News and Stories

Markon First Crop (MFC) Premium Green Leaf, Iceberg, and Romaine Lettuce packs are limited; Markon Best Available is being substituted as needed.

Record breaking temperatures continue in the Arizona/California desert growing region this week due to strong high pressure lingering in the area. Daytime highs have been in the mid- to upper 80s for three weeks and are now expected to reach the low to mid-90s over the next three days before cooling slightly this weekend.

Markon inspectors have been observing various heat-related issues for the last 7 to 10 days. The most recent and noticeable developments have been the sudden increase in mildew and insect pressure in iceberg and leaf lettuce items. Aphid and thrip insects are becoming particularly active, but isolated cases of worm pressure have also been noted. The last four weeks of excessively warm weather has brought these issues to the forefront three weeks earlier than normal. Despite most of the heat-related defects, the overall internal quality of lettuce items remains very good, with only sporadic tip burn and minimal long core/seeder issues.

Markon inspectors will continue monitoring quality and update further as the conditions change. Ordering for quick turns is recommended; maintaining the cold chain throughout distribution is critical to maximizing the quality and shelf-life of commodity and value-added produce items.

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

John Galvez

Quality Assurance

markon.com

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