Farmer's Report
Produce Trends - April 19, 2019
VEGETABLES
POTATOES
Russets 
The market on russets is steady to down this week. Norkotahs out of Washington/Oregon are steady. Burbanks out of Idaho are steady, while Norkotahs are down. 6 oz. minimum size out of Idaho are steady on Burbanks and Norkotahs. Moderate supply and demand are being reported out of Idaho and Washington/Oregon. Quality will vary as suppliers are deep into their storage crop. Most suppliers are only shipping Burbanks at this time.
Reds
The red potato market is steady this week, including product out of Florida and Minnesota.
Yellows
The markets out of both Florida and California are steady. Quality is good, with moderate supply and demand.
CABBAGE
Round Green 
The cabbage market is up this week. There are good supplies, demand, and quality.
LEAF LETTUCE
Green Leaf
The green leaf market is up this week. Supplies are expected to be normal this week. There is a little bit of thrip damage and bug pressure in the desert growing region. Demand is good.
Romaine
The romaine market is up this week. Romaine supplies will be around normal. As far as quality goes, insect pressure will continue to be present in low percentages. For the remainder of the season, expect low to moderate signs of tip burn, as it will become common in most available crops, more so on heart varieties and/or mature plantings.
ICEBERG LETTUCE
The iceberg market is up this week. Iceberg supplies will be light this week. The market is on an upward trend, as there is low availability of supplies, with a good demand for the product. Insect pressure will continue to be the focus as we close out the Yuma season. Other notable cosmetic defects are occasional growth crack and mildew in low percentages. Supplies are expected to be below budget this week due to staggered plantings.
GARLIC
The domestic garlic market is steady. Supply is moderate with good demand. Suppliers are having no problems filling all orders and the garlic quality has improved.
ONIONS 
The jumbo yellow onion market is down this week. Product out of Washington/Oregon, Texas and Idaho is all down. There is moderate supply and light demand. Quality will vary as most suppliers are deep into their storage crop. Product will come from new growing regions in the coming weeks.
MUSHROOMS
No issues to report on mushrooms coming off the East Coast, with good supplies, demand, and quality. There continue to be no issues on mushrooms coming from the West Coast regarding supply and quality.
CILANTRO
The cilantro market is mixed this week. Product out of Oxnard is up on 30’s and steady on 60’s with moderate supplies and demand. Good quality is being reported. Product out of Central Coast California is down on 30’s and on 60’s. Product out of Texas is down on 60’s with moderate supplies. Quality will vary by growing region.
CUCUMBERS
Cucumbers are seeing a price drop in both regions for the week. Supplies continue to improve as newer fields ramp up their production. Quality is also in the good range.
CELERY
The celery market is up. Celery supplies continue to be extremely tight due to the cold, wet weather that hit Oxnard. Supplies are expected to be very tight for the foreseeable future. Prices remain at record levels, with strong demand.
Yellow Squash & ZUCCHINI
Yellow Squash
Yellow squash is seeing a price increase as supplies tighten up. The fields are battling several quality issues currently. Scarring continues to be the most dominant issue in the crop.
ZUCCHINI:
Zucchini prices are on the rise for the week also. Supply has tightened up due to the poor quality of the crop. Zucchini’s quality is better than yellow squash, but it still faces its challenges.
GREEN BEANS
The green bean market is mixed this week. Imported haricot verts are steady, with moderate supply and demand. Machine-picked product out of Florida is up with moderate supply and demand. Hand-picked product out of Mexico is up with light supply and moderate demand. Quality will vary depending on the growing region.
BELL PEPPERS
Green
Green bell prices are dropping fast this week. The fields in the East have seen a fast ramp-up of harvest, which is helping the supply and price. The West is now seeing production out of California, while Mexico crop continues to produce at a good pace. Quality is improving as the fields ramp up.
Red
Red bell prices are down this week, as supplies begin to improve. Harvest continues to ramp up in Mexico and is expected to get better in upcoming weeks. Quality looks to be good as well.
TOMATOES
Rounds
Round tomatoes are dropping in price for the week. Both the East and West are seeing a price drop as supplies improve. Prices look to be balancing out between both regions. Quality remains a concern, as soft fruit is being reported in the field.
Romas
Roma prices are down for the week. Both Mexico and Florida are seeing similar price drops. Mexico product continues to have a better price. Quality continues to improve in both regions.
Cherry
Cherry tomatoes are flat for the week. Supply is meeting the current demand. Quality is good in Florida, but Mexico continues to see issues.
Grape
Grape tomatoes are mixed this week. Florida is seeing a slight price drop for the week, while Mexico is seeing a slight uptick in pricing. Quality is mixed as well, with good quality out of Florida and fair out of Mexico.
CARROTS
The jumbo carrot market is mixed this week. Product out of California is steady. Product out of south Georgia is up, while product out of Mexico is down. There is moderate supply and demand. There continues to be a wide range in quality coming out of Mexico.
GREEN ONIONS
The green onion market is down this week. Product out of Mexico is down on medium size and on small. There is moderate supply and demand, with a wide range in quality. Product out of South Carolina is down, with lighter supply and good demand.
CAULIFLOWER
The cauliflower market is up. Cauliflower supplies out of California are higher this week. Prices are fluctuating and demand is fair. There are only low percentages of creamy color, and no major issues to report.
ASPARAGUS
The asparagus market is steady this week out of Mexico. There are moderate supplies and lighter demand. There is a wide range in quality coming out of Mexico.
BROCCOLI
The broccoli market is down, with supplies good this week. There was an increase of supplies coming out of California last week. Consequently, prices are down. However, California production will be dropping throughout the week; expect volumes to be low starting next week. We will continue to struggle with sub-par quality, with moderate signs of brown bead and/or yellow discoloration.
EGGPLANT
Eggplant prices are down for the week. Supplies continue to improve as warmer weather hits all the growing regions. Eggplant thrives in warmer weather so as long as the warm weather, stays, quality will be good as well.
HANGING FRUIT
Apples
The apple market is mixed this week, depending on the variety. Red Delicious is down, while Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp are up. Supply and demand are moderate, with good quality being reported.
Pears
The pear market remains stable. Green and red D’Anjou and Bosc are available. The small end of pears remains tight, while 90 ct. and larger remain constant.
CITRUS
ORANGES
Navel prices continue to be stable for another week. Navels continue to trend toward the 88/113/72 size ranges. Cara Cara supply remains strong, with the predominant size range in the 88/113/72 spectrum. Blood orange supply is also strong, with promotable sizes in the 138/113/163 size ranges. Quality remains good on all varieties of oranges.
LEMONS
Lemon prices are on the rise, as several sizes become tight due to the heavy rain in the winter months. Peak sizes right now are 115/95/140s due to the rain. 165s and smaller are in tight supply, which will last through the summer. Quality still looks to be good for the time being.
LIMES
Lime prices are on the rise this week. Supply has tightened up on all sizes right now. Crossings will be down, with harvest delays during the Holy Week shutdown in Mexico. Quality remains in the good range.
BERRIES
STRAWBERRIES
The strawberry market is down this week. California strawberry production seems to be hitting stride, with good volumes of berries coming from all three growing regions of the state. Over the past 5-7 days the industry experienced a higher instance of rejections, due to heavy bruising caused by wind damage from the first part of April. Over the weekend, availability varied from shipper to shipper, with many trucks pushed or pro-rated. Oxnard seems to have hit peak production, Santa Maria is steadily increasing, and Watsonville has just begun producing and is also steadily increasing.
BLACKBERRIES
Blackberry volume is expected to remain steady for the next few weeks, and quality is good overall, with a few minor defects such as soft and leaky berries due to heat, but nothing significant.
RASPBERRIES
Raspberry quality is good, and field personnel are doing a good job selecting color and keeping defective fruit out of clamshells. In Zamora and Jocotepec (Mexico), volume is expected to increase on a weekly basis, since long harvest fields are increasing in number. In Irapuato, volume should remain steady and increase during the end of May and June. This is similar to Maravatio where volume is also expected to remain steady.
BLUEBERRIES
Georgia blueberries are off to a great start with size, quality and volume. The crop is anticipated to peak around the first week of May. Oxnard organic blueberries continue to have good quality, and are expected to peak in volume toward the end of April into the first week of May. Mexico blueberries have passed their peak of production, and volume is slowly beginning to decrease. Despite slowing numbers, quality has been very good, and rejections have been almost non-existent.
GRAPES
The grape market is mixed this week, depending on the variety and size. Black Seedless and Red Globes out of Chile are steady on XL and Large. Crimson seedless out of Chile are down on XL/Large and steady on Medium-Large. White Seedless out of Chile are up on XL/Jumbo and Large. There is moderate supply and demand, with fair quality, especially on product shipping from the East Coast to the West Coast.
TROPICAL
PINEAPPLES
Pineapple prices are up slightly for the week, due to production slowing down. There are no shortages expected, as this is a normal time for production to slow. Fruit quality is good, and sizing will be transitioning to larger-sized pineapples soon.
BANANAS
Banana prices are steady for the week. Supplies are currently meeting the demand, and deliveries to the ports have been on time. Fruit quality is good, and production will continue to be steady.
AVOCADOS
The avocado market continues to see a price drop this week. The market could tighten back up with the fields shut down for Holy Week. After Holy Week, fields are expected to be back to normal production.
MELONS
CANTALOUPES
The cantaloupe market is flat this week. We are on the downward slide of the import melon program over the next few weeks, and will be transitioning over to the domestic Arizona crop by the last half of May. Fruit quality and supplies have been consistent; however, smaller-sized fruit has been more readily available than typical. Expect more of the same through the end of the import season.
HONEYDEWS
The honeydew market is up this week. We are on the downward slide of the import melon program over the next few weeks, and will be transitioning over to the domestic Arizona crop by the last half of May. Fruit quality and supplies have been consistent; however, smaller-sized fruit has been more readily available than typical. Expect more of the same through the end of the import season.
