Spotlight

Good Morning! Avocados – Have had a tough summer. It started out with USDA inspectors getting kidnapped in Michoacan, Mexico. So… the USDA refused to allow imports of Mexican avocados for about 2 weeks until they could sort out the security of the inspectors over there. This caused a gap in supply, raising prices for a few weeks. Now availability from orchards in Mexico has become very limited and we can expect a much lower amount of fruit coming into the U.S. California and Peru will soon be at the tail end of their respective seasons so pricing volatility will be present for the rest of August. Citrus – Valencia orange and lemon markets continue to be elevated due to limited availability and a reduction in crop size. Excessive heat in California has limited harvesting windows. Subsequently, there is a surcharge on labor wages. The heat has taken a toll on quality, so expect mostly choice grades available. Crops were originally projected to have larger yields this season, but use caution as supply is going to get tighter as we move through August. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only effecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Grapes – Table grape growers continue to navigate through the extreme heat, and we are now starting to see the impact to the industry. Certain varieties are taking the heat better than others and growers are optimistic that the back end of the season will not be nearly as impacted. Melons – West coast melon growers have plenty of honeydews and cantaloupes available, and quality has been excellent. Our locally grown melons will wrap up due to the wet weather. Pineapples – Are extremely tight right now. The main growing areas of Mexico and Costa Rica are having quality issues, resulting in very little fruit making US standards for import. Expect pricing to stay strong for the upcoming weeks. When you die, people cry and yell for you to come back. But when you do, they freak out.
Local Produce – The local season is slowing down as farmers reset for fall crops. We have all kinds of tomatoes, including heirloom varieties, blueberries, and watermelons available now. Avocados – Have had a tough summer. It started out with USDA inspectors getting kidnapped in Michoacan, Mexico. So… the USDA refused to allow imports of Mexican avocados for about 2 weeks until they could sort out the security of the inspectors over there. This caused a gap in supply, raising prices for a few weeks. Now availability from orchards in Mexico has become very limited and we can expect a much lower amount of fruit coming into the U.S. California and Peru will soon be at the tail end of their respective seasons so pricing volatility will be present for the rest of August. Corn – Our local corn harvest has finished. We’ve moved to more northern fields for the fresher corn and they have plenty everywhere in the northeast. It’s continuing to be a great year for corn. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only effecting white eggs. Our cage free eggs are at a locked price, thus we get a better egg for our customers at a lower price than typical white eggs. Melons – West coast melon growers have plenty of honeydews and cantaloupes available, and east coast farms are harvesting Athena cantaloupes as fast as they can. Locally we have cantaloupes and watermelons in great availability and pricing. Tomatoes – Are the most interesting thing happening locally and they’re rolling right along. Big, ripe, and juicy, we’re enjoying a great season. We have local romas, vine ripened tomatoes and even some heirloom varieties beginning. The chef who invented tiramisu passed away recently. Everyone at the funeral was in tiers.
Produce Supply Update July 26th, 2024 Good Morning! Local Produce – The local season is slowing down as farmers reset for fall crops. High heat and lack of rain finished many crops early, though some hot weather crops continue to thrive. We have all kinds of tomatoes, including heirloom varieties, blueberries, and watermelons available now. Squash, peppers and other items will be back again in the fall. Blueberries – Are still widely available locally and they’re having a great season. Quality has been beautiful, but it’s getting close to time to move north for better quality. We’ll be getting our next shipment from Michigan. Corn – Has been awesome all season locally. BiColor is still readily available. The dry weather has been rough on corn growers and some fields finished up earlier than normal. Eggs – Markets always climb in the heat of summer, with many egg farms losing chickens in the hot weather. This year as well farmers are dealing with the avian flu causing the destruction of millions of laying hens. The shorter supplies are keeping pricing strong. Grapes – Mexican grapes are winding down, with better quality coming from California now. The hot weather has caused some quality issues for farmers, so we’ll have to see how the rest of the season goes for them. Melons – Watermelons are in peak season locally and our local farmers are bringing lots of melons to the market. Quality has been great, just like you’d expect this time of year. Peaches – South Carolina peach farmers are still having a great season and a strong harvest. Plentiful supplies and beautiful quality are causing farmers to lower prices for this week. They’re into free-stone varieties now. Strawberries – High temperatures in California fields have tightened up supplies, and markets continue to creap upwards. Tomatoes – Are rolling right along locally and they’ve been gorgeous. Big, ripe, and juicy, we’re looking forward to a great season. We have local romas, vine ripened tomatoes and even some heirloom varieties beginning.
Local Produce – The local season continues to move forward. We have all kinds of tomatoes, including heirloom varieties, blueberries, corn, peppers, and watermelons are available now. We’ve reached peak season on many items, and we’ve passed the sweet spot for summer squashes and cucumbers. Blueberries – Are still available locally and they’ve had a great season. Quality has been beautiful, but it’s getting close to time to move north for better quality. We’ll be getting our next shipment from Michigan. Corn – Has been awesome all season locally. BiColor is still readily available. The warm weather finished other colors up prematurely. Eggs – The main reason egg prices are increasing again is because highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks occurred on five U.S. egg farms this year as of April 24th, 2024, causing approximately 9.5 million layers to be depopulated, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grapes – California is harvesting now. The hot weather has caused some quality issues for farmers, so we’ll have to see how the rest of the season goes for them. Lettuce and Greens – Record high temps in California fields have caused big headaches for the shippers out there. With the thermometer topping out at 100-120 field hands can only be in the field for a few hours, so they’re not harvesting enough to meet demand. Also, that kind of temperature is really tough on the product, causing quality issues on the limited supply. Onions – New Crop onion season has begun and pricing is much more affordable and quality is much improved over the storage crop. Vidalia has begun their sweet onion season and are poised for a great season also. Potatoes – We are at the tail end of Idaho russet potatoes. While there are plenty of potatoes left to get us through to the harvest in August, we are seeing quality start to decline, especially on larger sizes. The quality issues are adding increased pressure on the market and showing in higher pricing on the larger sizes. Strawberries – High temperatures in California fields have tightened up supplies, but demand hasn’t been that strong, so markets are still fairly low. Tomatoes – Are rolling right along locally and they’ve been gorgeous. Big, ripe, and juicy, we’re looking forward to a great season. We have local romas, vine ripened tomatoes and even some heirloom varieties beginning. I grilled a chicken for 2 hours on Friday and it still didn’t tell me why he crossed the road.
Local Produce – The local season continues to move forward. We have tomatoes, blueberries, yellow squash and zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, corn and cabbage available now. We’re reaching peak season on many items. Blueberries – Are still widely available locally and they’re having a great season. Quality has been beautiful. Corn – Has started in North Carolina fields and they’re starting out beautifully. BiColor was the first variety to become available, but white corn started at the end of this week. Grapes – Chilean grapes are finishing up, with Mexican and California growers carrying the baton now. Quality is very nice on the new crop grapes. Melons – Watermelons are coming into better volume in Georgia, and our local farmers are expecting to be into solid volume around July 4th. Onions – New Crop onion season has begun and pricing is much more affordable and quality is much improved over the storage crop. Vidalia has begun their sweet onion season and are poised for a great season also. Peaches – South Carolina peach farmers are still having a great season and a strong harvest. Plentiful supplies and beautiful quality are causing farmers to lower prices for this week. Potatoes – Idaho Russet pricing is still very good with the heavy crop they have in storage. Overall the supply in their storage warehouses has been good, so it’s been a smooth spring and we should easily transition to the new crop without any crazy markets. Strawberries – Nationally strawberries are in a glut. Lots of production, but light demand because of all of the other fruits available during summertime. Prices are about as low as they get right now. Squash & Zucchini– Locally they have been beautiful and supplies are increasing with the warm and dry weather. The heat this weekend my cause a bloom drop and a shortage, we’ll have to see. Tomatoes – Have started locally and they’ve been gorgeous. Big, ripe, and juicy, we’re looking forward to a great season. We have local romas, vine ripened tomatoes and even some heirloom varieties beginning. Q: What’s made of leather and sounds like a sneeze? A: A shoe
Produce Supply Update March 22nd, 2024: Asparagus – Are seeing a little bit of strength with Easter coming next weekend, but solid supplies out of Mexico and Peruvian fields making strong harvests. Quality has been very nice. Cabbage – Supplies are good and steady for the next several weeks. Warmer days have the fields bringing better volumes and heads sizing up. Corn – New seasonal harvests from Florida fields have got the corn deal rolling. Pricing is much better and we’re starting to see some size on the corn now that the temperatures are climbing. Cucumbers – As predicted, the market has begun to fall off on cucumbers. Florida finally has started their harvest and Mexican weather has warmed to allow better volumes. Prices are down considerably this week. Melons – Honeydew and cantaloupes demand remains light across the country. Most of the production is currently arriving from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. With sluggish demand, importers are looking to make deals. Quality remains very nice. Lettuce – Iceberg lettuce supplies remain limited this week with most growers reporting good supplies of romaine, green leaf, and red leaf. A recent hailstorm, combined with colder than average temperatures over the past two weeks, have impacted iceberg quality and decreased yields. Harvesters are trimming off outer leaves at field level to help keep the pack nice, but weights are lower as a result. Peppers – We are finally starting to see both Florida and Mexico with decent volume at the same time. We do need to remember that Florida will continue to experience peaks and valleys on yields due to previous weather. For now, we should see steady volume in the next two weeks. Colored peppers rose last week on light volumes. Strawberries – Are in a glut situation with several growing areas overproducing more berries than the market can use. Prices are very favorable right in time for Easter weekend. Tomatoes – Are finally settling downward as warmer weather in Florida is bringing on the crop. Quality and pricing are both improving rapidly on all varieties. Q: Why do cows have hooves? A: Because they lactose

