Continuing lousy growing conditions in California is limiting supplies of iceberg and romaine lettuce, as well as green leaf varieties. The problems are expected to continue through the end of the season in the Salinas Valley until the seasonal shift to growing areas in the desert areas of California and Arizona in mid-November.
Iceberg and romaine shipments continue to be extremely limited due to erratic weather patterns of extreme heat followed by rain, which have adversely affected quality.
These issues range from bottom rot, to fringe burn, mildew pressure, seeder, and sun scald.
There also are varying densities and light weights prevalent industry wide.
Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) and Sclerotinia disease has forced growers to cut ahead of their scheduled harvests to minimize crop loss. This has led to higher f.o.b prices until transitions to Yuma, AZ and California’s Imperial desert are completed in mid-November.