Fords Produce Company Inc Since 1946 | 1-800-821-FORD (3673)
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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

Strawberries

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

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Weekly News Archive

Corn – Cooler temps slowed down the corn harvest in Georgia.

Produce Supply Update May 3rd, 2024: Local Produce – We’re getting started with our local farmers on a few of the early season items. We have strawberries and asparagus. We should begin seeing blueberries, broccoli and cabbage very soon too. Apples – As we enter spring, shippers are still in a pretty good supply situation with apples out of Washington. They still have ample supplies of apples in storage for most varieties. There are a few varieties and packs that have tightened a little and are showing some small price increases, namely galas and honeycrisps. Overall, they still have a large crop of apples to sell, and we expect to see attractive pricing on most varieties into the summer months this year. Asparagus – We have local standard sized asparagus and it’s been really nice this season. I think they’re wrapping up though, so get them while you can. Blueberries – Have started in Georgia fields and should begin locally next week. We’re looking forward to a great season. Also, they’ve begun packing pints, so they’re a much better value currently. Corn – Is coming from Florida in good volume and beautiful quality. Pricing is very favorable, so proudly feature it on your menus. Grapes – Mexico is wrapping up their harvest, ending the glut of grapes. California is well into their season now and the market is stabilizing at a higher level. Quality remains very good. Lettuces – Iceberg and leaf lettuce supplies are limited this week. Planting gaps caused by spring rains combined with cooler than average weather have impacted supply. Warmer weather on the forecast should help to improve the situation over the next few weeks. 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 we received our first shipment this morning. Squash – Yellow continues to remain short, but we expect the warm weather in Florida to help with yields. Georgia will start this week with no major volume yet, but outlook looks promising for next week. We do expect markets to remain strong as Mexico is coming to an end. Strawberries – Heavy supplies from many areas have the market down this week and farmers looking to sell berries. Quality is very good and just in time for the heavy Mother’s Day demand. Q: Where do fruits go on vacation? A: Pear-is

Apples – They are now in the last days of harvest on this new crop of apples.

Produce Supply Update April 26th, 2024: Local Produce – We’re getting started with our local farmers on a few of the early season items. We have strawberries and asparagus. We should begin seeing broccoli and cabbage very soon too. Apples – As we enter spring, shippers are still in a pretty good supply situation with apples out of Washington. They still have ample supplies of apples in storage for most varieties. There are a few varieties and packs that have tightened a little and are showing some small price increases, namely galas and honeycrisps. Overall, they still have a large crop of apples to sell, and we expect to see attractive pricing on most varieties into the summer months this year. Asparagus – We have local standard sized asparagus and we’re going to keep it going as long as we can. It’s been really nice this season. Blueberries – Have started domestically and we’ll look forward to a great season. Our local guys are expected to begin in a couple of weeks, kinda early this year because of the mild winter and early spring. Corn – Is very limited, though still available locally. Other areas are harvesting at full speed, keeping the market very favorable to use it in your menus. Grapes – Mexico is wrapping up their harvest, ending the glut of grapes. California is well into their season now and the market is stabilizing at a higher level. Quality remains very good. Lettuces – Iceberg and leaf lettuce supplies are limited this week. Planting gaps caused by spring rains combined with cooler than average weather have impacted supply. Warmer weather on the forecast should help to improve the situation over the next few weeks. Potatoes – Idaho potato shippers are still seeing very good storage supplies and high quality overall. Pricing should remain very favorable all of the way through summer into the new crop. Squash – Zucchini is plentiful but Yellow continues to remain short, but we expect the warm weather in Florida to help with yields. Georgia will start this week with no major volume yet, but outlook looks promising for next week. Q: What is the most masculine thing you can put on a sandwich? A: Mannaise. Q: Why don’t you ever see hippos hiding in trees? A: Because they’re very good at it.

Blueberries – Should continue locally well into July and then we’ll make the transition to more Northern states like New Jersey and Michigan.

Produce Supply Update April 19th, 2024: Asparagus – The market is getting tight on volume and prices are rising. This is due to volume declining in the fields because of curtailed harvests by farmers due to the cheap market that had growers upside down for a period and weather conditions that have been less than favorable for a few days which is tightening the volumes and raising the prices in the market. Blueberries – Florida is finally seeing increased production due to warm weather, cool nights, and no rain in sight. Southern Georgia will begin as well this week. While the pipeline is still fairly empty to start this week, expect volume to ramp up and pricing to finally come down over the coming weeks. NC blueberries are expected to begin the second week of May. Cabbage – Supplies are good and steady for the next several weeks. Warmer days have the fields bringing better volumes and heads sizing up. Florida and Texas fields are going strong and they’re already looking forward to the transition to Georgia farms. Corn – Florida is reaching strong volumes on sweet corn and flavor is improving as well as the quantities harvest. 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. Squash- The quality of yellow squash is starting to have some issues. We are noticing a higher amount of scarring and scuffing from both regions. Mexico is scheduled to continue until the end of the month. Strawberries – We received our first shipments of local strawberries last week and they were absolutely beautiful! The mild winter brought them on early, but some growers experienced a gap after their first harvests. Volume is increasing quickly and we expect smooth sailing going forward. Tomatoes – We thought pricing was coming down, and that big storm system came across the US and damaged the fruit and shut down harvests. Prices jumped again on the short supplies, but I think we are trending downward as warmer weather brings on the spring season. Want to hear a joke about time travel? Nevermind, you didn’t like it.

