News and Stories

Iceberg lettuce case weights in the Arizona/California desert region have taken a significant dip over the last few days and are expected to remain below Markon First Crop (MFC) weight specifications for the remainder of the season; Markon Best Available is being substituted as needed.

Warm weather and weak demand in early to mid-January led to an oversupply situation which ultimately forced growers to disk a significant number of acres planted to carry the industry through the season. The sporadic freeze events which followed in late January and February slowed maturity and caused inconsistent growth patterns. Markon inspectors are observing lettuce weights as low as 37 to 42 pounds. Some grower-suppliers are reporting as much as 25% of the heads are under-sized or underdeveloped.

January and February freeze events also caused epidermal blistering and peeling in romaine. Harvesting crews are doing a nice job of trimming off most damaged leaves allowing MFC weight and quality specifications to be achieved.

The Huron, California season will begin next week. Early reports are that iceberg lettuce in Huron is also small with below-average case weights.

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.
 
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