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Packers are struggling with negative margins and reduced slaughter while feedlots are struggling with replacement stock. Beef in cold storage at the end of January was 11% lower than a last year.
All chicken markets are higher across the board because of limited supply due to hatchability and mortality issues.
Bird weights, hatchability, and bird mortality are limiting availability in products and driving prices higher. Breasts availability has tightened. Wings remain tight in the market. Tenders’ availability is limited. Dark meat demand remains very good. Whole birds are mostly balanced.
Butts are moving up again with B/I butts moving up much more than Boneless butts. Demand for B/I butts is much stronger than anticipated. Ribs also continue to move up as more demand has come in as positions on ribs are being taken. Boneless loins are down slightly. Bellies may have stabilized as the market is flat for next week. Hams are moving as expected as demand and exports pick up.
Market continues to be steady with ample supply. Buyers continue to be cautious and focused on immediate needs. Middle meats continue to be steady. End cuts are still drawing interest and showing strength. With limited harvest, packers are finding support on thin meats and grinds. Not as much driven by demand but limited supplies.
Shell egg markets are all down and Northwest/ California are down. Block & Barrel are increasing. Butter is flat.
While starting the week higher, soybean oil ended the week lower with increased stocks and biofuel demand lower. Canola pricing has moved higher in recent weeks, mostly due to technical trading and strong biofuel demand. Palm moved higher with lower production.
The Lenten season is in full force. Lobster tails have had a challenging season and supply is tight. Dungeness crab season is in full swing, with the availability of new inventory from vendors. Live crawfish prices will be high, and inventories will be tight this year. Please consider using frozen crawfish as an alternative.
Shippers are forecasting these low markets will start to change as growers cannot continue to harvest in the negative. Easter pull and retail promotions should help clear some excess volume.
East – Green bell limited on #1’s. The market is stronger on #1s and weaker on offgrades. Red and yellow bells are extremely limited.
West – Green pepper sizing heavier to medium and large, overall supply is short. Red bell peppers demand exceeds, yellow volume improving slightly.
Overall supplies have been lighter, and the market is firming up a little. Expect market to be active as the desert region winds down.
Rain has impacted harvesting and yields are down on all varieties, demand continues to exceeds
supplies.
Supplies and quality good on both red and green. Market mostly softer on both.
Market softer with fair to good supplies of 12 and 16 ct, the 9 ct are little tighter.
Market mainly steady with good supplies and moderate demand.
Cilantro and Parsley supplies and overall quality look good. Market mainly steady for on Parsley and cilantro up a bit.
East – Corn supply better, quality good, and market lower.
West – Moderate demand, bi–color slightly higher, others steady. Quality is fair.
East – Eggplant supply very light, quality hit and miss, demand strong, and market very high.
West – Supply is good, heavier to 24 count. Good quality, steady market, fairly good demand.
Market up significantly as demand has picked up and quality, mostly mildew pressure in the field, is impacting yields. Market on Hearts have followed suit and trending much higher as supplies are tightening up.
No quality inventory is available from Idaho. Washington white onion supplies continue to decrease. Mexico has yet to cross into the US certified onions. We expect inventory crossing from Mexico to improve each week.
Supplies are very light on 40–50 ct from most suppliers. 90–120 ct are plentiful. This now looks to be the case through the summer months. Demand is following supply accordingly. Prices are steady for now. Quality is good.
East – Zucchini and yellow squash supply better, quality good, and markets lower.
West – Demand is light, supply and quality are good. Better yellow supply. More volume expected next week as new region breaks field.
Grape & cherry varieties remain on alert status due to lack of availability out of MX & FL. Roma markets remain stable both east and west. The round market continues to improve with increased availability out of MX.
After a short period of oversupply, harvests are now down 15–20% last week and expect the market to react quickly with higher prices this week on all sizes.
Lemons –Alert Smaller sizes are getting scarce. The amount of rain received in February and going into March will continue to make the lemons larger for the rest of the season and demand will exceed supplies. 140 ct and smaller are very tight.
Oranges –Alert The market is currently experiencing an uptick in prices, primarily due to a shortage of small–sized navel oranges, attributed to the excessive rainfall which has led to larger fruit sizes. Small fruit remains critically short.
Limes – Expect decreased supply trends to remain consistent for the foreseeable future likely through the end of March or April.
Market conditions are projected to remain elevated. Demand will ultimately dictate pricing.
Reds are demand exceeds with suppliers working to fill orders from vessel to vessel offering later week fills and loading location changes. May see a slight reprieve next week but will be temporary. Pricing remains strong for all grapes.
