the 9ct and lower on the smaller 15/18ct right now. Growers may stop packing the smaller sizes due to a lack of demand and low prices.

Growers are harvesting dews in the West Side and the volume is increasing while demand is a little lower. The market is lower than earlier in the week due to these factors. Weather has been favorable for high quality honeydews out of the West Side and they are arriving in excellent condition.

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. Low production of watermelon still coming out of Arizona and showing light color.

California and New Mexico are still the main shipping areas for all sizes and colors of Onions. Washington has started with light supplies of Yellow and Red transplants onions. Size and quality is fair to good. Idaho will start with limited supplies next week. Large onion market is still firm with limited supplies out of New Mexico. Central California has moderate supplies of Colossal and Super Colossal onions with good demand and a firm market. Jumbo and Medium Yellow Onions out of both growing areas have good availability and a softer market. Quality is still be reported as good even with the temperatures in the low 100's all week. Temperatures are to drop into the mid 90's the middle of next week in California with New Mexico jumping up into the 100's. Over the next couple of weeks, relief I supplies is expected as additional growing areas begin shipping supplies.

Transitions:
Supplies starting in Washington and Idaho

California - Bartlett pears are steady to slightly lower 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 and full carton 110-135s but supplies are limited, some suppliers have already finished. The quality has been good.
Washington - Bartlett pears have started and are steady but high-priced due to light supplies. The quality is good.
Chile - Chilean Bosc are steady and they continue to peak on 70-100s. The quality has been good.

Supplies are dropping from the tropics and are going to be significantly lighter for August.

Idaho - 2015 storage crop is declining quickly and will finish up by the second week of August. Market is steady on all sizes of Cartons with a firm market on the retail non A packs. New crop will be getting a premium. Look for the # 2 6oz and 10oz markets to firm up and supplies to get tight which is typical as we switch into new crop. Quality of the storage crop is fair to good depending on the storage they are coming out of. The main issue showing up is internal black spotting or bruising. Quality of the new crop is being reported as good with light netting and good size peaking on 70 count.
Washington - new crop has started with building supplies. Quality and size is good. Market is steady.
Colorado and Wisconsin - have started with new crop but have very little size with their first fields which are peaking on 100 count and smaller. Size should get better in the next week or two as they switch fields. Market of course is firm on 90 count and larger. Quality is being reported as good.

Alerts:
Idaho - look for the 6oz and 10oz # 2's markets to get higher as we move into New crop

Stockton California - reds, whites, and golds are all steady and all are peaking on A size. baker/premium whites and reds are available in varying quantities but baker/premium golds are limited. The quality is good for all colors.
Virginia - They are steady on all colors but supplies are light. The quality has been fair.
Muleshoe Texas - red potatoes are steady on all sizes with good quality, the gold quality has been marginal.
Missouri - they still have a few reds but supplies are light.
Minnesota - red potatoes are steady to slightly lower. The quality has been good very dark red color and a good skin-set.
Wisconsin - the red potato market is steady and the availability is improving. They are still heavier to B-size and light on As. The quality is good.
Washington - eastern red and gold potatoes are steady and both are peaking on A-size. The quality is good.

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.

Stone fruit availability has been consistent. However, most of the fruit being harvested is peaking in the large size range. Quality remains strong on all varieties. Smaller sized volume fill fruit is limited and prices have been firm. Due to the large volume of big fruit, we have seen some flex on tray pack peaches and nectarines. Plums have more availability on a range of sizes. We do not expect to see much change next week.

Rounds - The market is higher. Shorter supplies in the east continues. Midwest has started with production, however, in a lighter way than expected. Alabama is in a slight gap, but due to be in production next week. Out west, California and Mexico are much lighter as well. Market continues to be stonger in all areas. Quality is Good.
Roma - The market is steady. More growing areas are in production this week, in all areas. Michigan has begun production, and will see better numbers next week. Demand is consistent, however, FOB's look to have a range depending on the area. California and Mexico also seeing better number this week, with various prices out there. Quality also has a range from Fair to Good, depending on region.
Cherry - The market is steady. Cherry's are beginning to be more of a local or regional deal this time of year. Market continues to be steady however, with prices depending on region. Look for supplies to steadily increase. Quality is Good.
Grape - The market is steady/lower. More and more supplies are available, with lots of growing areas in play. East and West demand is less. Range in quality from Fair to Good.

Rounds - The market is higher. Shorter supplies in the west continues. California and Mexico seeing shorter supplies and lighter production. Market in the west continues to be stronger. Midwest has started with production, however, in a lighter way than expected. Alabama is in a slight gap, but due to be in production next week. Quality is Good.
Roma - The market is steady. California and Mexico seeing better numbers this week, with various growing regions on line. Demand is consistent, however, prices are all over the board, depending on the region.
Michigan has begun production, and will see better numbers next week. Range in quality from Fair to Good, depending on region.
Cherry - The market is steady. Cherry's are beginning to be more of a local or regional deal this time of year. Market continues to be steady however, with prices depending on region. Look for supplies to steadily increase. Quality is Good.
Grape - The market is steady/lower. More and more supplies are available, with lots of growing areas in play. East and West demand is less. Range in quality from Fair to Good.