Fresh From The Farm Market information on produce July 25, 2012

1. Fresh From The FarmMarket information on produceJuly 25, 2012 Produce Fact: When tomato plants experience extreme heat there is too much stress on the plant so they “push” off their flowers so not to produce fruit and further stress the plant. This is referred to as bloom drop. Lettuce Iceberg- Demand exceeds supply and prices will stay strong at least through next week. Overall the quality is good but field inspectors are seeing some occasional weak tip, very occasional mildew stain. Our field inspectors are seeing some light weights because the packers are a little ahead on the fields. Romaine & Leaf-With the rain and extreme heat in the East and Canada, many distributors are going west to get romaine; which is causing inventory to get a little tight and increasing the markets. Romaine Cross Valley Farms is weighting in at 36-38 pounds with several suppliers making the grade to pack our label. Green Leaf is sluggish and Red Leaf and Boston are active. Green leaf is weighing in at 22-25 pounds. Tomato Western Market - California is having a lighter harvest then desired. This is the result of rains That occurred between plantings which is causing a gap in supplies and the extreme heat that occurred a few weeks ago. Mexico and California have good supplies on Romas and this has caused the market to drop. Mexico also has an abundance of grape and cherry tomatoes. There are already ample supplies on the market so we are seeing price decrease for Roma, Cherries, and grape tomatoes. Eastern Market- Virginia is winding down on the first harvest and there will be a gap in suppliers before the second harvest is ready which will be the middle of September. North Carolina and Tennessee are harvesting product & the quality is good. Romas continue to be limit in the east, supplies are not expected to improve until Florida begins to harvest again in the fall. Onions Yellow onion prices continue to increase because of lack of product mainly from New Mexico. This is from several factor but mainly farmers are planting less so they can make more money on the crop. This year they also had issues with the extreme heat and some bad storms during the harvest which led to smaller yields, smaller size and the loss of acreage. California is having an average year and not enough product to make up for NM. Price increases are common this time of the year. We can expect to see the market weaken in 2-3 weeks once product from Washington and Oregon are on the market. Prices of white onions are also climbing due to a shortage of quality supplies. Red onion prices have firmed up slightly as well. Potato Many shippers still have storage crop from last year and want to move that out before the new crop comes in. They are anticipating new crops from some suppliers first of August and others the middle of the month. The new crop looks to be average in terms of sizing and potential above average yields. Expect to see an increase in prices until the new crop is in and the markets adjust to the supplies. All the major shipping regions have new crop red potatoes available and the red market remains steady. There is a slight shortage on size A, leading to higher prices. There is a surplus of size B potatoes leading to cheaper prices. Melons Cantaloupes & Honeydews– The market is level and decreasing. There has been an increase of supplies with the new crop from Bakersfield and Westside being harvested. Sizing on cantaloupe seems to be running normal. Honeydew production is on the lighter side. Watermelons- Demand is stronger than supply, consequently prices are up this week.  We don’t see the market easing up this week and probably not next weak either. www.usfoods.com

2. Fruits Apples & Pears- The market is the same as last week. We are waiting for the new crop to be harvested. Avocadoes- California is the peak harvest. There is more supplies on the market from CA, Mexico and Peru. Due to the abundance of fruit prices are decreasing. Overall quality is excellent! Pineapples-We are starting to see fewer product on the market and this trend will continue. Expect to see prices increase from this trend. Texas, east Florida and the west coast are very short or completely lack 5 ct & 6 ct fruit. This shortage is expected for the next 3 weeks. The product that is on the market is fair quality. Citrus Oranges-Market steady with good supplies, overall quality is fair with excellent juice and sugar content. Expect to see some green around the stem end and the blossom end. Lemons- The overall quality is good with good color and very good juice content. Expect good supplies going forward as we are seeing some Chilean arrive and will continue to increase in volume which should help keep the market steady. Prices are always high this time of the year because of high demand. Limes- Market is steady but we are expecting it to increase in August. Expect to see lighter colored limes, blanching and shading due to the conditions (higher temperatures and rain).  Vegetables Peppers-The green bell pepper market is holding steady as supplies have stabilized in the San Joaquin, California growing areas. The crop is still running very large in size. Michigan and North Carolina have steady supplies available. The red bell pepper market is barely steady as supplies increase in California and demand is very light. The quality is excellent.   Squash- Market is tending up because growers are reducing production due to low markets and quality. A wide range of quality is noted and demand for yellow continues to exceed demand. Eastern market is fairly stable moving into the fourth week of July. North Carolina and Tennessee continue to harvest. Michigan and Jersey have squash readily available as well. Celery- Salinas and Santa Maria, California are the primary shipping locations for quality product, with steady supply out of both areas. The quality out of California is good, with leafy tops and very occasional bowing being the main defects present. Prices are slightly lower this week. Michigan increasing production and taking demand off of the west coast. Michigan product has ordinary to poor quality, with bowing, thin ribs, light color, and leafy tops being the main defect. Cauliflower-The market is now active, larger sizing is lighter in availability and prices are climbing. Expect the market to continue to get stronger. Light brown spotting continues to show up on arrival. Green Onions- The market is same as last week. Supplies are coming out of Mexico with most suppliers. The quality continues to have a few issues of decay upon arrival. Asparagus- The market continues to be fairly good. The demand has improved compared to last week. Prices are anticipated to gradually increase as supplies are slightly lower and demand increases. Cucumbers- Supplies are steady from Baja Mexico, crossing into California. The quality has been good to excellent, with most packs available. The only pack short in supply is large 60 count. Product is domically available from Michigan, New Jersey and North Carolina. Berries Strawberries- Watsonville is still has strong production with nearly all harvest intended for fresh. Season is past peak with lower volumes expected from this week forward, expect price increase. The product that is available is good quality with sweet flavor and a firm texture. Raspberries- California continues strong production in this region overall as the USDA report over 2 million more cases produced in the last 4 weeks of this year compared to last year industry wide! Quality is good. Blackberries- Georgia has completed their harvest and North Carolina will be done by first week of August. California is improving in overall volumes due to good weather but harvest volumes continue to be less than overall demand. Blueberries- New Jersey is finished harvesting. Michigan is still harvesting but weather is expected to significantly decrease volumes. Oregon still has strong volumes still coming in but the season may still be shorter and lighter than originally forecasted.