MARKET UPDATE MAR 13-18, 2022

Good afternoon,

We are in the late stages of the APPLE season and shippers have started to temper our expectations for the second half of harvest. East coast shippers are going to wrap up on RED APPLES in the next month or so, and GALA APPLES just another few weeks after that. Once supplies out of New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan dry up, Washington pricing will set the market.

STRAWBERRIES had a great run this year in Florida but a warm few weeks have put an abrupt end to the season. Warm Florida days are ripening the fruit faster than the farm can harvest them. Next week will be a difficult dance when it comes to matching up pricing with quality, but we are starting off the week with some new crop DRISCOLL EXPORT fruit out of Oxnard, California.

BROCCOLI markets are incredibly competitive this week. Supplies out of YUMA are plentiful and shippers are looking to move some BROCCOLI. CAULIFLOWER supplies are in a completely different spot. Cold conditions have slowed down the growth cycle and left shippers with little to product, especially on larger sizes.

CELERY production is slowing on the Westcoast, growing demand for CELERY down here in Florida. Most of the big shippers here have operations in California who are more than willing to funnel their east coast supplies out west to cover orders. Due to the lack of availability, CELERY markets are going to trend higher into April.

ASPARAGUS supplies have gone from 0 to 100, real quick! Just a few days ago, product was nearly non-existent and now suppliers are swimming in grass; what a difference a week makes. FOB pricing has been chopped nearly in half and ASPARAGUS inventories are priced to sell!

LETTUCE and ROMAINE are dealing with the same issues as last week. Pricing is near its peak and we do not expect any positive changes until the Salinas Valley resumes production in early April.

LIME markets are still incredibly high. Crossings out of Mexico are at an all time low and the fruit refuses to size up and ripen. We may see some improvements in early April but only if Mother Nature cooperates.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill