Farmer's Report

Produce Trends - April 3, 2020

All produce pricing trends are based on USDA data as of March 31, 2020

VEGETABLES

POTATOES

Russets  

The Russet market is mixed this week. Seventy-count, 90-count and 6-oz. min. size Burbanks and Norkotahs out of Idaho are down. There is moderate supply and demand on 80-100’s while light demand on all other sizes reported. Seventy-count Norkotahs out of Washington/Oregon are down while 90-count Norkotahs are steady with moderate supply and demand reported. Quality is fair out of both growing regions.

Reds  

The red potato market is steady to up this week. Product out of Minnesota is steady while product out of Florida is up. There is moderate supply with some instances of demand exceeding supply.

Yellows  

The yellow potato market out of Florida is steady with moderate supply, good quality and good demand reported.

CABBAGE

Round Green  

Cabbage market is down this week with good supply and light to fair demand.

LEAF LETTUCE

Green Leaf  

Green leaf market is down this week with good supply and light demand. Quality is good.

Romaine  

Romaine lettuce is down this week with good supply and light demand. Overall, quality is good although light weights are expected due to the removal of leaves because of mildew.

ICEBERG LETTUCE  

Iceberg market is down this week with good supply and light demand. Overall, quality is good although light weights are expected due to the removal of leaves because of mildew.

GARLIC  

Chinese peeled garlic pricing is coming down on the West Coast, and pricing is holding on the East Coast. Containers are arriving from China, but the market is reporting that some shippers are delaying or cutting back inbound containers, given the current slowdown in the U.S. economy.

ONIONS  

Jumbo yellow onion market is down this week. Product out of Idaho/Oregon and Washington/Oregon is down with moderate supply and light demand reported.

MUSHROOMS  

No issues to report on mushrooms coming from the East Coast with good supply, demand and quality reported. There continues to be issues with mushrooms coming from the West Coast including supply and quality.

CILANTRO  

The cilantro market is down this week. Product out of Oxnard, California is down on 30's and on 60's with moderate supply and demand. Product out of Texas is down on 60's with moderate supply and light demand reported. Product out of Imperial, Coachella, Paolo Verde, Central California and Western Arizona is down on 30's and on 60's with moderate supply and light demand reported. Quality will vary by growing region.

CUCUMBERS  

Cucumber supply is steady coming out of Eastern and Western growing regions. The low demand is driving this pricing down. Quality is good.

CELERY  

Celery market is down this week with good supply and fair demand. Quality and sizing are good.

Yellow Squash  

Yellow Straightneck prices are down for the week. Supply has improved and the low demand is making the pricing drop. Quality is generally good but varies upon growing region. Price changes will vary between size and grade.

ZUCCHINI  

Zucchini prices are down for the week. Supply has improved and the low demand is making the pricing drop according to analysts. Quality is generally good but varies by growing region. Price changes will vary between size and grade.

GREEN BEANS  

The green bean market is down this week. Machine-picked product out of South Florida is down with moderate supply and lighter demand reported. Handpicked product out of Mexico is down with heavy supply and light demand reported. Imported Haricot Verts are down with moderate supply and lighter demand reported. Quality will vary by growing region.

BELL PEPPERS

Green  

Green bell prices are down in both Eastern and Western growing regions due to the soft demand. Price changes will vary between size and grade. Quality looks to be good in both regions.

Red  

Red bell prices are down due to light demand. Quality is reporting as good.

TOMATOES 

Rounds  

Round Tomatoes prices are down for the week. Supply has improved in both Florida and Mexico and demand is very light. Quality is good.

Romas  

Roma prices are down in both growing regions for the week. Supply is fair in the East and good in the West. Demand is very light. Quality is good in both regions.

Cherry  

Cherry Tomatoes are down in price for the week. Supply is fair but demand is very low. Quality is good.

Grape  

Grape Tomato prices are down across all growing regions for the week. Supply has improved along with light demand, allowing prices to drop. Quality is good.

CARROTS  

The jumbo carrot market is down this week. Product out of Kern, California is down with moderate supply and very light demand reported. Product out of Mexico is down with moderate supply, light demand reported. Quality continues to vary out of Mexico.

GREEN ONIONS  

The green onion market is steady to down this week. Product out of Mexico is down on medium with moderate supply and light demand reported. Product out of South Carolina is steady with lighter supply and good demand reported. Quality will vary out of both growing regions.

CAULIFLOWER  

Cauliflower market is down this week with good supply and light to fair demand.

ASPARAGUS  

The asparagus market is down this week. Product out of Mexico is down with moderate supply. Lighter demand and fair quality reported.

BROCCOLI  

Broccoli market is down this week with good supply and light demand.

HANGING FRUIT

Apples and Pears

Apples  

All varieties out of Washington are steady. There is good supply, demand and quality being reported.

Pears  

The pear market out of Washington remains stable with moderate supply, good quality and lighter demand reported.

CITRUS

LEMONS  

Lemons are harvesting out of the valley and Ventura County right now. Supply is steady and with light demand, prices are down slightly this week. Quality is good.

LIMES  

Lime supply is steady with better demand on medium- to small-sized limes. Some fruit appears to have more yellow peel due to the hot temperature in Mexico. Shelf life is a bit shorter, but overall quality is fair.

ORANGES  

There is good supply of navels across all grades and sizes. Quality is very good.

BERRIES

STRAWBERRIES  

Strawberries market is down this week with good supply, quality and demand.

GRAPES  

The grape market is steady to up on imports out of Chile and Peru. Red Globes from Chile and Peru are steady on extra-large, jumbo and large. Red Seedless from Chile are steady on extra-large, large and medium-large. Black Seedless from Chile are up on extra-large, large and medium-large. There is moderate supply and light demand out of Chile while there is light supply and demand out of Peru reported. There is a wide range in quality out of Chile.

TROPICAL

PINEAPPLES  

Pineapple market is steady for now. Growers are used to ramping up for Easter, however analysts report that the demand will most likely change this year, driving costs down.

BANANAS  

Banana supply is good as retail demand has started to level off. Quality is improving as weather is improving.

AVOCADOS  

Avocado prices are down on all sizes right now. Retail demand has slowed. As the Holy Week approaches, harvest delays are expected. Quality is good with plenty of volume for #2 product.

MELONS

CANTALOUPES  

Cantaloupe market is down this week. Supplies of smaller sized melons is very limited.

HONEYDEWS  

Honeydew market is down this week. Supplies of smaller sized melons is very limited.