Market Alert November 18, 2021 Market Alert: Transition We are in the final week of transition from Salinas to Yuma and should see full production out of Yuma next week, although most items will be tight going through this process. The avocado market continues to see stronger numbers on mid to smaller sizes and tightened up on larger sized fruit. We anticipate promotable volume to continue in the forecast from this Aventajada crop. Mexico tomato production has flattened out this week on rounds and snacking tomatoes while romas have become severely short. The Florida tomato markets will remain volatile through the Thanksgiving holiday with rounds tightening up this week. Snacking tomatoes remain stable. We recently experienced a rain event in South Florida, and we will continue to observe crops for any damage as some of this shortage is due to this event as well as retail pull for Thanksgiving. South Georgia is wrapping up quickly as we transition fully to Florida by next week. Nogales is opening with squash and cucumber availability as well as chilis and bell peppers crossing over the next 10-14 days and will begin to bring some much-needed relief to the fresh chili market. Transition to the desert is in full swing and we should see improvement on green bells, beans & corn out of Coachella. Again, we will continue to see elevated pricing as the fresh chili pepper market is extremely short due to transition, and there is a GAP and quality issues in mainland Mexico (jalapeno, serrano pepper, tomatillos, poblanos and all other hot peppers out of Mexico are impacted). Lime market has also tightened up and expected to remain firm through December. Market Alert: Southeast Weather We are currently tracking a storm that is bringing heavy rain to the southeast. This storm is expected to bring 2-7 inches of rain to isolated areas. Immediate impact will be shipping and harvest delays, but we are expecting this to impact the winter crops in South Georgia, as well as Florida. We will be monitoring this event with our growers and provide updates as soon as possible. November 5, 2021 Market Alert: Mixed Chili Market We are experiencing an extreme market condition with the mixed chili category. Core items impacted are, but not limited to: • Tomatillo • Poblano • Anaheim • Jalapeno • Serrano The primary cause of this condition is the impact of a hurricane, 3 weeks ago in the western part of Mexico, which damaged the current growing region in the states of Michoacan and Jalisco. Growers are suffering major crop loss in that region and what has been shipped has poor quality. To further impact supply, we are seeing some production loss and delays in Sinaloa, as their first cuts were was almost a complete lost, and the next cycle will begin to produce substantial numbers in 2-3 weeks. We are hoping the market will start to gradually improve over the next 7-10 days, with more improvement through the first week of December. We will continue to provide you with updates as we receive them. June 29, 2021 Market Alert: Excessive Heat Warning There is an excessive heat warning (today through the end of the week) that is currently impacting the pacific northwest. Although some of the hottest days (110 degrees) are past us, we could see several crops (potatoes, onions, grapes, stone fruit, apples, blueberries) impacted in the region. At this time, we are sending this alert to inform you of the situation, however, we are not seeing the impact of the heat on any products as this is usually seen on more mature crops. That being said, we will be assess conditions over the next several days. In California, we are still assessing conditions from last week’s heatwave, that brought a short period of extreme heat to several growing regions. That being said, we feel as a result of growers taking action and staying ahead of the heat, we believe there is far less damage than expected. Regions we are still observing California (last week) and the commodities that may be affected: • Arvin/ Bakersfield – Bell Peppers, Carrots, Watermelon, Table Grapes , Mixed Melons – Cantaloupe and Honeydew • Selma/Fresno – Tomatoes, Bell peppers , Green Beans, Eggplant, Soft Squash, Hard Squash, Corn • King City – Mixed Chilies April 26, 2021 Market Alert: Cauliflower Recent weather conditions in California growing areas, with rain/hail a few weeks ago and recent cool weather, has caused fields to be off schedule with reduced yields. These weather conditions have created a temporary shortage on cauliflower supply. The forecast for this week, and through the weekend, is for daytime highs to reach high 60s, which will make the lighter than normal supply continue through this week. We do not feel this will be long term and shippers are doing all they can to fill orders, but we do anticipate some pro-rates due to the current shortages. March 31, 2021 Market Alert: Berries Strawberries: As we get into the first of April, we continue to see challenges in production as supplies are lower than projected due to the rain and hail events over the past weeks in California. In addition, production in Mexico and Florida is trending downward faster than anticipated with many shippers starting to finish for the season. Raspberries – We continue to see very light supplies on Raspberries due to weather related issues on product coming from Central Mexico and Oxnard. Supplies are well below projected volume with lower than expected volume expected to continue through next week before we see supplies start to increase Blackberries – As we are seeing with Raspberries, supplies on Blackberries are also well below projections as we head into the first of April. Below normal temperatures have caused challenges in supplies which are expected to continue through at least the first 1 to 2 weeks of April before we see increases in supplies. Market Alert: Limes Limes continue to struggle as we approach April, this past week we were down 250+ loads from the normal 750-800 loads per week. Unfortunately, we are starting to see a shift in sizing, leaning heavy to smaller sized fruit (200 to 230s) and expect to see this through most of April. We are anticipating a premium on larger sized fruit (175s and larger) to continue while we expect markets on smaller sized fruit to fluctuate throughout the month of April, then turn around once again in May. The reports from Mexico are claiming this size issue is a result of two primary factors, the first being growers cutting ahead of schedule to keep markets stable through March and now will be harvesting from trees that will have less tonnage from picking ahead, and also trees suffering from damage due to the cold weather earlier in the year. With 110-175ct limes expected to be extremely short, we recommend being flexible on sizing to maintain supply during this escalated and volatile lime market.we will continue to see healthy production out of other major growing regions on the east coast, Arizona, California, and Mexico as forecast. February 26, 2021 Market Alert: Weather/Texas Update We are currently seeing major damages to several crops in Texas, which could impact many commodities over the next several months. There are over 40 different items grown in the Rio Grande Valley, ranging from onions and citrus to cabbage and mustard greens. While it’s too early to fully understand the true impact the freeze had on Texas agriculture, we know that several commodities will be affected. Texas Citrus: During the storms, growers reported fruit being completely frozen on the tree, to severe damage to the bloom which would have been fruit for the next season. Many of the trees will most likely need a heavy pruning due to the freeze damage which could impact overall volume for the next two seasons. We are hearing that the losses in citrus will be substantial and what is salvaged will likely have quality issues. Texas Onions: While onions can handle some degree of lower temperatures, this extensively cold period will hurt both the plant and the bulb. We will likely see a lot of loss due to the presence of “seeders”. Seeder onions occur when the onion attempts to regrow itself from within, which is caused by low to high temperature fluctuations. This regrowth results in a hard and woody center, and an unusable product overall. As these onions thaw and sit in the melted ice, a higher presence of bacteria and disease is expected. Fortunately the crops that have yet to bulb will most likely have better yields than the earlier staged regions and fields. Texas Greens: The freeze killed a majority of the greens and will need replanting if applicable. Cabbage seemed to be the most resilient to the storm and losses were more manageable but still will impact the local Texas supply. Fortunately, we will continue to see healthy production out of other major growing regions on the east coast, Arizona, California, and Mexico as forecasted. We keep the entire Texas farming community in our thoughts while they assess this devastating blow to their livelihood. February 18, 2021 Market Alert: Weather/Texas Update Over the last week, there have been a number of winter storms that have impacted the nation with crippling cold temps, snow and ice. As a result of the weather, there have been many interruptions in daily commerce. At this time, we are seeing major damages to several crops in Texas and this could impact several commodities over the next several months. There are over 40 different items grown in the Rio Grande Valley ranging from onions and citrus to cabbage and mustard greens. It’s too early to fully understand the true impact that the freeze had on Texas agriculture, but we should start to see a clearer picture over the next several days as temperatures are forecasted to improve. Fortunately, we will continue to see healthy production out of other major growing regions on the east coast, the desert, California and Mexico as forecasted. We keep the entire Texas farming community in our thoughts while they assess this devastating blow to their livelihood February 11, 2021 Market Alert: Limes The lime market has jumped considerably this morning as availability of small fruit has become limited, pushing our growers to secure additional fruit at market. Quality and rain-related issues have impacted the older crops, which is where the current fruit is being harvested. Political issues are also impacting the supply routes through Mexico; we may see this impact for the next several weeks. Possible substitutions: Lemons February 4, 2021 Market Alert: Strawberries Due to unfavorable weather, the winter strawberry season is off to a slow start in all growing areas in California, Florida, and Mexico. There is cooler than normal weather with a light frost this week in Florida, which is slowing down production. California is still cleaning up from the significant rain that fell last week, and Mexico has very inconsistent supply. We are currently in a demand exceeds supply situation with most shippers having to pro-rate orders, and are anticipating this to continue through at least next week. The long range forecast is for warmer weather to begin in the middle of the month, although we anticipate shortages to continue into early March along with all other commodities within the berry category. Possible substitutions: Mango and Kiwi Fruit January 13, 2021 Market Alert: Celery We have seen a major reduction in celery supply so far this year. This is primarily due to a reduction in crops as well as a shift in weather which has slowed down the maturity of fields in Oxnard. Growers are currently not able to keep up with harvest schedules and what our growers are reporting is a lack of sizing (24s and 18s) which are key foodservice sizes due to that lack of maturity (currently all growers are peaking on 36ct). While we are seeing these reductions in the current harvest, the demand for celery has skyrocketed as foodservice outlets are preparing for the startup of the NBA and NHL, and preparing for the Superbowl. We anticipate the market to remain very tight with potential pro-rates throughout the remainder of January and quite possibly through mid-February. January 6, 2021 Market Alert: Bananas As previously explained, Hurricane Eta and Iota has left behind major damage to several growing regions of South America which continue to impact the production of several commodities including cantaloupe, honeydew, and the supply of bananas. Our growers have assessed damages, that have not only impacted crops, but infrastructure as well. The aftermath of this situation will continue to hinder the entire banana industry and cause a Force Majeure to remain in place. Based on the forecasts we received from our growers we anticipate active markets and tight supply through Q1 2021. We anticipate being able to maintain the supply chain at escalated prices until we are clear of this unfortunate event. December 30, 2020 Market Alert: Asparagus We are seeing an extremely tight market on asparagus this week and will expect issues for at least the next 2 weeks. In Mexico, cool weather has brought production to a major slowdown while product from Peru is extremely short due to a labor strike. Harvesters are striking due to an outdated law regarding labor policy and fair wages which is currently being negotiated. There are no solutions as of yet. December 22, 2020 Market Alert: Tomatoes We are experiencing very light supply on both Mexican and domestic tomatoes due to the normal transition of regions in Mexico, as well as Florida. We are also seeing the impact of weather from events like Tropical Storm Eta in November and recent cooler than normal evenings as or late, which are impacting overall production and reducing yields. We do not expect any pro-rates or shortages; however, we do expect escalated prices and shorter supply through the second week of January. Market Alert: Offshore Melon Cantaloupe availability is currently running very short and this is a result of damage caused by the two hurricanes (Eta and Iota) in Central America early November. We are expecting to be in a demand exceeds supply situation, industry-wide, through the middle of February on cantaloupe and potentially honeydew. At this time, our grower has not declared “Act of God.” That being said, should conditions worsen they may warrant doing so. We do expect the need, in short term, to be flexible on sizes and subs to Honeydews when needed. Market Alert: Celery We are experiencing very light supply this week on conventional celery and organic celery. This is typical for this time of the year, as we transition over to more regions. However, we are seeing more impact this year because suppliers harvested early to accommodate for the Thanksgiving pull. Our contracts are covering product and we shouldn’t see issues in supply this week. We do expect to see prices rise by next week and supply to be shorter for the next several weeks. December 9, 2020 Market Alert: Bananas As previously explained, Hurricane Eta and Iota has left behind major effects on several growing regions in South America, and as a result, impacting the production of several commodities including French beans, mixed melons, and most recently, the supply of bananas. Our growers are assessing the significant damages that impacted both crops and infrastructure. The result of this situation will hinder the entire banana industry. At this time, in order to maintain supply, we are seeing growers declare Force Majeure. After reviewing some of the forecasts with our growers, we anticipate active markets and tight supply through Q1 2021. November 20, 2020 Market Alert: Weather Update The past few weeks have been quite active as a result of this year’s hurricane season. This is possibly the most damaging of years past for crops in several regions of the Americas and Southeastern United States. Hurricane Eta damaged many fields and the infrastructure in Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica. The storm brought several feet of rain to isolated areas causing major flooding, inaccessible roadways, and damage to infrastructure. After impacting Central America, Eta affected both the southern and western coasts of Florida bringing rain and tropical force winds to many growing regions from Homestead and Immokalee in the south, to Palmetto and Ruskin in Central/West Florida. On Monday, there was another storm that impacted Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica with hurricane force winds and major flooding to an area previously affected by Eta. With that said, we are very concerned about the offshore melon program for this season as these regions are the primary growing regions for melons during the offshore program. We are seeing fruit arrivals as of now but the primary concern is for what the potential yields will be beginning in Mid-December through February. Please know that they may be significantly down, quality could be an issue and market shortages could be possible. Florida Tomato Market Rounds When Eta went through the state last week it affected every tomato growing regions from the South to the North. We are seeing a short tomato market for the next several weeks; particularly on the larger sized fruit, and it is reflective in market pricing where we are seeing high FOB’s on large fruit while we are seeing some relief on the smaller sizes as more 6X6 and 6X7’s available. This is expected to be the trend through the first or second week of December as growers slowly recover from the damages and losses left behind form this late season storm. Once we completely transition to Immokalee in Mid-December the markets should retreat even more towards a normal level. Romas We expect a very active domestic roma market through the third week of December. Between the losses from the storm combined with crop plans that had less acreage being planted for romas this year, the domestic roma market will be limited until we complete the transition to Immokalee. Grape and Cherry Tomato Grape and cherry markets seem to be stable and expected to remain as such through the first week of December. Quality on Florida tomatoes will be hit and miss through mid-December We will most likely see some spotting and possible decay issues that are all effects of excessive moisture and heat throughout the harvest cycle on the early fruit sets. We should see this start to improve mid-December and beyond barring no further major weather events. Mexican Tomato Market Rounds We expect to see markets remain active through the second week of December, which is a result of a few factors like cooler than normal weather in Central Mexico. Regions like Jalisco and Guanajuato, where a majority of round tomato production is this time of year, have seen below normal overnight temperatures which slows overnight maturity of a tomato plant. This has slowed production down significantly and affecting an already short market due to the setbacks Florida has felt. In addition to this, Baja should be in full production but they are seeing numbers that are down regionally as much as 40%. This is caused by extreme heat back in early October that caused crop loss as well as severe bloom drop. The region is also suffering a major issue with the Rugose Tomato Virus. We should see the round market improve as crossings through McAllen begin to increase over the next two weeks followed by new crop production out of Sinaloa possibly by Christmas. Romas Romas are expected to remain tight through the second week of December, several growers suffered losses on their roma production in Mainland Mexico due to excessive heat and virus pressure between September and October. The good news is the newer blocks are sizing up and getting should be ready for production by the second week of December followed by the first production form Sinaloa by the third week of December. On the Baja, like the round production, romas on the Baja have been severely affected by heat related losses as well as virus pressure. These factors combined with the loss of Florida will continue to keep markets active through Mid-December at the earliest. Grape and Cherry Tomato We expect improving numbers this coming week and are being informed that forecast should continue to improve over the next two weeks as newer production comes online. 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