Hurricane Ian did a lot of damage to central Florida. The southern tip wasn’t so bad, but the bulk of the growing areas in Florida are in the middle of the state. They had extensive damages that won’t be realized in our markets until later this winter. Georgia didn’t have the same amount of damages, but they did have sustained 20 mph winds which did cause some damage to the squash crop.
Asparagus – Late arriving vessels from Peruvian asparagus shippers have tightened up the asparagus market. Prices are higher for the limited product available.
Avocadoes – Continue their downward pricing slide. Quality and supplies are excellent.
Broccoli and Cauliflower – Have become increasingly tight. Limited harvests and poor weather have created a shortage that is driving prices higher.
Corn – Michigan farms are all done Georgia has just begun picking their corn crop. Supplies are always tighter as we roll into the fall.
Lettuce – Markets really jumped this week as high field temps and soil borne diseases have severely impacted the crop. Leaf, romaine, and Iceberg were the most severely effected.
Peppers – We expect markets to remain stable this week, but conditions will start to react as Georgia was getting ready to start harvesting this week. Michigan and the Northeast are still harvesting, but everyone was counting on Georgia as the new region with pepper.
Potatoes – The fall potato harvest is progressing nicely in many growing regions including Idaho, Washington, Colorado, Wisconsin, Nebraska, North Dakota, and multiple growing areas throughout Canada. The driver of the market as always will be Russet potatoes out of Idaho. Idaho is on the back half of the harvest for the Russet Norkotah variety and is focusing on the more desirable Burbank variety. Russet potatoes are harvested in the fall and stored for the entire year until the harvest the following fall. Coming off a very short crop last season, the market started high as the supply pipelines needed to be refilled. As that process is finishing, we are seeing prices easing off into more normal, though still elevate, ranges. The overall acreages are once again down slightly for Russets, but the yields and quality have been strong thus far. Sizing is a bit on the small side, so markets for large-count cartons are elevated and will likely remain so for most of the year.
I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon….. I’ll let you know.
