News and Stories

The fall harvesting transition for bell pepper, cucumber, and squash crops will occur on both coasts over the next two months. Production in Michigan and North Carolina will move to Georgia, followed by Florida. The California season will wind down and transition to Mexico for the winter. Extremely hot, followed by unseasonably cool temperatures in California over the next 7 to 10 days will drive up bell pepper and squash prices by the end of October.

Bell Peppers

• Green bell pepper prices will climb over the next two weeks while production increases in new areas
• The red and yellow markets will inch up for the next 10 days as production is past its peak in current regions
• The Michigan summer season is winding down; harvesting has started in Georgia and will continue through November before moving to Florida
• West Coast production will shift from California’s San Joaquin Valley and coastal regions to the Coachella Valley in mid-October; red and yellow bell peppers will follow in November
• Mexican production will begin in Sonora by late November and transition to Sinaloa by late December
• As regional supplies wind down in parts of California and the Northeast, overall markets will rise over the next two to three weeks

Cucumbers

• Georgia stocks are becoming more plentiful; the Florida season will start in late October
• Production in mainland Mexico (into Nogales, Arizona and South Texas) will start over the next week
• The impact from Hurricane Newton in early September pushed cucumber harvest dates back approximately 10 days
• Expect limited stocks and elevated markets for another one to two weeks
• Baja, Mexico will be the main production source through November
• Some cucumbers may exhibit scarring and yellow coloring due to poor weather on both coasts

Squash

• Domestic supplies will remain sufficient through October; expect West Coast markets to inch up slightly by mid-October
• The Mexican season (into Nogales) has started in a limited manner
• Quality is excellent
• Although production was pushed back one week, Hurricane Newton had little to no impact on new crop Mexican squash
• Supplies will wind down in Michigan and North Carolina over the next two weeks; Georgia production is underway
• East Coast stocks are adequate; the market will remain stable as harvesting increases in Georgia

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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