Bell Peppers

East Coast pepper growers are recovering from multiple hurricanes; markets are poised to rise. California production will transition green bell crops to the Arizona-California desert region in October; red bell supplies will remain sufficient. Markon First Crop (MFC) and Markon Essentials (ESS) Green and Red Bell Peppers are available.

Green Bells

• California’s coastal growing region of Hollister will slow production over the next 10 days as the season winds down
  • Choice grades are most common
  • Quality is average
  • The harvesting transition to the Arizona-California desert region is expected to start Oct 21; however, high temperatures could push that date forward
• Late summer production has ended in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey
• Expect minimum volume out of North Carolina next week
• The Georgia season is getting started
  • Quality is good
  • Yields are increasing
• Florida fields took a hit from Hurricane Milton; however, growers anticipate production in the northern and southern growing regions of the state
• Markets are starting to climb due to harvesting transitions and severe weather along the East Coast

Red Bells

• California’s coastal regions have sufficient availability; prices are inching down
  • All sizes are available
  • Quality is very good
• Supply levels are steady out of Central Mexico supplies (crossing into South Texas)
• Canadian greenhouse volume is falling due to reduced sunlight
• Markets should remain steady over the next week

Blueberries

Expect blueberry supplies to tighten up due to recent hurricanes, expecting shipments from Peru to be delayed due to Hurricane Milton.

• Demand exceeds supply
• Quality is average
• Offshore shipments will be delayed due to Hurricane Milton
• Expect tight supplies through next week with increased price levels

California Orange Transition

The California Valencia season is coming to an end; the Navel season will begin in a limited manner the week of October 21.

Valencia

• The remaining California Valencia supplies are expected to ship through next week
• Expect to make size, grade, country of origin, and date changes to fill orders
• Quality is fair; sugar levels are at 14-16 Brix which may result in shorter shelf-life

Navel

• California Navel harvest will begin next week; volume will ramp up over the next three to four weeks
• Current stocks are dominated by 113- and 138-count sizes; fancy-grade fruit is most prevalent
• Sugar levels range from 10 to 12 Brix
• The early variety fruit requires gassing for 72+ hours to de-green
• Expect prices to slowly decrease as Navel yields increase

From the Fields: West Coast Heat Aftermath

Temperatures along major West Coast and Southwestern growing regions have cooled significantly since last week’s heatwave.

Areas such as the Salinas, San Joaquin, and Santa Maria Valleys, as well as Oxnard and the California/Arizona desert growing regions were all impacted. Several key commodity and value-added fruits and vegetable items such as broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and leafy greens are exhibiting heat-related quality and shelf-life issues.

Challenges that Markon inspectors are currently observing include but are not limited to:

Broccoli:

• Brown bead
• Dehydration
• Hollow core
• Insect pressure
• Pin rot

Cauliflower:

• Insect pressure
• Mold spots

Lettuce:

• Bottom rot/decay
• Dehydration
• Fringe burn
• Growth crack
• Insect pressure
• Internal burn
• Long core/seeder
• Mildew pressure
• Shortened shelf-life
• Sun scalding

Strawberries:

• Bruising
• Decreased size
• Shortened shelf-life
• Soft texture

Leafy Greens:

• Bolting/seeder
• Dehydration
• Insect pressure
• Mildew pressure
• Shortened shelf-life
• Yellowing

Markon suppliers are working to mitigate these challenges by selecting the cleanest product and culling supplies with serious defects. However, harvesting and processing crews cannot completely avoid all of these heat-related issues.

Although the heatwave has passed, we can expect to feel the effects for two more weeks, or possibly longer.

Markon inspectors are monitoring supplies closely and will update as needed. Ordering for quick turns and maintaining the cold chain is critical for maximizing the quality and shelf-life of perishable produce items.