Browsing the "Produce Supply Update" Category

Bell Peppers - stronger harvest in Florida

Produce Supply Update February 23rd, 2024: California Weather – Multiple storms on the west coast have caused flooding and disruption in harvesting. We expect to see over the coming weeks delays and shortages in product availability. Asparagus – Markets are much lower with Mexican farmers entering their season. Supplies are strong now and quality has been very nice. Cauliflower – Rain in California growing areas is causing major quality issues for cauliflower. We’re hearing about and seeing a lot of brown discoloration on the curds. Corn -Florida and Mexico both have winter crops going. Volume is extremely limited and price is very high. No change on either of these things for the foreseeable future. Melons – Honeydew and cantaloupes are widely available at all ports. Most of the production is currently arriving from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Demand is sluggish and importers are looking to make deals. Quality and sugar have been good. Mixed Vegetables – Cold, wet weather in Florida and Mexico have shut down production on peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Supplies are extremely tight on many commodities right now and pricing is surging as buyers struggle to find product. Lettuce – With most product coming from Arizona currently, the heavy rains in California have not had a negative impact on Iceberg, Romaine, and Green Leaf. Supplies are good and quality has been very nice. Peppers – Pepper markets continue to be on fire! Florida is harvesting but yields have been a disappointment. We are seeing a high percentage of poor quality peppers being left in the fields. Mexico is bouncing back from last week’s shortage, but we are still in a deficit from previous years. Tomatoes – Have been EXTREMELY limited for the past couple of weeks, but we’re seeing some softening of the market, especially on romas. Many will choose romas instead of round tomatoes if they can, so we hope the round tomato market soon will follow the romas. I have never trusted trees. They always seem kind of shady.

California Weather – Multiple storms on the west coast have caused flooding and disruption in harvesting. We expect to see over the coming weeks delays and shortages in product availability. Asparagus – Markets are much lower with Mexican farmers entering [...]

