News and Stories

Rain in the Arizona and California growing regions has stalled harvesting crews and diminished citrus, green leaf, iceberg, romaine, and strawberry harvesting. Expect tight stocks and increased prices into next week. Cilantro and green onion supplies are decreasing as cold weather and rain in Northern growing regions of Mexico and Ventura, California have drastically reduced stocks; expect elevated prices and tight supplies over the next several weeks.

California Rain Affecting Citrus

• Citrus growers harvested ahead of this week’s rain, but supplies have tightened
• Fruit must dry before harvesting can resume
• Skin break down and brown spotting will occur if fruit is picked while wet
• Fruit becomes pliable, causing damage during harvesting and packing
• Wet weather decreases shelf-life
• Prices will rise due to limited stocks
• Expect large sizes to dominate supplies; increased growth is a result of extended periods of rain

Cilantro and Green Onions

• Green onion and cilantro supplies are decreasing
• Both markets are escalating
• Large sizes are extremely limited; the majority of onions being harvested are small (in length and diameter)
• Premature yellowing and shortened shelf-life are becoming concerns in cilantro crops
• Expect elevated prices and low volume for the next several weeks

Garlic

• Domestic garlic yields remain extremely low; the maturity of many bulbs was compromised by warmer winter weather and unseasonable rains
• Peeled garlic is being processed at a much slower rate in order to cull poor quality cloves
• Defects will vary as growers move through different lots, but issues will be apparent to some degree until new crop stocks are available
• Abnormal rains in June and July added heat and moisture to the garlic, causing some cloves to deteriorate
• Imported garlic is on the market at slightly lower price levels

Grapes

• New crop Chilean harvests are behind regular seasonal schedules; vessels that arrived into West Coast ports are experiencing unloading delays due to the rainy weather
• Prices are climbing; stocks are tight
• Markon First Crop (MFC) Grapes are not available in 21-pound portion packs; packer label supplies are being substituted
• Expect prices to continue rising as the California season ends

Onions

• Excessive heat and rain in the Northwest during the summer growing period decreased the quality of this year’s onion crop; this season is forecast to end earlier than normal
• Field volume was low, decreasing storage shelf-life and forcing the growers to sell sooner than expected
• Red and white onions will remain available through early to mid-March; the yellow season will wind down in mid-April
• MFC Onions will remain available through mid-April

Ready-Set-Serve (RSS) Cauliflower Floret Trigger Levels

• Supplies are starting to increase
• Open-market cauliflower prices continue to ease; effective January 7, RSS Cauliflower Floret triggers decreased to second-tier levels
• Expect markets to continue easing for the next several weeks 

Strawberries

• Cold weather and rain have put the market into a demand-exceeds-supply situation
• Availability is better in Florida and Mexico (into South Texas); Mexican-sourced strawberries are being shipped into California to help fill orders
• MFC and Markon Best Available Strawberries are not available; packer label supplies (in one-pound clamshells) are being substituted
• Expect tight stocks and elevated prices through January

Tender Leaf Items

• Freezing temperatures and heavy rain in the Arizona/California desert region is causing quality problems in tender leaf items such as arugula and cilantro
• Cold temperatures have stunted growth, limiting stocks
• Expect limited supplies and shortened shelf-life over the next several weeks

Tomatoes

• Supplies are limited in both Florida and Mexico due to erratic weather
• Prices are high; production is limited
• The market will remain elevated through January

West Coast Prices

• Celery, green leaf, iceberg, and romaine prices are rising; this week’s wet conditions in the desert growing region are limiting production and diminishing supplies
• Frost-related defects are reducing yields and driving up raw-product processor demand
• Expect elevated prices into next week
• Domestic broccoli supplies are adequate, but wet weather is limiting production
• Although broccoli quality is good, rain will cause some pin rot and decay in the field
• Expect steady broccoli prices through next week
• Cauliflower supplies are increasing; prices are easing 

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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