MARKET UPDATE NOVEMBER 1-6TH, 2021

Good afternoon,

As we approach the end of October, we hope that the fall decorations are up and the Jack O’ Lanterns are glowing. When Halloween comes along, we deal with one of the most difficult harvesting times of the year, the FALL TRANSITION. That time is here and if the monsters, ghosts, and ghouls aren’t enough to scare you, the late season markets might do the trick. While the struggles are the same each year, it’s important to remember that the treat of fresh harvests out of YUMA are right around the corner.

LETTUCE and LEAF will start in YUMA around the third week of November, BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER will start the last week of November, and fresh CELERY harvests will start in Southern California around the last week of November as well. There will be some market activity up until those dates, so please be advised.

FLORIDA is just a few weeks away from having strong supplies on several commodities. By mid to late NOVEMBER, we will have Florida STRAWBERRIES, TOMATOES, LETTUCE, SQUASH, PEPPER, and more! Growing conditions have been favorable, so we should be set up for a strong Winter Season.

STONE FRUIT supplies are all but finished out of California. After this week, only BLACK PLUMS are available until Chilean STONE FRUIT arrives in DECEMBER.  

CANTALOUPES out of YUMA are going to see major supply issues this season. White fly virus has decimated crops, leaving growers to harvest less than 50% of their crops. We will have to work through the next couple weeks until imported melons arrive sometime in mid-November.

RAIN in Georgia has slowed down production on GREEN BELL PEPPER and CORN. Both commodities are going to be tight heading into next week.

MUSHROOM growers across the country are facing challenges leading up to the holiday season. In addition to a shortage of labor, growers are also facing serious shortages of raw materials. With these problems, the mushroom industry expects a drastic reduction in pounds produced over the next few months compared to years prior. Please be aware that we may see some prorates on white mushrooms in the coming weeks. We will do our best to accommodate and provide options for substitution where applicable.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill