The Source - May 28, 2015

Summary

We have just released a new version of The Source, the twice weekly commodity report from your produce partner PRO*ACT. This document can be viewed online, or downloaded, and we encourage you to send on to the relevant staff within your organization to keep them aware of current market conditions for fresh produce.

In addition, we have included features about peak seasons, weather outlook, transportation information and region updates.

Weather Update

The cool moist weather pattern continues along the west coast this week. Temperatures remain below seasonal averages with a deep marine layer, fog and drizzle along the coast. High pressure brings warming into the weekend. The southwest will see gradual warming into the weekend with gusty winds as high pressure builds. The southeast will see scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms with temperatures in the 80s to low 90s through the week.

Commodity Updates (Click row for summary) Expand All

Apples

New York is still packing Red Delicious and Red Romes but only light volume. Both varieties are steady and continue to peak on larger fruit. The New York shippers expect to pack through next week and then they will be done.
Michigan is still packing Jonathans, McIntosh, Red Delicious, and Red Romes, they have finished with Ida-Reds and Jonagolds. The Red Romes and Red Delicious are still peaking on 100's and larger. The Jonathans and McIntosh are peaking on 100's and smaller. Availability is light for all varieties as the end of the season approaches.
Washington Red Delicious are steady but the price- flex on volume orders of 88's and larger is still available. Most packers are peaking on 88's and larger in the premium and Washington extra-fancy #1 grades. Small reds remain relatively short. Golden Delicious are steady on all sizes. All sizes of Goldens are available but the 125's and smaller are more limited. Granny-Smith remain steady and are peaking on 64/72's. Granny 100's and smaller supplies remain limited. Fujis are steady to higher and are peaking on the larger sizes. The Fuji volume is starting to drop as the end of the season approaches. Small Fujis remain extremely short. Galas steady to higher and are still peaking on 88/100's. The Galas have better availability in the smaller sizes than most other varieties but the Gala volume is all lower as the end of the season is in sight. Opals, Only odd sizes and light supplies of a few varietals remain.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Coopersville/Belding/Sparta, MI Steady Good
Hudson/Pleasant Valley/Red Hook, NY Steady Good
Wenatchee/Yakima, WA and Hood River, OR Steady Good
Asparagus

The market on grass has remained unchanged. Peruvian production continues to be strong in availability and represents the best deals to be had. FOB pricing out of Miami continues to have the sharpest pricing. All sizing is available, with the majority coming in standard and large size packs. Loading in Southern California is an option as well. Mexican production is moderate to good. Standard and large sizing are the main packs available on eleven pound cases for Mexican as well as California product.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Caborca, Mexico Steady Good
Ica, Peru to Trujillo Steady Good
Salinas Valley, CA Steady Good
Avocado (California)

California growers continue to harvest good volume. They are peaking on 60's and smaller, with 48's and larger still limited in harvest. We hope to see crop fill in with a broader range of sizing as we move into and through June. Overall volume of this year's California crop looks to be lighter than first projected due to the drought. Quality and flavor are both very good.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Oxnard/Ventura, CA Steady Excellent
Temecula/Escondido, CA Steady Excellent
Avocado (Mexican)

Mexico is over 80% harvested for their season. Good supplies continue to come in, and still heavy to 60's and smaller. 48's and larger remain tight, but are showing some slight improvement. Quality and flavor are at their peak.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Michoacan, Mexico Steady Excellent
Berries (Blackberries)

Market is starting to firm up slightly due to the Mexican production finishing for the season and California not being up to speed yet. Quality on the Mexican product is fair at best due to rain in the growing area. The quality out of California is good. We should see volumes pick up quickly out of California in the next couple weeks.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Central Mexico Steady Poor
Watsonville, CA Steady/Higher Excellent
Berries (Blueberries)

Market is steady with moderate demand. Georgia is in peak volume currently. Quality is fair due to weather in the growing area. North Carolina just broke ground this week and should have good volumes the middle of next week. Market is firm out of this area but will weaken as we get into next week. Quality is good. California supplies have been limited the last couple of weeks due to the cool weather. The forecast is calling for a warming trend which should improve supplies. Quality is good.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Watsonville, CA Steady Good
Berries (Raspberries)

