MARKET UPDATE 03.20.26

Good afternoon,

TRANSITION is starting out West and although it is an early start, we're wishing it would have begun even sooner. Temperatures above 105 F are expected out of Yuma Arizona, and although product is starting to move north, we have another month or so where we will need to depend on Yuma supplies. The HEAT will bring on issues like bruising, discoloration, and insect pressure to the already tired crops.

BROCCOLI is ready for harvest in Salinas, California. We seem to be heading back up north earlier and earlier every year, as the conventional transition start date was always around the first week of April. There will be limited supplies available up north to start, but there are already a handful of growers ready to pack CROWNS and BUNCHES in the Salinas Valley. The heat down south is going to push supplies forward and result in some lighter coloring. Make sure to keep product cold and iced down until it is out on the shelves!

AVOCADO markets remain affordable with strong supplies available! Good supplies out of California and Mexico are keeping this market in check.

GRAPES remain in good supply! PERUVIAN fruit is beginning to finish for the season, leaving mostly CHILEAN GRAPES to cover demand. We expect supplies to remain sufficient and the grape market to remain steady for the rest of the month. Domestic fruit won't start up until the summer.

FREIGHT markets are up this week as carriers are reporting a lack of drivers due to updated CDL requirements from the current administration. Non-domiciled drivers are no longer permitted to operate with a CDL, effective March 16th, leaving a large percentage of commercial drivers off the road.

For the next month, as the harvesting of CAULIFLOWER, BROCCOLI, LETTUCE, ROMAINE, and more moves from Arizona back to California, we will more than likely experience some ups and downs when it comes to quality and condition. The late season product out of YUMA may be our best option on some items, but trust that our goal is to always buy where the quality is the best, then figure out the rest.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill