News and Stories

The Yuma, Arizona growing region received approximately .35 inches of rain yesterday. Field conditions were not impacted as significantly as expected, but some crops have already seen an increase in mildew pressure due to the damp, humid conditions brought on by the passing low pressure system.

Sporadic mildew has been seen in tender leaf crops such as spinach and certain spring mix varieties, causing some growers to skip harvesting in those fields. Iceberg lettuce crops are exhibiting a much higher amount of mildew and mildew damage that will be difficult to remove completely from commodity and value-added lettuce packs.

The attached pictures illustrate the type of mildew that Markon inspectors are seeing in current iceberg lettuce lots. Harvesting crews will trim outer/protective leaves to remove defects as much as possible; this will impact color and case weights.

Another chance for rain is in the forecast for the evening of Thursday, January 29 and morning of Friday, January 30. Markon inspectors will be tracking the weather and working with growers to pack orders ahead in anticipation of the rain.

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

John Galvez

Quality Assurance

markon.com

©2015 Markon Cooperative, Inc. All rights reserved.