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

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.

Hot Summer Days - Heirloom Tomatoes

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 creep 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.

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Weekly News Archive

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

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Local Produce – Squash, Zucchini, and Cucumbers are starting again. The cool nights last week slowed production from the vines, but they’re going strong now. Tomatoes are still going strong with many varieties available. Local heirlooms are in a bit of a gap right now though. Apples – We continue to have good supplies of apples for this time of year out of Washington and on imports from Chile as well. Some new crop pears are available now and we should begin seeing early maturing varieties like galas and golden delicious very soon. Blueberries – Are rapidly coming to an end domestically. The heat got too much for the bushes and suddenly the farms just didn’t have any product to ship. Chilean growers are getting started and we’ll begin seeing imports very soon and that should add some necessary volume to the markets. 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. Corn – Fresh sweet corn is in still in good volume in the north and quality is excellent! There was a bit of a price jump with the increasing demand for the holiday weekend. 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. 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. Potatoes – We received our first shipment of new crop Idaho baking potatoes this week and just Wow! They are beautiful. We’re looking at a great season if they continue like this. My daughter asked if the mango was ready. I said no it’s yellowey?

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

Good Morning! Local Produce – Squash, Zucchini, and Cucumbers are starting again. The cool nights this week are slowing production from the vines, but they’re producing. Tomatoes are still going strong and melons are still widely available. Apples – We continue to have good supplies of apples for this time of year out of Washington and on imports from Chile as well. Most varieties and packs have good availability, and quality is holding up very nicely this season. Supplies out of storage in Washington are still above average for this time of year on many varieties. There are a few varieties and packs that have tightened a little and are resulting in some higher pricing. 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. Corn – Fresh sweet corn is in huge volumes in the north and quality and pricing are excellent! 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. 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. Potatoes – Some growing areas are beginning harvest now for their fall crop of reds, whites, yukons and even russets. We have our first shipment of new crop Idaho baking potatoes on the road headed this way and we’re looking forward to fresh new potatoes and improved quality. Q: Why do fish swim in salt water? A: Because pepper water makes them sneeze.

Idaho Potatoes

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. 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 supplies are keeping pricing strong. Surprisingly, the higher prices are only affecting 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 – Temperatures in the Central Valley growing regions have finally cooled down to the mid-90s this week. The cooler weather will help increase inventory levels due to the return of full picking days. Melons – Local melons of all types are still making it to market, though quality has suffered due to the heavy rains last week. Melons of all types are growing seemingly everywhere now (it is summertime afterall) keeping pricing low and making it a great time to feature them. Potatoes – Some growing areas are beginning harvest now for their fall crop of reds, whites, yukons, and even russets. We’ll happily be into new crop baking potatoes soon and enjoying the better quality. I was riding by a dairy farm near my house and saw a cow playing the harmonica. Astonished, I drove up to the barn and asked the farmer about his cow. He replied, “Yeah, she’s a moosician.”

orange, fruit

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.

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

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.

Hot Summer Days - Heirloom Tomatoes

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.

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

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