Market and demand are both steady. Mexico growers are getting close to being done for the season. Quality out of this area is fair. California supplies are building each week. Quality is good.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Central Mexico Steady Fair
Watsonville, CA Steady Excellent
Berries (Strawberries)

Salinas/Watsonville is the main growing area for strawberries. Oxnard is all but done other than one grower still packing for the fresh market. Santa Maria growers has switch most of their fields to the freezer market. Only a few growers are still packing for the fresh market. The Market is starting firm up the middle of this week as some growers in the Salinas/Watsonville have transition some of their fields to freezer due to the light demand and weak markets. Quality is starting to improve as the weather warms up.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Salinas Valley, CA Higher Good
Watsonville, CA Higher Good
Santa Maria, CA Steady Fair
Broccoli

This market is a bit softer. Crowns as well as bunched product have better availability. The main production continues to be out of the Salinas Valley. The quality has picked up in all the growing regions, especially in Salinas. Crowns are expected to be moderate for the rest of the week. Santa Maria will be light to moderate in availability for the rest of the week. Production in Mexico looks to be steady for the rest of the week, with crowns being more readily available.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Celaya Guanjuato Mexico Steady Good
Oxnard/Santa Maria, CA Lower Good
Salinas Valley, CA Lower Good
Carrots

California desert crop has finished. Bakersfield crop is now fully up and going. Size is fair coming, but improving quickly. Jumbo size carrot supplies are starting to come back into better supply.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Bakersfield/Santa Maria, CA Steady Good
Cauliflower

This market has softened as supplies have picked up. High pricing has steered customers away from this commodity. Escalated pricing is in effect but has lowered. Quality issues continue to be reported with irregular size heads, slight insect damage and discoloration seen upon arrival. Santa Maria and Salinas are the main growing regions currently. A few dollars can be saved on sixteen count packs if this is an option.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Oxnard/Santa Maria, CA Lower Fair
Salinas Valley, CA Lower Fair
Celery

This market is firm. Smaller sizing continues to demand a higher price. Loading in Oxnard/Santa Maria continues to give the best fob price. Salinas will not begin production until mid to late June. The overall quality down South is being reported as good. A few issues of bowing and insects have arisen, but these have been minimal complaints. The overall quality is favorable. Loading in Salinas for this commodity will cost extra money due to the transportation fee from the Oxnard region tacked onto the fob price.

- pa_admin
Growing Region Market Quality
Oxnard/Santa Maria, CA Steady Good
Cherries

The cherry market is very active as California will finish this weekend with Washington just getting started. Supplies will be available to load out of Washington starting Wednesday. All shippers in Washington are over sold for Monday and Tuesday. Market will come out very firm but will come down slightly as volume picks up. Quality is being reported as good.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Wenatchee Valley, WA Steady/Higher Excellent
Stockton / Lodi, CA Higher Good
Citrus (Lemons) Alert

Size curve of the crop is peaking on 140's and smaller. Demand is exceeding supplies on all sizes and grades of fruit. Very good demand and drought conditions in growing areas producing less fruit and no size growth are the major factor for the demand exceed conditions.

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Alerts:
LEMONS:
Demand exceeds supply. Summertime demand and lighter production caused by the California drought. Expect lighter supplies throughout the summer and into the fall.

Growing Region Market Quality
Merced/Bakersfield, CA Steady/Higher Good
Oxnard/Ventura, CA Steady/Higher Good
Citrus (Limes)

The lime market continues to come down on the larger sizes. The smaller sizes are holding pretty steady with a hint of upside in the prices from some shippers. Supplies are increasing on larger sizes now and decreasing slightly on smaller sizes. Lower prices have helped spur demand on all sizes. The overall quality is very good on the new crop that is being harvested.

- pa_admin
Growing Region Market Quality
Veracruz, Mexico Lower/Steady Excellent
Citrus (Oranges)

California Navel crop is dropping off and peaking on 72's/56's. There will be some larger Navels available through June. California Valencia oranges are going in good volume. Labor to pick the fruit has become an issue now with the labor force being spilt with the stone fruit harvest going as well. Quality on Valencias is very good, color is nice and brix are 12.5 - 14.00 average.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Merced to Bakersfield, CA Steady Good
Riverside, CA Steady Good
Grapes (Green)

The market on green grapes out of Mexico has adjusted downward as the domestic green market has remained consistent. Demand for both continues to be steady. The Perlette deal is winding down quicker than expected and will be coming to an end over the next several days. Sugarones are coming on now. However, estimated harvest numbers are expected to be 30% of normal. The cooler weather in Coachella is still holding supplies down.

