MARKET UPDATE WEEK # 11 - 2020

Good Afternoon,

Miami-Dade County recently declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 virus. As discouraging as this announcement sounds, what it really does, is allow the state to request aid from the Federal Government in a time of need. All logistical operations including shipping and receiving of product from state to state is ENTIRELY OPERATIONAL. The shutdown of any distribution lanes is highly unlikely at the moment. We should not see any limitations to our business any time soon, but we are monitoring the situation closely. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

A low-pressure system out west has brought rain and wind to Southern California as well as growing areas in Yuma, Arizona. Conditions seem to be warming in Florida which is good for the veg business but may bring on the end of Strawberry season sooner than expected!

Speaking of STRAWBERRIES, we are on the last leg of the Florida swing. Market prices are firming up and supplies are coming up short. Florida strawberries can run into April with ideal conditions, but as we get closer to the end of the deal, the plants are also much older. Even with ideal conditions, quality becomes a factor in the springtime. Quality in California has been reported to be fair, but they have been pounded by rain this week. We will monitor the situation closely and switch over to California when the timing is right.

The rain out west has tightened things up for the later portion of this week. It rained in Yuma yesterday and looks to continue to rain into early Friday. When the soil becomes loose and muddy, machinery cannot get into fields to harvest. Because of this, we are seeing activity on LETTUCE, ROMAINE, ROMAINE HEARTS, BROCCOLI, and CAULIFLOWER. Shippers are giving back orders and holding customers to 10 week averages. Look for this market to stay active as prices are moving up for next week!

GRAPES have stayed out of the update for a few weeks as markets have been flat through the end of the import deal. We are now starting to see GREEN GRAPE supplies get tight and market prices trend higher. RED GRAPES look to have decent supplies for the next two to three weeks. MEXICO supplies are next up on the block, set to start in April. As we get closer to summer, CALIFORNIA will start production.

Flavored TOFU production came to a screeching halt this week as local suppliers look to repair their production machinery. CILANTRO, VEGI, and SPICY flavors will not be available for the next week or so, but we do still have FIRM TOFU while they work out the kinks.

Production in South Florida on: CUCUMBER, EGGPLANT, SQUASH, PEPPER, and TOMATO is slowing down. We are starting to see some more production in the northern end of the state, but we continue to fight limited supplies out of Mexico. We should see better yields in Central Florida and the panhandle over the next few weeks, but demand will continue to keep prices on the higher end.

More as it happens,
Parker Tannehill