North Carolina Tomatoes are in full swing

Produce Supply Update April 12th, 2024: Asparagus – The market is getting tight on volume and prices are rising. This is due to volume declining in the fields because of curtailed harvests by farmers due to the cheap market that had growers upside down for a period and weather conditions that have been less than favorable for a few days which is tightening the volumes and raising the prices in the market. Avocados – Now that Mexican holy week is over, they’re settling down a little bit as the pickers get back into the groves. The next big driver will be Cinco de Mayo, and until then the market will drive pricing downward I think. Cabbage – Supplies are good and steady for the next several weeks. Warmer days have the fields bringing better volumes and heads sizing up. Florida is going strong and they’re already looking forward to the transition to Georgia farms. Corn – Florida is reaching strong volumes on sweet corn and flavor is improving as well as the quantities harvest. 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. Squash- The quality of yellow squash is starting to have some issues. We are noticing a higher amount of scarring and scuffing from both regions. We are also starting to hear of some folks discarding their fields because of depressed markets. Mexico is scheduled to continue until the end of the month. Georgia is around the corner, and we will start seeing some product by the end of the month. Strawberries – We received our first shipment of local strawberries this week and they are absolutely beautiful! The mild winter brought them on early and we’re expecting a great season. Strawberries are always the first crop harvested for the spring so get ready for more items to appear very soon. Tomatoes – We thought pricing was coming down, and that big storm system came across the US and damaged the fruit and shut down harvests. Prices jumped again on the short supplies, but I think we are trending downward as warmer weather brings on the spring season. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Florida’s corn season finally cranked back up and prices are way down this week.

Produce Supply Update April 5th, 2024: Asparagus – The market is getting tight on volume and prices are rising. This is due to volume declining in the fields because of curtailed harvests by farmers due to the cheap market that had growers upside down for a period and weather conditions that have been less than favorable for a few days which is tightening the volumes and raising the prices in the market. Avocados – Became very scarce very quickly last week. With many farms and farmhands in Mexico taking Easter Week off, and the higher than average demand caused by March Madness parties, suddenly there wasn’t enough avocados to supply demand. Prices quickly rose on the limited availability. Cabbage – Supplies are good and steady for the next several weeks. Warmer days have the fields bringing better volumes and heads sizing up. Florida is going strong and they’re already looking forward to the transition to Georgia farms. Corn – New seasonal harvests from Florida fields have got the corn deal rolling. Pricing is remaining good and we’re starting to see some size on the corn now that the temperatures are climbing. Lettuce – Iceberg and leaf lettuces are somewhat limited. Overall quality is fair with some weak tip burn reported. The primary shipping points are currently Yuma and the Imperial Valley. They haven’t made the transition yet to new fields in the Salinas Valley. 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 lighter volumes. Strawberries – We’ll be starting local strawberries this coming week! They came a bit earlier this year because of the mild winter we’ve had. Looking forward to a great season. Tomatoes – We thought pricing was coming down, and that big storm system came across the US and damaged the fruit and shut down harvests. Prices jumped again on the short supplies, but I think we are trending downward as warmer weather brings on the spring season. Pricing on grape tomatoes and mixed baby heirlooms are much improved already. Insurance companies are warning campers that if their tents are stolen they will no longer be covered. Q: What’s orange and sounds like a parrot? A: A carrot.

Strawberries

Produce Supply Update March 29th, 2024: Asparagus – Are seeing a little bit of strength with Easter demand this weekend, but solid supplies out of Mexico and Peruvian fields making strong harvests. Quality has been very nice. Avocados – Became very scarce very quickly last week. With many farms and farmhands in Mexico taking Easter Week off, and the higher than average demand caused by March Madness parties, suddenly there wasn’t enough avocados to supply demand. Prices quickly rose on the limited availability. 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. 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 – Easter demand for strawberries helped to clean up the oversupply that shippers were feeling last week. Things have settled out to normal pricing now, but prices are still 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: How many Easter eggs can you put into an empty Easter basket? A: Only one. After that it’s not empty anymore.

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