Brussels Sprouts

The market remains elevated. Mexico continues to be the primary growing region; supplies are tight.

• Markon First Crop (MFC) and Ready-Set-Serve (RSS) Brussels Sprouts are limited; packer label is being substituted as needed
• Late-season quality issues, including yellowing/off color, bolting, and insect pressure, have significantly reduced yields in Mexico
• The size profile is heavily skewed to smaller sprouts, as growers must harvest immature fields; jumbo-size sprouts are scarce
• Domestic sprouts are being harvested in Oxnard, California; Salinas, California production will begin in July
• Industry supplies will be extremely limited for the next two weeks at minimum; availability will increase as domestic production ramps up

Celery

Celery markets are high but appear to have peaked; supplies are tight out of the primary growing region of Oxnard, California.

• Seeder and other quality issues are present in some lots, reducing yields at the field level
• Oxnard production is forecast to end in early to mid-June
• The Salinas season will start two weeks later than normal, in mid-June, due to planting delays and cold weather
• Michigan harvests will begin in early to mid-July
• Prices are expected to remain active until Salinas production is underway

From the Fields: Leaf and Lettuce Quality

Leaf lettuce crops in California’s Salians Valley have begun exhibiting varying levels of internal burn and tip burn after several days of wet, humid mornings followed by warm afternoons; the longer daylight hours are also a factor. Apart from the burn issues, these conditions have also caused an increase in insect pressure in some lots.

Harvesting crews will be working to minimize defects, but they cannot eliminate them completely from commodity and value-added packs. Markon First Crop (MFC) Green Leaf and Romaine items are limited; Markon Best Available is being substituted as needed.

Supplies are ample and demand is weak, so growers are starting to skip acres that are the most affected and move into younger lots. Quality is expected to improve gradually, but expect to see hit or miss issues for the next two weeks.

Onions

MFC Onions remain available in California’s Imperial Valley region. The New Mexico season will get underway this week.         

California

• Demand is strong for supplies shipping out of the Imperial Valley; this region is covering the majority of domestic onion orders
• Prices continue to climb and will remain firm for the next few weeks
• Onions will ship out of the Imperial Valley through June 10
• Central and Northern California production will begin approximately one week later than normal
  • Limited supplies will be available the week of June 12
  • Rain that soaked the growing areas this past winter and early spring is impacting availability and size

New Mexico

• Limited MFC Yellow Onion production will begin Friday, June 2
• Full production and order coverage of both red and white onions, will begin Tuesday June 5; supplies will ramp up the week of June 12

Portioned Grapes

The Mexican portioned grape season has been delayed seven to ten days due to cooler weather. This delay will cause extremely tight supplies production begins June 12.

• MFC Lunch Bunch Grapes will not be available until mid-June
• The Chilean/Peruvian portioned grape storage season has ended
• Mexican portioned grape season was expected to begin June 5, but has been delayed until June 12 due to cooler weather
• Stocks will be extremely tight over the next seven to ten days due to this gap in production
• Expect elevated pricing as the season begins followed by gradually decreasing markets

Potatoes

Sufficient supplies of MFC Burbank and Norkotah Potatoes are available.

Storage Crop

• Large sizes (40- through 50-count potatoes) are ample; smaller sizes (100- through 6 oz. No. 2 supplies) are limited
• Quality remains great for both varieties; pack-outs favor No. 1 quality, with limited No. 2 availability
• Norkotah stocks are expected to be depleted by mid-June; Burbanks will be the sole variety for the remainder of the season
• Daily production schedules have been reduced to extend storage supplies until the new crop season (2023-2024) begins
• Limited Idaho Burbank stocks are expected to ship through late July/early August
• Washington supplies will be depleted by mid-July
• Advanced order lead-time is highly recommended for order fulfillment

New Crop

• Idaho is wrapping up planting this week (one week behind normal schedule); Norkotah harvesting and packing would normally begin in mid- to late August
• Washington completed planting last week (one week behind normal schedule); Norkotah harvesting and packing would normally begin the last week of July

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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