- pa_admin
Growing Region Market Quality
Sonora, Mexico Lower/Steady Excellent
Coachella Valley, CA Steady Excellent
Grapes (Red)

The market on Mexican flames continues to drop as a result of increased harvest and mounting inventories. Sizing continues to run heavily to the medium /large to large fruit with excellent quality. The Coachella market on flames remains steady with limited supplies and is projected to finish 7-10 days ahead of schedule. Scarlet Royals will be coming off about the same time we finish on the Coachella flames with early reports showing excellent quality and sizing.

- pa_admin
Growing Region Market Quality
Sonora, Mexico Lower Excellent
Coachella Valley, CA Lower/Steady Excellent
Green Onions

This market is steady with most shippers. Most of the production for this commodity continues to be produced from the Baja region of Mexico. Supplies will be good throughout the week. All sizing is available. Light supplies are being harvested in Salinas. The heavier abundance of product is coming in small and medium size packs.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Mexicali, Baja Steady Good
Salinas Valley, CA Steady Good
Lettuce Iceberg

This market is up. The Salinas Valley continues to produce the bulk of the lettuce supplies. The sizing has been large with weights on palletized ranging from 46-49 pounds. Production in Santa Maria is lighter and the lettuce is not as heavy as the Salinas Valley. Local production seems to be slowing down as production in California is in higher demand. Issues on Salinas' product include ribbing, insect damage, rusting and puffiness. This will continue throughout the week.

- pa_admin
Growing Region Market Quality
Oxnard/Santa Maria, CA Higher Fair
Salinas Valley, CA Higher Fair
Lettuce Leaf

The romaine market continues to gain strength. Quality issues continue. Tip burn, wind burn and mildew are common defects with this commodity. Insect damage has also been seen. The weight have dropped to 30-32 pounds as suppliers peel back to have a cleaner product. These same issues are also evident in green and red leaf items. a little better availability exists on this commodity, but overall supplies continue to be light. Red leaf inventories have picked up. Both of these commodities are on escalated pricing. Shippers still are holding customers to averages on green leaf..

- pa_admin
Growing Region Market Quality
Oxnard/Santa Maria, CA Higher Fair
Salinas Valley, CA Higher Fair
Melon (Cantaloupe)

Offshore cantaloupes are finished for the season and what's left is poor in quality. The desert is harvesting good numbers of very nice cantaloupes currently. Good supplies and quality look to continue for the next few weeks as the desert peaks in production. Very nice quality is coming out of the desert. A few shippers had older fruit for sale last week which dragged down the overall market. The market has stabilized at the current lowered levels.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Maricopa, AZ Steady Excellent
Yuma, AZ Steady Excellent
Holtville, CA Steady Excellent
Brawley, CA Steady Excellent
Melon (Honeydew)

Offshore honeydew supplies will be finished before the end of this month. Some offshore shippers have already finished for the season. Demand is not very good on offshore dews because of lower quality. Supplies out of Mexico are tapering off now from their peak production levels. The desert has started with volume picking up nicely and the dews are excellent quality. The quality on Mexican and domestic dews are very nice and they all have high sugar contents too. The peak size is 6's on all dews coming in. The dew market is steady on all domestic and Mexican dews while deals are being made on the lower quality offshore product.

- pa_admin
Growing Region Market Quality
Maricopa, AZ Steady Excellent
Yuma, AZ Steady Excellent
Brawley, CA Steady Excellent
Hermosillo, Mexico Steady Excellent
Onions

We are in the middle of the onions growing areas switching growing areas which has this market active on all colors and sizes. Markets should setting in the next 7 to 10 days as these new areas get up to speed. Southern California will finish shipping the front part of next week. Huron, California growers will all be going in a light way next week and should be up to full speed by the end of the week. The first fields out of this area are running on the small size mainly peaking on mediums. Quality is being reported as good. New Mexico just start up in a very light way this week with Yellows. They will get into reds and whites next week. Sizing is starting out small. This should change mid next week and they should start to get better size. Quality is being reported as good. Texas has about two to three weeks left but they have not been much of a factor due to rain. Quality is hit and miss with shippers fighting staining from the rain. Market is steady.

