Vegetables
Asparagus – Alert
Increasing volume but still thirty to forty percent below normal production for this period. Supply should continue to increase.
Broccoli
Supplies of broccoli are meeting demand and markets are holding.
Broccolini/ Baby Broccoli
Continues with extremely short supplies as cold weather is impacting the growth, and with more rain forecast this will be demand exceeds supplies for several more weeks.
Cabbage – Green & Red
Market is still tight. Baja season is coming to an end, and a potential for a gap until Oxnard starts again in April.
Cauliflower
The market is higher as most shippers are light in supply and not meeting demand. Weather looks to improve but will likely be tight to the end of the Yuma season.
Celery
Weather continues to hamper production in the growing regions and supplies are not meeting demand.
Cilantro & Parsley
Cilantro continues to struggle to meet current demand and market remains high. Parsley supplies are in better shape with that market relatively flat.
Corn
East – Corn supply is limited, and market is high. This market should get weaker next week. We are approaching the start of Spring Corn and the weather has been warm to help kick start the crop. West – Moderate supply, moderate demand, high pricing is holding.
Cucumbers
East – Cucumber supplies good. More Florida cucumbers starting and Honduran imports still rolling in. Quality is good and market is lower. West – After several weeks of good demand and higher pricing, demand has slowed causing pricing to dip slightly. Expected to continue through this week into next.
Eggplant – Alert
East – The supply on eggplant is still limited and the markets are high and will be next week. Demand strong and will remain until new fields start. West – Quality limited, less demand, predictions are indicating downward trend for this market.
Mushrooms
We are seeing a few disruptions with the brown varieties, pretty hit and miss. Overall supplies remain steady and for the most part keep pace with demand.
Onions
Market is showing some weakness as more growing regions are starting to produce more inventory. Quality from the Northwest is starting to show some internal defects, but suppliers are increasing inspections on the line to mitigate.
Peppers
Active market on both east and west coasts with limited supplies available, due to weather related issues. Yellow pepper is the most effected. Strong market expected to hold up to five weeks.
Potatoes
Demand is light. Packers have cut production to pace the lighter storage volume thru the season. The quality is good. Sizing is heavier to the smaller range. Prices are steady.
Tomatoes
Round & roma volume remains steady out of FL & MX which will keep the market stable. Grape and cherry volume continue to improve which will continue to drive the market down. The overall market is stable with adequate volume on normal demand.