MARKET UPDATE FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Good afternoon,

LETTUCE, LEAF, and CAULIFLOWER markets are beginning to show signs of activity. LETTUCE and LEAF pricing jumped up today with several shippers showing sold out or limited supplies. Bruising, blistering, discoloration, and epidermal peel still remain due to poor growing conditions. CAULIFLOWER supplies are also starting to tighten due to cooler weather. The forecast in the desert does not look too bad moving forward so hopefully, we only see some brief activity on West Coast Veg.

CELERY has started here in Florida! We are still just scraping the surface, but we are looking at a healthy start to the season. We have seen delays on mostly everything coming out of the Sunshine State thanks to a lack of sunshine, so let's see how CELERY progresses over the next few weeks. Pricing should be cheaper out of FL due to lower transportation costs, and depending on the weather out west, we might see the whole market come off thanks to the increase in availability.

ONIONS continue to grow tighter and tighter as domestic crops slow down near the end of the fall-winter season. Mexican ONIONS have been slow to start, leaving us in a supply gap especially on WHITE ONIONS. We expect to see better supplies sometime in March but look for onion markets to remain hot until then.

Mexican ASPARAGUS supplies have drastically increased over the last two weeks. The last week of January, we were looking at market pricing on large ASPARAGUS over $40 per box. Just a few days later now and pricing is much closer to the $20 mark. Suppliers have indicated that the market should remain in check even with the Easter Holiday coming soon.

PINEAPPLES are in GOOD SUPPLY and of GOOD QUALITY! Supply is setting a good pace for demand, keeping pricing competitive.

Down here in Florida, cooler weather continues on and off this week holding back supplies of SQUASH, TOMATOES, PEPPER, and more. We keep thinking the weather will break any day now but the cold fronts just keep coming. The wave of cold weather this week is much shorter than weeks past so we feel some positive change coming soon.

CANTALOUPES and HONEYDEWS continue to provide a bright spot for fruit lovers! Supplies are pacing well ahead of demand so markets remain in a great spot this coming week. Look no further than melons for favorable pricing and availability!

CHERRIES are now all arriving by boat, resulting in longer transit times and decreased shelf life. The fruit we have seen has been soft, with a slightly shriveled exterior and showing early stages of decay. In our opinion, this fruit is better left off longer shipments.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill