MARKET UPDATE OCTOBER 18-22, 2021

Good afternoon,

The ASPARAGUS market is finally calming down. We are seeing good supplies coming out of Peru now as growers have geared up production before the Winter holiday season. We should expect to see friendlier prices in the next couple of weeks with the market eventually climbing back up for the Thanksgiving pull. Although volume is increasing, shippers in Peru are competing for limited container space on ships. Also, with the blueberry crop commanding much of the air freight space, logistics issues could keep prices from significantly falling.

LETTUCE, ROMAINE, BROCCOLI, and CAULIFLOWER markets continued their climb this week. We still have another three to four weeks before Yuma supplies start to kick in. Hopefully, the new crop will bring on some pricing relief to these crazy markets.

Temperatures may be cooling in Canada, but CABBAGE markets are heating up! As the Canadian season begins to wind down, many cabbage growers will start to harvest the remainder of their cabbage crop for storage. This dip in supply combined with lower CABBAGE production in the Northern United States has tightened things up a bit.

TOMATO supplies are seeing very limited availability this week. East Coast production is basically non-existent, while Florida supplies are just barely getting going. Mexico is where we are seeing the best availability, and since they are the only major show in town, pricing is moving higher. Shippers are also hanging onto product with the assumption that there will be some rain damage to the fields from the remnants of Hurricane Pamela.

HALLOWEEN is just a few weeks away and for some, next week will be the last week to load up on seasonal items before the holiday. PUMPKIN BINS, INDIAN CORN, MINI PUMPKINS, PIE PUMPKINS and more are available!

WATERMELON supplies continue the same trend they started on a few weeks ago. Import melons are a few weeks away and domestic supplies are nearly finished. Some suppliers may be carrying cheaper inventory from last week, but fresh supplies will cost over $300 per bin.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill