Moderate supplies out of Florida expected to increase slightly. Quality and condition variable but generally good.
Green bells are down a little 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 Michigan; expected to continue the seasonal decline. Moderate supplies from North Carolina, expected to increase this week. Some shippers will begin harvest around October 7.
Movement expected about the same. Trading is moderate. Prices on Anaheim are slightly higher, Serranos are slightly lower, others lower Quality is variable.
Light supplies from Virginia expected to decrease seasonally. Prices are unchanged. Quality generally good.
Cucumber prices are down this week. The product is still crossing through Baja and Nogales. Supplies have improved and quality is getting better. Light supplies North Carolina, expected to continue the seasonal decline. Prices are generally unchanged. Moderate supplies from Georgia and Florida expected to slightly increase. Prices are higher. Quality is generally good.
Moderate supplies from Georgia. Prices are higher. Quality is good.
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 a 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.
Mt Vernon: the harvest is unencumbered as the weather is outstanding for harvest, baring the occasional rainstorm; the 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 Potato 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 then stabilize. Another major concern is that acreage and total volume is projected to be down from last season. Quality is outstanding. Organic Russets are available.
Moderate supplies from North Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana expected to increase seasonally. Prices are generally unchanged. Quality is generally good.
Zucchini – Zucchini supplies have improved; prices are down. Central California is still harvesting and the Nogales crossings have increased. Moderate supplies from Georgia and Florida. Prices are higher. Quality is generally good.
Yellow Squash – Yellow Squash is the same as zucchini; prices are down, the product is shipping from Central Cal and crossing through Nogales. Quality is moderate supplies from Georgia and Florida expected to increase. Prices are higher. Quality is generally good.
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.
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.
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.