News and Stories

Bell Peppers
Green Bells

• The Mexican season in Sinaloa is at its peak; supplies will be available through mid-May
• Florida pepper production has been steady
• The California growing season is scheduled to start in early April

Red and Yellow Bells

• Mexico is the primary growing region; yields are high
• Quality is good; size is dominated by jumbo and extra-large peppers
• Florida produces fewer red and yellow bell peppers than California; the West Coast season will start in early May

Cantaloupe

• Offshore volume remains fairly light out of the Central American regions of Guatemala and Honduras
  • Crops continue their slow recovery from winter hurricanes; supplies should increase over the next few weeks
  • Expect markets to start easing when volume rises in early March

Honeydew

• Offshore and Mexican honeydew melons are available
  • The market is steady with moderate demand; overall supplies are ample
  • Expect steady pricing over the next several weeks

Idaho Potatoes

• Idaho Burbank and Norkotah storage supplies are adequate
• Prices are expected to remain relatively steady, with slight fluctuations, until Norkotah stocks begin to wind down in late March
  • Size is currently dominated by small potatoes (80- to 100-count stocks); large sizes (40- to 70-count supplies) are tighter
  • Norkotah stocks are expected to be depleted by mid- to late May
  • As Norkotah supplies begin to diminish in late March and Burbanks become the primary variety, supplies of larger sizes will tighten further and pricing will strengthen  

Limes

• The winter crop is winding down; new crop production is ramping up
  • Limes will be entering a new crop cycle over the next 10 days
  • Cycles are 90-day harvesting periods that begin with smaller, mature fruit and end with larger sizes
  • The size manifest will start shifting to 230-count and smaller fruit over the next few weeks
• Expect active markets through March, which is normal for this time of year

Tomatoes

• Round and Roma tomato prices are low due to ample supplies out of Florida and Mexico
• The grape and cherry tomato seasons are also in full swing for late winter; yields are high
• Florida cherry, grape, Roma, and round tomato stocks have reached normal volume levels for the tail end of the winter season
• Mexico is the primary growing region
  • Production is in full swing for the grape, Roma, and round varieties
  • Sunny, warm weather has increased growth and improved quality
  • Expect high volume on all varieties well into March

Texas Crop Damage
Texas Cabbage (In Season: October through May)

• The San Antonio-Winter Garden growing region has seen extensive damage due to prolonged hours below freezing
• The Lower Rio Grande Valley region fared better and will be harvested to fill the void in Texas
• Expect cabbage supplies to tighten and markets to rise
• Florida, Georgia, and the Arizona/California desert region will also help fill orders

Texas Cilantro & Parsley (In Season: October through April)

• Most mature plants will be mowed down (not uprooted) and will rejuvenate; younger plantings were unscathed
• Texas-grown cilantro supplies are expected to recover in one more week, but much of the parsley crop will not recover by the end of the season
• Mexican-grown product will be substituted as needed
• California supplies are also on the market

Texas Grapefruit (In Season: October through May)

• The season has come to an early end due to the freeze

Texas Onions (In Season: March through May)

• The season was originally scheduled to start next week, but will be delayed until the week of March 8
• The tops of the onions show signs of wear due to being exposed to ice and snow; however, the health of the bulbs looks good
• As weather warms, the concern will be the development of internal seeders
• Product is also on the market from Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Mexico (crossing into South Texas), Utah, and Washington
• Expect a slight uptick in pricing next week as markets react to the uncertainty in Texas

Texas Oranges (In Season: September through April)

• The season has come to an early end due to the freeze

Texas Watermelons (In Season: April through October)

• Some early plantings, that were to be harvested in early April, have been damaged, forcing growers to replant
• This will push the start date back several weeks to approximately May 1
• Northwest Mexico is typically a major player during this time, so Mexican supplies will ship until Texas harvesting can begin

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.
 
©2021 Markon Cooperative, Inc. All rights reserved.