February 22, 2024 Produce Supply Update

February 16th, 2024 Produce Supply Update: California Weather – Multiple storms on the west coast have caused flooding and disruption in harvesting. We expect to see over the coming weeks delays and shortages in product availability Cabbage – Texas and Florida fields are starting to get some better volume right in time for St. Patrick’s Day pull. We expect pricing to stay pretty steady until after the holiday. Melons – Honeydew and cantaloupes are widely available at all ports. Most of the production is currently arriving from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Demand is sluggish and importers are looking to make deals. Quality and sugar have been good. Mixed Vegetables – Cold, wet weather in Florida and Mexico have shut down production on peppers, cucumbers, and squash. Supplies are extremely tight on many commodities right now and pricing is surging as buyers struggle to find product. Lettuce – With most product coming from Arizona currently, the heavy rains in California have not had a negative impact on Iceberg, Romaine, and Green Leaf. Supplies are good and quality has been very nice. Peppers – Pepper markets continue to be on fire! Florida is harvesting but yields have been a disappointment. We are seeing a high percentage of poor quality peppers being left in the fields. Mexico is bouncing back from last week’s shortage, but we are still in a deficit from previous years. Potatoes – There are still plenty of potatoes in storage as Idaho is still trying to move a bumper crop. There are plenty of good deals baking potatoes out of Idaho as well as reds and golds out of other areas. We are 2-3 weeks from Florida starting with fresh-crop reds and golds. Erratic weather (rain, sporadic cold) over the past couple of months has disrupted the planting schedule and will impact the crop. Strawberries – Light supplies due to limited harvesting caused by recent rain in Florida, California and Mexico. Product planned for the Valentine’s Day pull was impacted by the rains last week. There will be a slowing down of demand after the Valentine’s Day holiday. Tomatoes – Have been EXTREMELY limited for the past couple of weeks, but we’re seeing some softening of the market, especially on romas. Many will choose romas instead of round tomatoes if they can, so the round tomato market soon will follow the romas. A limbo competitor walked into a bar. He was disqualified.

California Weather – Multiple storms on the west coast have caused flooding and disruption in harvesting. We expect to see over the coming weeks delays and shortages in product availability. Cabbage – Texas and Florida fields are starting to get [...]

February 14, 2024 Produce Supply Update

February 9th, 2024 Produce Supply Update: California Weather – Multiple storms on the west coast have caused flooding and disruption in harvesting. We expect to see over the coming weeks delays and shortages in product availability Cucumbers – Supply continues to be a struggle. They’re not grown in any significant volume domestically during the wintertime. Honduran product is in high demand due to the shortage from Mexico. Mexico is still not producing the volume that they normally produce during this time due to their cold and wet weather. Melons – Honeydew and cantaloupes are widely available at all ports. Most of the production is currently arriving from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Demand is sluggish and importers are looking to make deals. Quality and sugar have been good. Mixed Vegetables – Cold weather in Florida and Mexico have shut down production on peppers, cucumbers, and squash. Supplies are extremely tight on many commodities right now and pricing is surging as buyers struggle to find product. Potatoes – We are still seeing softness in the market as multiple regions still have lots of storage potatoes. Russets are abundant from multiple areas and can be promoted with confidence. We may start to see some upward pressure on reds, whites, and yellows as storage starts to dissipate and we move to fresh product from Florida over the next month or so. Strawberries – Light supplies due to limited harvesting caused by recent rains and the forecast for rain later this week and early next week. Orders for the Valentine’s Day pull may also be impacted by the rain forecast for next week. There will be increased demand due to the Valentine’s Day holiday. Tomatoes – Have been EXTREMELY limited for the past couple of weeks, but we’re seeing some softening of the market, especially on romas. Many will choose romas instead of round tomatoes if they can, so the round tomato market will follow the romas. Q: If it takes 6 men 3 hours to dig a hole, how long does it take 3 men to dig half of a hole? A: There’s no such thing as half a hole. It’s a whole either way.

California Weather – Multiple storms on the west coast have caused flooding and disruption in harvesting. We expect to see over the coming weeks delays and shortages in product availability Cucumbers – Supply continues to be a struggle. They’re not [...]

February 8, 2024 Produce Supply Update

February 2nd, 2024 Produce Supply Update: Happy Groundhog Day! Asparagus – Asparagus market continues to be tight in volume since Mexico is still preparing to start the season in about another week. Cold weather down there has slowed the harvest from getting started. Perú is winding down their season. Cucumbers – Supply continues to be a struggle. They’re not grown in any significant volume domestically during the wintertime. Honduran product is in high demand due to the shortage from Mexico. Mexico is still not producing the volume that they normally produce during this time due to their cold and wet weather. Grapes – Backups at our ports have slowed arrivals of grape ships, creating big shortages. Supplies remain extremely tight and pricing is staying strong. Several vessels are due this week, though, so we should begin to see some easing in the markets. Melons – Honeydews and cantaloupes remain plentiful, with imports hitting all entries to the country at once. Pricing is very favorable right now. Mixed Vegetables – Cold weather in Florida and Mexico have shut down production on peppers, cucumbers, and squash. Supplies are extremely tight on many commodities right now and pricing is surging as buyers struggle to find product. Potatoes – The new year begins with strong supplies of potatoes of all varieties. Idaho continues to deal with a bumper crop of russets and is looking for business. Reds and golds are in abundance in multiple growing regions. Traditionally, potato sales sag in January as not too many New Year’s resolutions involve eating more potatoes. Strawberries – Light supplies due to limited harvesting caused by recent rains and the forecast for rain later this week and early next week. Orders for the Valentine’s Day pull may also be impacted by the rain forecast for next week. There will be increased demand due to the Valentine’s Day holiday. Tomatoes – Have been EXTREMELY limited for the past couple of weeks, but the dam seems to be breaking. Supplies are still low, but demand has slowed to a point that the market is falling. I got beaten up by 6 dwarves last night. Not Happy

Happy Groundhog Day! Asparagus – Asparagus market continues to be tight in volume since Mexico is still preparing to start the season in about another week. Cold weather down there has slowed the harvest from getting started. Perú is winding [...]

February 2, 2024 Produce Supply Update

January 26th, 2024 Produce Supply Update: Apples – Harvest is complete and we have a bumper crop of apples to sell this season. The crop this year will be around 140-million cases which makes it one of the largest crops ever! The growing conditions were very good and, besides producing a large crop, it also created high color and high- quality apples this year. We expect to have good supplies and great opportunities to promote apples from now until the summer of 2024. Asparagus – Asparagus market continues to be tight in volume since Mexico is still preparing to start the season in about two weeks. Cold weather down there has slowed the harvest from getting started. Perú is projected to continue producing from both regions all of January and the transition to Mexico is expected to start by mid- January, depending on weather and availability. Grapes – This week, we continue to see tight inventory and high market prices on grapes. With limited arrivals so far on Chilean vessels, along with an expected gap due to storm-damaged ships, most suppliers have limited inventory to cover orders. Melons – Honeydews and cantaloupes remain plentiful, with imports hitting all entries to the country at once. Pricing is very favorable right now. Mixed Vegetables – Cold weather in Florida and Mexico have shut down production on peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and squash. Supplies are extremely tight on many commodities right now and pricing is surging as buyers struggle to find product. Potatoes – The new year begins with strong supplies of potatoes of all varieties. Idaho continues to deal with a bumper crop of russets and is looking for business. Reds and golds are in abundance in multiple growing regions. Traditionally, potato sales sag in January as not too many New Year’s resolutions involve eating more potatoes. Strawberries – California has very light supplies on strawberries due to previous rain and cold weather. Central Mexico also has very light supplies due to their cold. Florida has light production and California is seeing weather-related defects. We’re getting ready to roll into Valentine’s Day, the biggest strawberry holiday of the year. Expect pricing to stay strong. People sometimes say I’m condescending. (That means talking down to people.)