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Transitions:
Southern California is finishing up and will be done the front part of next. Huron, California and New Mexico are just starting to break ground.

Growing Region Market Quality
Calipatria/El Centro, CA Steady/Higher Good
Huron/Metler, CA Steady/Higher Good
Las Cruces, NM Steady/Higher Good
McAllen/Uvalde, TX Steady Fair
Pears

Washington continues to pack both D'anjou and red pears and the markets are steady. The D'anjous are peaking on US#1 80-100's with little if any fancy-grade fruit. The red pears are peaking on 50/55 half-cartons and supplies are light. They red pears will be available through May.
On the import side we still have Chilean Packhams and Bosc and a few Argentinian Packhams and Bosc. Both variertys are steady on all sizes in both The Chilean and Argentinian fruit. The Chilean Packhams are peaking on 100's while Argentinian are peaking on 90's and larger. The Bosc are heavier to 100/110's while the Argentinian Bosc are producing 90's and larger.
California is set to start packing new crop Bartlett pears the week of July 6th.

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Growing Region Market Quality
Chile Steady Good
Wenatchee/Yakima, WA and Hood River, OR Steady Good
Potatoes Alert

Idaho - Demand is light to moderate on 80 - 120 count potatoes. Still in a demand exceeds supply situation on 70 - 40 count potatoes. I don't see this situation changing till new crop starts up the end of July front part of August. Quality is still being reported as good.
Washington - Market is steady on all sizes and packs. Washington still has good supplies of large cartons. Quality is still good.
Colorado/Wisconsin - Market is steady on most sizes. Some shippers have large cartons available and other don't. Demand is light to moderate. Quality is good

- pa_admin

Alerts:
Idaho- Large cartons 40-60 count are in a demand exceeds supply situation.

Growing Region Market Quality
Hamer/Rupert, ID Steady Good
Quincy/Hermiston, WA Steady Good
Eastern Colorado Steady Good
Plover/Bancroft, WI Steady Good
Potatoes (colored)

Bakersfield, California is packing all colors and they are all peaking on A-size. The California markets are all steady and the volume flex on red A's is still there. The quality has been good.
Phoenix, Arizona continues to pack reds and golds. The reds are peaking on A's but there are plenty of B's as well. The golds are heavier to B-size. The quality has been good.
Pearsall, Texas is still rained but they have more to pack once its dry.
Northern Florida (Hastings) is packing all colors. The Red market is steady on all sizes and they are producing mostly A-size. The white market is being quoted as steady but there is good availability and some volume flex. Golds are steady to higher with some suppliers having lighter availability and some reporting only fair quality. The Florida red and white quality has been good.

- pa_admin
Growing Region Market Quality
Bakersfield, CA Steady Good
Phoenix, AZ Steady Good
Hastings/Bunnell/East Palatka, FL Steady Good
Pearsall, TX Higher Good
Stone Fruit

The market on peaches and nectarines has moderated on the larger sizes and firmed up on the smaller sizes. We expect to see this trend continue as the limited bud set this winter begins to make itself felt at harvest. Red and black plums are readily available now in a wide variety of sizes. Quality is reported to be excellent. Pluots have also begun and are available in limited supplies from several shippers. The apricot market is firming up as we move further into the season and supplies begin to clean up. Demand for all is reported as good.

- pa_admin
Growing Region Market Quality
Madera south to Arvin, CA Steady Excellent

Things You Should Know

Citrus (Lemons)
LEMONS:
Demand exceeds supply. Summertime demand and lighter production caused by the California drought. Expect lighter supplies throughout the summer and into the fall.

Potatoes
Idaho- Large cartons 40-60 count are in a demand exceeds supply situation.

Transitions and Temperatures

Onions
Southern California is finishing up and will be done the front part of next. Huron, California and New Mexico are just starting to break ground.

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