MARKET UPDATE WEEK # 32

Good Afternoon,

Most of the year, APPLE markets remain mostly stagnant. Crops are harvested for several months and stored in controlled atmosphere rooms. Suppliers work off the CA room fruit for the better part of the year, until new crop starts again in AUG/SEP. When late summer comes around and supplies are winding down, markets start to get active. This summer, GRANNY SMITH and GOLD DELICIOUS are in very short supply. We are going to see GINGER GOLDS next week, which is a good sign of new crop harvests to come! With limited supply and schools getting back in session, markets will be active on most of the major varieties for the next month or so.

STRAWBERRY quality is not near its best at this time of year. We are in the midst of a very hot summer, and higher temperatures are affecting the shelf life of the fruit. The strawberry plants are also in the later portion of their growth cycle. Older plants will produce fruit that is weaker than younger plants. The combination of these factors leads to smaller, softer fruit with less shelf life. Please remember to keep your STRAWBERRIES COLD. Any break in the cold chain will take days off of shelf life and damage the berry.

BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER continue to close the gap and get into good supplies. Harvests have caught up to demand and market prices have come off, especially on CAULIFLOWER. The same warm weather that is hurting the strawberries is helping these markets, a bit of a double-edged sword.

Schools are back in session and we are seeing demand peak on a variety of items. An increase in LETTUCE demand has bumped up the market for some shippers, but others are still dealing. ROMAINE has picked up a bit due to shorter supplies, especially ROMAINE HEARTS. The romaine market is in the early stages of an increase in price, so we may see additional increases into next week.

TOMATO supplies are thin across the country. Out west, they are still working through damaged harvests from the heatwave this past June. July and August have been nearly as hot, so supplies have not gotten much better. Supplies on the East Coast are somewhat similar to what we saw on other eastern veg commodities a few weeks ago, several harvest locations without much cohesion. With some eastern shippers gapping, some just starting, and most of the supplies moving out West, markets are very active.

Markets not mentioned-
Trending UP - POTATO, PINEAPPLE, ASPARAGUS, PEARS
Trending DOWN - SQUASH, GREEN BELL PEPPER, CELERY, ONION

More as it happens,
Parker Tannehill