Green Beans

Markets are elevated. East Coast green bean volume is extremely low due to seasonal transitions and crop damage caused by recent hurricanes. Quality has been merely average in Mexico due to early October rains. Ready-Set-Serve (RSS) Trimmed Green Beans are available

• Growing regions in the Northeastern U.S. will wind down in late October
  • Production will end in Illinois this week
  • Virginia harvests will run another two weeks
• The North Carolina and Georgia seasons have started
  • Yields and quality were greatly affected by Hurricane Helene
  • Markon recommends quick turns to maintain best quality
• Northern Florida production is expected to begin in early November; expect slightly lower yields/quality from this region due to recent severe storms
• Central Florida was severely affected by Hurricane Milton, while South Florida experienced moderate damage
  • Supply levels will fall in November and December
  • Assessments continue this week
  • Salvageable fields should start in mid-November
• California coastal production in Santa Maria and Santa Ana is winding down; supplies are extremely limited
• Mexico’s current growing region of Guanajuato had rain in early October which affected quality and reduced shelf-life
  • Growers have seen 10 days of good weather and quality is expected to improve drastically this week
  • November will see higher volume with the Jalisco and Los Mochis regions starting up
• Expect elevated prices this fall season due to tight Florida stocks and strong Thanksgiving demand

Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Central Florida on Wednesday night, October 9, as a Category 3 hurricane.

• Heavy damage has been reported in the Ruskin/Palmetto growing region
  • Palmetto received 13-15 inches of rain and wind gusts over 50 mph
  • Ruskin received 16-18 inches of rain with wind gusts over 50 mph
  • These regions are expected to be the most impacted and will experience major crop loss
• Initial reports out of Immokalee Florida are fair
  • Immokalee received 3-5 inches of rain and winds of 15-20 mph
  • Crops are expected to rebound with only some crop loss
• The current forecast predicts minimal rain in each region through the weekend
• Crop assessment is continuing; growers will know more in the coming days
• Markon is monitoring the situation and will update as more information from the fields becomes available

Onions

MFC Onions continue to ship from Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Colorado.

• Quality is excellent
• Markets are steady
• Pacific Northwest, Utah, and Colorado supplies are plentiful in all colors
• Harvesting is wrapping up; storage supplies are increasing
• Storage onions have solid, globe-like shape and firm texture
  • Yellow onions have golden, cured skins
  • Red onion skins are setting nicely with a few paper layers
• Michigan red and yellow onions are available; medium-size supplies dominate the crop
• New York has both red and yellow stocks; white onions are not available
• Healthy onion crops and strong yields are forecast for this upcoming storage season
• Expect the markets to have a slight lift by November, then stabilize once the crop is in storage

Pears

The California pear season is winding down. New crop Oregon and Washington supplies are available. Expect lower volume and higher prices than in past years; the crop will be dominated by large sizes.

California

• The Lake County and Mendocino growing regions will harvest through October
• California suppliers ship 36-pound volume-filled packs; Washington suppliers use 44-pound cartons packed by count
• Due to this discrepancy, California ships approximately six to ten fewer pieces of fruit per unit compared to Washington

Oregon/Washington

• Bartletts are available; D’Anjou volume will increase in late October/early November
• Markets are on the rise as demand strengthens in the Pacific Northwest

• Due to freezing spring temperatures, 2024 Northwest volume is down approximately 30%

• Wenatchee District North yields are down 60%
• Yakima South supply levels are down 12%

• Expect tight supplies of 110-count and smaller fruit; 80- to 100-count sizes will dominate these crops
• Suppliers pack and sell by the count as opposed to the volume-fill method used in California

Tomatoes

Tomato growers in Florida are reporting major crop losses in Central and Southern Florida which will heavily impact supply this Autumn. Expect overall very light supplies and high markets for November and December. MFC Tomatoes are available.

East Coast

• Category 3 Hurricane Milton pushed through Central Florida last week, directly impacting Florida’s growing regions
  • An 80% loss is predicted for the Ruskin/Palmetto season (mid-October to late November)
  • Immokalee volume is expected to fall 50% crop due to powerful winds
• Yields will increase in Quincy, Florida and South Georgia this week
• Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina will continue shipping limited supplies over the next few weeks
• Markets are rising

California

• Temperatures will dip into the mid-70s this week, reducing yields in the San Joaquin Valley; this season will end over the next 10 days
• Quality is average; small sizes and No. 2 stocks dominate shipments
• Round tomatoes are limited

Mexico

• Poor weather has plagued Central and Eastern Mexico throughout this growing season
  • Supply levels are lower than in previous years
  • Quality has fallen
• Growers have begun harvesting fall crops in Baja; expect more growers to come online over the next week
• The mainland season (Sinaloa/Culiacan) starts in mid-December; market relief isn’t expected until then
• Grape and cherry tomato prices are expected to increase due to severe weather along the East Coast

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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