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Market Insider October 2, 2020

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  • Steady

Beans

Beans
steady

Moderate supplies out of Florida expected to increase slightly. Quality and condition variable but generally good.


Bell Peppers

Bell Peppers
steady

Green bells are steady this week, the product is shipping from Central California. Nogales should start crossing product in about a month. Red, Yellow, and Orange are steady. Moderate supplies from Michigan and North Carolina. Movement expected to decrease as the season begins to wind down. Trading is fairly active. Prices are slightly lower. Quality is good. Light supplies from Georgia as most shippers expect to start harvesting this weekend.


Chiles

Chiles
steady

Movement expected about the same. Trading is moderate. Prices on habanero much higher, Anaheim is slightly higher, Jalapeno is generally unchanged, Serrano slightly lower and Poblano lower. Quality is variable.


Corn

Corn
steady

Light supplies from Virginia expected to decrease seasonally. Prices are unchanged. Quality is good.


Cucumbers

Cucumbers
steady

Cucumber prices are steady this week. The product is still crossing through Baja. There are a few crossing through Nogales, supplies are limited but should improve in the coming weeks. Light supplies North Carolina, expected to continue the seasonal decline. Prices are generally unchanged. Moderate supplies from Georgia and Florida expected to slightly increase. Quality is generally good.


Eggplant

Eggplant
steady

Moderate supplies from Georgia. Prices are higher. Quality is generally good.


Onions

Onions
traffic light with yellow light lit up

NW Onions OR & WA, Demand is building while prices are FIRMING on all colors. Export is now adding pressure on all colors as well. White prices have risen noticeably. Transportation costs continue to be strong as trucks are difficult and costlier to secure in many states. Harvest will be finished soon. Consequently, growers are no longer under pressure to sell. They are glad to raise prices and will slow production as needed while filling storage with these beautiful onions. Yield is projected to be a bit off this season due in large to cool spring and smaller size profile overall. All colors of Organic Onions are available albeit at higher pricing this season. Mexico, movement is expected to be about the same. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.


potatoes

Colored Potatoes

Colored Potatoes

steady

Colored Potatoes

Mt Vernon: the harvest is unencumbered as the weather is outstanding for harvest, baring the occasional rainstorm harvest is marching along as planned. All colors are available including Fingerlings. Organics are available. Eastern WA continues with a supply of Red & Yellow potatoes along with colored Fingerlings. Quality is good. ORGANIC colored spuds and fingerlings are available as well.

Russet Potatoes

Russet Potatoes

steady

Russet Potatoes

The market is somewhat steady as the pressure is off to run hard out of the field. Temperatures are nominal, thus growers are pushing to storage. Due to COVID and the subdued draw from the Food Service sector, movement on large cartons remains a conundrum. Idaho sheds are pushing to fill bale orders for retail – not to mention Heavy pull by the USDA Food Box Program – while dropping count prices that normally fill the restaurant trade. This can be said for most of the major growing areas. Transportation costs have skyrocketed. Lending even more pressure onto the FOB prices. USDA Food Box Program has put substantial demand on small cartons and consumer packs. Export is also taking the small sizes when most of the fields currently being harvested this late in the season are peaking on LARGE size profiles. Harvest will be complete within the next 2 weeks. Marketers hope prices will stabilize then. Another major concern is that acreage and total volume is projected to be down from last season. Quality is outstanding. Organic Russets are available.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

steady

Sweet Potatoes

Moderate supplies from North Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana expected to increase seasonally. 40-pound cartons Orange Type U.S. No. 1; prices are generally unchanged. Quality is generally good.


Soft Squash

Soft Squash
traffic light with yellow light lit up

Zucchini – Fresno and Santa Maria are harvesting, supplies are light. Nogales has started crossing some zucchini but supplies are limited. Prices are steady but should start to decline as Nogales starts to cross more product. Light supplies from North Carolina expected to continue its seasonal decline. Moderate supplies from Georgia. Prices are higher. Quality is good.

Yellow Squash – Product is shipping from Santa Maria, Fresno, and Baja, same situation as zucchini, supplies are light. We should start to see prices come off as Nogales crossing increases. Light supplies North Carolina expected to continue its seasonal decline. Prices are unchanged. Quality is good. Moderate supplies from Georgia expected to increase. Prices are higher. Quality is generally good.


tomatoes

Grape Tomatoes

Grape Tomatoes

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Grape Tomatoes

The East: Availability is super tight due to heat and rain over the past few months. We will have to wait for the Palmetto/Ruskin growing regions to start mid-October to give supply relief.

The West: Doesn’t have much supply to help the east. Baja is dealing with extreme heat and Central Mexico is on a week lull in their production cycle. Expect this market to be tight. The supply increase we were expecting has yet to occur; Nogales has been crossing however we do not expect a normal market for a few weeks.

 

 

Roma Tomatoes

Roma Tomatoes

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Roma Tomatoes

The East: Like the rounds, romas have the same challenges that are affecting production. They too are awaiting the Palmetto/Ruskin growing regions to start late October.

The West: Baja and Eastern Mexico are waiting on new crops in the next week or two so supplies remain light. California is feeling the effects of an earlier heatwave; which will more than likely conclude the season in a few weeks.

 

Round Tomatoes

Round Tomatoes

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Round Tomatoes

East Coast: The majority of the crop’s volume has tightened even further due to weather. We are in hopes the Palmetto/Ruskin growing areas will help fill the gap albeit they are forecasted to be light and are not due to start until mid-late October.

West Coast: Baja and Eastern Mexico are wrapping up their summer crop. Availability will remain light until the fall crop begins in two weeks. The majority of California’s green crop is seeing volume issues and will continue to decline as the season wraps up the middle of October.