News and Stories

High temperatures in the Salinas Valley and Santa Maria, California growing regions have resulted in quality issues, tightening broccoli and cauliflower supplies; expect prices to increase for the next 7 to 10 days. The Salinas/Watsonville strawberry season is winding down, pushing demand toward Santa Maria; tight supplies and high markets are forecast for the next few weeks. New crop California Navel orange harvesting has started, however stocks are tight; expect supplies to increase next week when more growers begin production. Prices will remain elevated through October.

Broccoli and Cauliflower

• Broccoli supplies are average to below normal resulting in strong West Coast prices; crown supplies are extremely tight
• Markon First Crop (MFC) Broccoli Crowns are sporadic; Markon Best Available (MBA) will be substituted as necessary
• The cauliflower market is escalating
• High temperatures over the past three weeks have accelerated growth and pushed production schedules forward
• Quality problems are reducing yields
• Markon Essentials Cauliflower is sporadic; packer label cartons will be substituted as necessary
• As regional seasons wind down, stronger demand will put pressure on California growers over the next two weeks; expect elevated prices the next 7 to 10 days

Cilantro

• West Coast cilantro supplies are back to normal levels, however persistently warm temperatures in Oxnard, California and Baja, Mexico continue to weaken raw product quality
• Ready-Set-Serve Washed & Trimmed Cilantro is sporadic; packer label will be substituted as needed
• Expect improved quality by next week as warm weather subsides and the Mexican crop transitions to a new growing area

California Strawberries

• Salinas/Watsonville supplies are diminishing as the season winds down; overall volume will remain low until the Mexican harvest gets underway in mid-November
• Demand is strong; prices remain elevated
• MFC Strawberries are not available; MBA and packer label are being substituted
• Expect high prices and tighter supplies in the coming weeks

Idaho Potatoes

• Reports from Idaho potato growers indicate that harvests will be finished by the end of this week due to ideal conditions; growers will begin filling storage sheds earlier than normal
• MFC Norkotah Potatoes are available
• Large-size potatoes (40- through 70-count supplies) dominate the crop; small-size stocks (90- through 100-count potatoes) are limited
• No. 2 supplies will increase over the next several weeks (once potatoes are shipped out of storage)
• MFC Burbank Potatoes will begin shipping in late October/early November once they complete the sweat process

Oranges

• New crop California Navel harvesting has started; stocks are tight, but are expected to increase next week as more growers begin production
• Overall size will be large; 113-count and smaller fruit will be limited
• MFC and ESS Oranges are sporadic this week
• Prices will remain elevated through October

Rising West Coast Prices

• Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, green leaf, iceberg, and romaine prices are rising
• The Salinas season is winding down, reducing supplies; demand is shifting to the West Coast from the Midwest and East Coast as regional harvests conclude
• Hot weather has caused quality issues that have reduced overall yields
• Many growers are also ahead of harvesting schedules by 10 to 14 days due to high temperatures; a supply gap is expected between seasons

Fall 2015 Harvesting Transition

• The fall harvesting transition from the Salinas Valley to Huron, California (the San Joaquin Valley) will begin next week
• Some growers have elected to stay in Salinas longer and start earlier in Yuma to avoid the Huron growing region due to higher water costs
• By November 9, Markon branded iceberg, romaine and green leaf will begin harvest in a light way in Yuma, Arizona; transfers to Salinas will be available
• Green leaf and romaine growers will stay in Salinas until the industry makes the full transition to Yuma, Arizona in late November
• By the week of November 23, 100% of Markon commodity and processed items will be harvested and loaded out of the Arizona/California desert growing regions

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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