Farmer's Report

Produce Trends - December 6, 2019

All produce pricing trends are based on USDA data as of December 3, 2019.

VEGETABLES

POTATOES

Russets  

The market on russets is steady this week, including Norkotahs and Burbanks out of Idaho, with moderate supply and demand reported. Norkotahs out of Washington/Oregon are steady with moderate supply and demand reported. Quality will vary by growing region and variety.

Reds  

The red potato market is steady to down this week. Product out of Minnesota is down, with lighter supply and moderate demand reported. Product out of Wisconsin is steady, with light supply and demand 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 up this week, with moderate supply and good demand.

LEAF LETTUCE

Green Leaf  

The green leaf market is down this week, with good supply and good demand. Quality is good also.

Romaine  

The romaine market is down this week, with good supply and demand. Quality is good, too.

ICEBERG LETTUCE  

The iceberg market is up this week, with moderate to good supply and good demand.

GARLIC  

No issues to report on domestic garlic. Good supply and quality are being reported.

ONIONS  

The jumbo yellow onion market is mixed this week. Product out of Washington/Oregon is up, while product out of Idaho is steady. There is moderate supply and demand out of both growing regions reported. The only issue being reported is smaller sizing.

MUSHROOMS  

No issues to report on mushrooms coming from the East Coast, except that Crimini supply is still tight, and this trend is expected to stay through December. There continue to be supply and quality issues for mushrooms coming from the West Coast.

CILANTRO  

The cilantro market is mixed this week. Product out of Oxnard, California is up on 30’s and steady on 60’s, with moderate supply and demand reported. Product out of Mexico is down on 60s, also with moderate supply and demand reported. Product out of Imperial, Coachella Valley and Palo Verde, California, and Central and Western Arizona, is up on 30’s and on 60’s, with moderate supply and demand reported. Quality will vary by growing region.

CUCUMBERS  

Cucumbers are steady to up in price for the week. The East supply is reported as light; the West supply is reported as steady. Demand in the East has picked up a bit, which has also added to the tighter supply. Quality is reported as fair in both regions.

CELERY  

The celery market is up this week. Supply and demand are moderate. Quality is good. Expected rain this week may impact harvesting.

Yellow Squash  

Yellow squash is down in both the East and the West for the week. Supply has improved in the East, but quality is poor. The West supply is still light due to rain, but prices are dropping slightly, and quality is fair. Florida is seeing a larger price drop than Mexico for the week.

ZUCCHINI  

Zucchini market prices continue to be mixed for another week. Florida is reporting lower prices, with their supply improving week over week. The West has seen lighter harvests due to rain, so their price is increasing for the week. Quality is fair in the East and poor in the West.

GREEN BEANS  

The green bean market is down this week. Machine-picked product from South Florida is down, but the market continues to be high, with lighter supply and demand exceeding supply reported. Imported Haricot verts are down, with moderate supply and demand reported. Handpicked product from Mexico is down, also with moderate supply and demand reported.

BELL PEPPERS

Green  

Green bells are steady to down for the week. The East supply has improved after the recent cold weather, and the West continues to push out good volumes. Quality in both regions is good.

Red  

Red bell peppers are steady to down for the week. Supply continues to be limited in the East, with fair supply in the West. Demand continues to be strong for red bells. Quality continues to be good in both hothouses and field-grown product.

TOMATOES

Rounds  

Round tomato prices are up significantly in both growing regions. Supply is light in both the East and West. Quality is fair in the East and poor in the West.

Romas  

Roma tomato prices are up significantly for the week. Both the East and West are seeing large price increases due to light supplies. Quality is poor in the West and fair in the East.

Cherry  

Cherry tomatoes are up in price for the week. Both Florida and Mexico are seeing lighter harvest, causing the price jump. Mexico is seeing a smaller price drop than Florida. Quality is fair in both regions.

Grape  

Grape tomatoes are up in price for another week. Supply continues to be fair in both regions. Quality is a mix of fair and good.

CARROTS  

The jumbo carrot market is steady this week, including product out of California and Mexico. There is moderate supply and demand out of both regions 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 large, down on medium and steady on small, with moderate supply and light demand reported. Product out of South Carolina is steady, with lighter supply and good demand reported. Quality will vary by growing region.

CAULIFLOWER  

The cauliflower market is down this week, with good supply and demand. Quality is good.

ASPARAGUS  

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

BROCCOLI  

The broccoli market is down this week, with good supply and demand. Quality is good also.

HANGING FRUIT

Apples and Pears

Apples  

All varieties out of Washington are steady, with moderate supply, and good 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  

Pricing is steady for lemons out of California, and down slightly for product out of Mexico. D-1 and D-3 fields are in full production in California. There is rain in the forecast for the growing regions, which could delay harvests and cause potential quality issues. For now, quality is good.

LIMES  

Lime prices are down for the week. Demand has slowed down after the holiday rush. As we approach the holidays, harvests and crossings are expected to slow down. Quality continues to be good.

ORANGES  

Navel orange prices out of California are steady to down for the week. Rain is in the forecast, which could cause harvest delays on Navels. Navels continue to trend toward the 88’s and smaller sizes. Cara Caras and Blood Oranges will be delayed, due to the rain coming into the growing region. Quality continues to be good, but the rain could impact future orders.

BERRIES

STRAWBERRIES  

There is an industry-wide shortage on strawberries. Salinas and Watsonville, California, are done for the season due to rain. The overall outlook for Santa Maria, California is that this region is also done. Supply will be very limited out of Florida and Mexico until Oxnard, California volume ramps up, weather permitting. Florida production has just begun; therefore, volume is very limited. Mexico production is underway, but small sizing and quality issues from rainfall and humidity are creating challenges.

GRAPES  

The grape market is steady to up this week, depending on the growing region. Autumn King out of Kern District, California is up on L-XL and up out of San Joaquin Valley, California. Autumn Royal, Red Seedless and Scarlet Royal are steady out of both Kern District and San Joaquin Valley. There is moderate supply and good demand reported.

TROPICAL

PINEAPPLES  

Pineapple prices are down slightly for the week. Pineapples continue to trend toward larger sizes. Volumes are expected to increase to meet holiday demand.

BANANAS  

Banana prices continue to be steady. Supply continues to be good, with no quality issues being reported.

AVOCADOS  

Avocado prices are up out of Mexico for this week. Supply is still good, with demand increasing as we approach the holidays. #2 availability continues to be good for the time being. Crossings and harvest will slow down for the upcoming holiday weeks. Quality looks to be good.

MELONS

CANTALOUPES 

The cantaloupe market is flat this week. Imported cantaloupes have begun in a small way, as predicted. The volumes will continue to increase in the upcoming weeks. Quality is good, and sizing is trending larger.

HONEYDEWS 

The honeydew market is flat this week, too. Imported honeydew have also begun in a small way, as predicted. The volumes will continue to increase in the upcoming weeks. Quality is good, and sizing is trending larger.