While weather related issues continue to adversely affect produce shipments around the country, keep your fingers crossed shipments are getting back towards a more normal track in the deserts of Arizona and California.
The unprecedented run of low shipments and shipping gaps appears to be over, with the possible exception of celery. This means higher volume and more consistent shipments of various types of lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower.
Since the week of January 11 it has been warmer and temperatures are in the mid- to high 40s for lows and the highs are in the high 60s to low 70s. Let’s hope the good desert weather continues.
Meanwhile, much of Central and Northern California have been hit with above-average rain since the beginning of the year, something the desert areas were spared for the most part.
Growers in the coastal California valleys (Santa Maria and Salinas), which will be shipping the majority of the nation’s vegetable crops in the spring are having a few problems getting into the fields to plant. The shift in lettuce production to Santa Maria typically occurs around April 1. Those fields harvested in April need to be planted this month. If the storms continue, that could be an issue.
There’s complaints about a lot of low produce freight rates now. Just look at the desert, which is grossing under $2 per mile.
Desert vegetable shipments – grossing about $5800 to New York City.