Leafy Greens (iceberg, romaine, green leaf & spring mix) have transitioned from the Salinas Valley growing area to the Yuma, AZ growing area. We are also sourcing iceberg lettuce from Mexico at the present time.
The transition from Salinas to Yuma has not been a smooth transition. Quality issues caused the Salinas Valley to finish earlier than planned. The Huron growing district did not produce the expected volume of product during its limited production time window beginning in late October and continuing into November. The early crop in Yuma was somewhat disrupted during the early crop growth cycle by adverse weather. Finally, unseasonable rainfall in Yuma has significantly impacted harvest activity with very wet field conditions.
The combination of all of these factors has created a supply gap. Fresh market prices are high, especially for iceberg lettuce and demand exceeds supply. Harvest weights are much lower than normal by as much as 25% in some situations. Overall quality and condition are marginal.
The quantity of product from Mexico is at expected levels though at reduced weights due to cooler weather. Overall the product quality in Mexico is good and the quantity available is helping to mitigate, but not entirely compensate for, the volume shortages in Yuma.
We expect these crop conditions to continue into early-to-mid December. In the near term, fresh market prices will likely remain higher due to increased holiday volume demands. With that said, if current activity stays consistent with historical pricing patterns, prices should weaken between the time period after the Thanksgiving holiday and mid-December when demand traditionally rises due to Christmas holiday activity.
We expect to be able to meet our customers planned volume demand without any disruption to normal delivery times. Please call your sales representative for any new information as needed.
Cabbage has successfully transitioned into Moultrie, Georgia. Quality of the product is good with nice green color that should carry us through December as planned. The Georgia red cabbage is behind schedule but quality is good at this stage. Until the Georgia crop is ready, we will source product from our approved New York supplier. As we approach the New Year, the Okeechobee, FL. crop, is scheduled to start in mid-December.
Overall, quality and condition is good, supply is adequate to meet demand and pricing expected to be stable as planned.
All Northwest onions are now in storage. There has been a lot of rain and cool temperatures during the harvest creating some concern that the wet conditions may affect storage quality towards the end of the season in March – April, 2012. Time will tell if those concerns materialize.
Overall, yellow onion quality is good. Current supplies exceed demand.
There are some quality issues with red onions from a number of shippers. There is some internal decay that is difficult to eliminate because it does not show on the surface of the onion. Cool temperatures and rain during the harvest was a contributing factor as well. However, supplies are adequate to meet demand.
Tampico, Mexico and South Texas plantings occurred as scheduled with favorable conditions reported. We are scheduled to begin Tampico in late March and Texas in April minimizing our dependence on storage crops in the Northwest late in the season. Any Northwest quality issues associated with late storage conditions should have minimal impact on our operations as long as Tampico and Texas have normal crops as expected.
Winter tomatoes are currently being harvested and shipped from Florida, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The Florida areas will continue producing until approximately mid-June. Supplies will be adequate barring a weather event.
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