California’s San Joaquin Valley melon season is beginning to wind down; markets are poised to rise. Markon First Crop (MFC) Cantaloupe and Honeydew are available.

Cantaloupe

• California’s Central Valley heat wave in July and August matured fruit faster than projected, leading to lighter supplies at the end of the season

• California/Arizona desert harvests are scheduled to begin by the second week of October
• Current supplies remain dominated by large 9-count fruit; smaller 12- and 15-count melons are very limited
  • Markon may recommend size substitutions per availability on orders calling for smaller fruit

• Quality is fair; increased ground spotting, bruising, and green cast are occasional issues which is common in late summer melons

• Expect lighter supplies and rising markets over the next seven to ten days
  • Better volume is expected by the end of next week as growers break into their final summer lots

Honeydew

• Volume has started to decrease in California as the San Joaquin summer season begins to wind down

• California/Arizona desert harvests will begin within the second to third week of October

• Current supplies are dominated by larger 5-count fruit; smaller 6- and 8-count fruit is limited

• Quality is good to fair; ground spotting, bruising, and scarring are occasional issues
• Expect markets to rise over the next seven to ten days

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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