Farmer's Report

Produce Trends - August 16, 2019

All produce pricing trends are based on the USDA data as of August 6, 2019.

VEGETABLES

POTATOES

Russets  

The market on russets is steady to up this week, depending on the growing region. Burbanks out of Idaho are up on 70 count, up on 90 count and steady on 6-oz. minimum size. Norkotahs out of Idaho are steady, and up out of Washington and Oregon. Moderate supply and good demand are being reported as suppliers are into the new crop or are starting this week.

Reds  

The red potato market is mixed this week. Product out of Minnesota is steady, while product out of Wisconsin is down. Lighter supply and good demand is reported.

Yellows  

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

CABBAGE

Round Green  

The cabbage market is flat this week, with fair demand. Supplies out of Mexico are steady.

LEAF LETTUCE

Green Leaf  

The green leaf market is down this week, with fields producing strong yields. There is some irregular sizing and fringe/ wind burn. Demand continues to be moderate.

Romaine  

The romaine market is up this week, with supply in a normal range. There is a wide range in quality caused by weather conditions.

ICEBERG LETTUCE  

The iceberg market is up this week, with supply in a normal range. There is high demand and quality is good. Growers continue to see high core and occasional mildew due to the warm temperatures last week.

GARLIC  

Domestic garlic is steady this week, with good supply, moderate demand and good quality reported. Our suppliers can take on additional business.

ONIONS  

The jumbo yellow onion market is mixed this week. Product out of San Joaquin Valley, California; Washington; Oregon and New Mexico is down, with moderate supply and demand. Product out of Georgia is steady, with moderate supply and good demand. Quality will vary by growing region.

MUSHROOMS  

There are no issues to report on mushrooms coming off the East Coast with good supplies, demand and quality. Reports indicate continuing issues with mushrooms coming from the West Coast regarding supply and quality.

CILANTRO  

The cilantro market is mixed this week. Product out of Oxnard and Central Coast, California, is up on 30s and 60s, with lighter supply and good demand. Product out of Mexico is steady on 60s, with moderate supply and demand.

CUCUMBERS  

Cucumber prices are mixed for the week. It is reported that supply remains tight in Mexico as they await new fields to start harvesting. The East is seeing price drops in Michigan and New York. Quality is fair to good, depending on the region.

CELERY  

The celery market is up this week, with supply in the normal range. Quality is good.

Yellow Squash  

Yellow squash is down for the week. Supplies continue to improve in all growing regions. The most significant issue right now continues to be heavy wind scarring, which is prevalent in all growing areas.

ZUCCHINI  

Zucchini prices are down for the week. Supplies continue to improve week over week. The East has started new fields which are spread across multiple areas. Michigan continues to push out good volumes. The West supply has improved only slightly, and it is reported that price drops in that region are smaller. New crop is expected to start in the next couple of weeks. Quality on zucchini is good.

GREEN BEANS  

The green bean market is down this week. Imported haricot verts and machine-picked product out of New York are down, with moderate supply and demand. Good quality is being reported out of both growing regions.

BELL PEPPERS

Green  

Green peppers continue to see a price drop for a second week. Supply continues to improve in all growing regions. Mexico and California are supplying the West. The East is supplied with growing areas from the Carolinas to Michigan during summer harvests. Quality is fair, due to a mix of old and new crop.

Red  

Red bell peppers are steady to up for the week, depending on the size and grade. Supply remains tight, with supplies coming from Mexico and hot houses. Quality for now is good, especially out of the hot houses.

TOMATOES

Rounds  

Round tomatoes are up in all regions. Supplies have tightened up in both the East and West. New fields have started in Michigan. Quality is fair to poor, with soft fruit reported as a big concern. It is expected that price changes will vary from size and grade.

Romas  

Roma tomato prices continue to go up in price. Supplies continue to be tight in all regions right now. The West is mainly supplied by California and Mexico, while the East continues to be spread out along the coast. Quality continues to be fair to poor in all regions, due to the high temperatures and rain.

Cherry  

Cherry tomatoes prices have continued to go up this week. Supply has tightened up, with limited supply coming out of the East. The West continues to send product East to help cover the demand. Quality is poor to fair, due to the high heat and recent rainstorms.

Grape  

Grape tomatoes are up in price for the week. Supplies continue to tighten up as farms battle high temperatures. Quality is poor across the country, due to the hot temperatures.

CARROTS  

The jumbo carrot market is mixed this week. Product out of California is steady, with moderate supply and demand. Product out of Mexico is down, with moderate supply and good demand, while quality continues to vary.

GREEN ONIONS  

The green onion market is steady this week. Product out of Mexico is steady on large, medium and small, with good supply and demand.

CAULIFLOWER  

The cauliflower market is down this week, with supplies around normal and good quality reported. It is reported that both prices and demand are on a downward trend.

ASPARAGUS  

The asparagus market is mixed this week. Product out of Peru is up, with lighter supply and good demand. Product out of Mexico is steady, with light supply and moderate demand. Quality will vary by growing region.

BROCCOLI  

The broccoli market is down this week, with supplies in the normal range. There are some quality challenges, including pin rot and yellowing/brown bits.

HANGING FRUIT

Apples and Pears

Apples  

Gala and Granny Smith varieties are down this week, while all other varieties are steady. There is moderate supply and demand.

Pears  

The pear market remains stable. Green and red D’Anjou and Bosc are available. The small end of pears remains tight, while 90 count and larger remain constant.

CITRUS

LEMONS  

Lemon prices are mixed for the week. Large-sized lemons continue to be tight in supply, which is causing them to see a price jump (115s, 9s, 75s). 140 counts appear to be flat, while smaller sizes are seeing a slight price drop. There is still a limited supply of Chilean lemons on the East Coast.

LIMES  

Lime prices are down for the week. Supplies have started to get better as the fields get past the recent rainstorms. Quality is still fair, due to the rain.

ORANGES  

Oranges prices are steady to down for the week. Valencia supplies continue to trend toward 88/113/138 counts. Offshore navels are available from Chile and South Africa if customers need them. Quality is good for now.

BERRIES

STRAWBERRIES  

The strawberry market is up this week. August is historically a difficult month, both in terms of supply and quality. The heat in June and the current long summer days are affecting the fruit. It is reported that these challenges are expected through August into September, when the transition to fall crop occurs in Santa Maria.

BLUEBERRIES  

The blueberry market is down this week. British Columbia blueberries are having some issues with soft fruit, and the region is decreasing in volume. Oregon blueberries are showing steady volume. Quality has been good. Mexico will begin harvesting light volumes during the last week of August.

GRAPES  

The grape market is down this week, depending on variety and growing region. Flame seedless out of the Kern District and the San Joaquin Valley, California, are down on large to extra large and medium to large. Summer Royal are down on large to extra large. There is moderate supply and demand. Good quality is reported.

TROPICAL

PINEAPPLES  

Analysts report that pineapple supplies are expected to remain low, which is causing the price to increase. Size trends are moving slowly toward larger sizes, which will help with 5- and 6-count availability. Quality is good for the time being.

BANANAS  

Banana prices continue to be steady in price. Conditions continue to be stable with the inbound supplies for the summer months. Quality continues to be good on all bananas.

AVOCADOS  

Analysts report that avocado prices have reversed this week and are back on the rise. Mexico has been battling rain, which has delayed harvests, causing inventory to tighten up. California and Peru harvests continue to wind down. Number two supply continues to be a very small percentage of the current harvest.

MELONS

CANTALOUPES 

The cantaloupe market is down this week. The Production is moving to 9 count this week. The production on 12 count is increasing week over week.

HONEYDEWS 

The honeydew market is down this week. Supplies are expected to be good.