Apples – Harvest is complete and we have a bumper crop of apples to sell this season. The crop this year will be around 140-million cases which makes it one of the largest crops ever! The growing conditions were very [...]

January 25, 2024 Produce Supply Update

January 19th, 2024 Supply Update: Apples – Harvest is complete and we have a bumper crop of apples to sell this season. The crop this year will be around 140-million cases which makes it one of the largest crops ever! The growing conditions were very good and, besides producing a large crop, it also created high color and high- quality apples this year. We expect to have good supplies and great opportunities to promote apples from now until the summer of 2024. Asparagus – Asparagus market continues to be tight in volume since Mexico is still preparing to start the season in about two weeks. Cold weather down there has slowed the harvest from getting started. Perú is projected to continue producing from both regions all of January and the transition to Mexico is expected to start by mid- January, depending on weather and availability. Cabbage – Our local farmers have finished their season and we’re moving to Georgia to get product. With Florida right behind them, we should begin to see some lower pricing. Grapes – This week, we will continue to see tight inventory and high market prices on grapes. With limited arrivals so far on Chilean vessels, along with an expected gap due to storm-damaged ships, most suppliers have limited inventory to cover orders. Mixed Vegetables – Cold weather in Florida and Mexico have shut down production on peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and squash. Supplies are extremely tight on many commodities right now and pricing is surging as buyers struggle to find product. Potatoes – The new year begins with strong supplies of potatoes of all varieties. Idaho continues to deal with a bumper crop of russets and is looking for business. Reds and golds are in abundance in multiple growing regions. Traditionally, potato sales sag in January as not too many New Year’s resolutions involve eating more potatoes. Strawberries – California has very light supplies on strawberries due to previous rain and cold weather. Central Mexico also has very light supplies due to their cold. Florida has light production and California is seeing weather-related defects. We’re getting ready to roll into Valentine’s Day, the biggest strawberry holiday of the year. Expect pricing to stay strong. Today my wife caught me standing on the bathroom scale sucking in my stomach. “That’s not going to help” she said. I said “Sure it will. It’s the only way I can see the numbers.”

January 19, 2024 Produce Supply Update

January 12th, 2024 Supply Update: Apples – Harvest is complete and we have a bumper crop of apples to sell this season.

Produce Supply Update January 12th, 2024 Apples – Harvest is complete and we have a bumper crop of apples to sell this season. The crop this year will be around 140-million cases which makes it one of the largest crops [...]

January 11, 2024 Produce Supply Update

January 5, 2024 Supply Update: Happy New Year! Apples – Harvest is complete and we have a bumper crop of apples to sell this season.

Happy New Year! Apples – Harvest is complete and we have a bumper crop of apples to sell this season. The crop this year will be around 140-million cases which makes it one of the largest crops ever! The growing [...]

January 5, 2024 Produce Supply Update

December 29th, 2023 Supply Update: Happy New Year! Apples – They are now in the last days of harvest on this new crop of apples.

Apples – They are now in the last days of harvest on this new crop of apples. The weather forecast looks good for the next week, so they should be able to finish harvesting the rest of the apples in [...]

December 28, 2023 Produce Supply Update

December 4th, 2023 Supply Update: Greens – Quality has gotten much better lately with the cooler weather, making them the nice dark green of wintertime.

December 1, 2023 Produce Supply Update

‹1 234 5 ›»

Spotlight

Browsing the "Produce Supply Update" Category

January 12th, 2024 Supply Update: Apples – Harvest is complete and we have a bumper crop of apples to sell this season.

January 5, 2024 Supply Update: Happy New Year! Apples – Harvest is complete and we have a bumper crop of apples to sell this season.

December 29th, 2023 Supply Update: Happy New Year! Apples – They are now in the last days of harvest on this new crop of apples.

December 4th, 2023 Supply Update: Greens – Quality has gotten much better lately with the cooler weather, making them the nice dark green of wintertime.

Download Ford’s Produce App Now!

We’re Hiring! Apply Now Below!

Weekly News Archive

Categories

Meta