Produce Update-May 1 2015

Happy May!  We’re just back from Mexico visiting Pragor, Agrofresco and some potential new growers, and apparently we left just in time.  We saw much more military presence than usual, with convoys of troops on the highways, and lines of armed vehicles ready for action.  Within hours of us leaving on Thursday morning 30 roadblocks were set up, and today we’re seeing news stories featuring pictures of burning tractor trailers and buses on highways all over areas we were driving on Tuesday and Wednesday.   Near where Rafael runs our Mexican office we stopped for gas where troops were massing and we were the only customers in the convenience store who weren’t carrying an automatic weapon.Every year we start new projects in Mexico in an attempt to fill ‘gap windows’ – crops that will hit harvest windows that line up with those nuisance transitions where one California growing region is done before others start production.  The trials are always full of surprises – some crops just won’t work, even if the growing conditions are perfect, but once in a while we hit one that is amazing.  This year we trialed 4 types of hard squash with over 20 small producers across a wide area of Michoacán – these were mostly Pragor Avocado producers.  While their homegrown natural squashes produce perfectly well, (and which aren’t that much different than the ones we are used to,) our seedings of kabocha, spaghetti, acorn and butternut came up empty – and we are still scratching our heads about that one.  We purposely trialed beets and cabbage with another producer, aiming to be ready about now, when cabbage and bulk beet markets begin to squeeze, and it may have worked, except 95% of both fields were lost to quarter-sized hail just as they were emerging or transplanted.  Not a banner year for experiments, but we will keep pushing the envelope to give growers more opportunities and also offer a more complete and reasonably priced selection for you.Last year we recognized that the growing conditions at Agrofresco in Guanajuato in the November to May period were nearly identical to those of the Salinas Valley from March to October.  That’s just a combination of different weather cycles and being 2500 meters higher.  So, if the weather in the global artichoke capital of Moss Landing, just north of Salinas, is the same as Guanajuato, then they should do just as well down there.  Right?  Although not a major crop, we were astounded that it was not only a good guess, but the production is nearly triple what a plant would yield in California.  Certainly our best trial of the year, and the first time we’ve been able to offer large chokes at excellent pricing.Here’s a fast rundown of what we’re seeing:  Apple supply continues to be strong out of Washington, but prices continue to inch up to balance dwindling supply and high demand, and match pricing on incoming fruit from Argentina and Chile.  Avocados will become a very interesting market over the next few months.  Over 50% of the fruit being harvested in many areas of Michoacán is being diverted to domestic markets, having been smashed with last month’s ridiculous hailstorms.  All Pragor’s members are finished harvesting, and the coop is desperately trying to find growers who have fruit to bring them in as members so won’t have to interrupt supply.  We will keep you up to date on that.  The new crop, which usually starts in August when the oil content is high enough to harvest, is now projected to be ready to harvest as early as the beginning of July – totally unheard of, as has been the extreme temperature departures from normal over the past few months.The berry market is topsy-turvy, with tighter supply of Mexican blackberries as the rainy season starts, and brings temperatures down.  California blues had a great start and hot temperatures in the Central Valley are moving the season into high gear.  Strawberry production, on the other hand, is in the basement with temperatures still not recovering to seasonal levels in Watsonville, near the coast.  We are listing Martinez berries at our season long fixed price, but please bear in mind that they sell out fast, production is lower than we would like, and the rest of our berry selection is priced at market pricing.  There’s a lot of producers in Mexico and southern California who are kicking themselves for winding down early in anticipation of sloppy markets and abundant supply in Watsonville.  We were in the biggest production area in Mexico on Wednesday afternoon (Zamora) and it is a ghost town, yet could still be in production if only they’d known.  Get ready for grape season – first harvests should start late next week in Sonora, and those will mostly be Fairtrade from Heaven’s Best.   We are in the middle of mango season in Michoacan and pricing is very aggressive.  We’re at a disadvantage because we insist on paying growers Fairtrade pricing plus social premiums, so we can’t follow the market into the basement, but pricing is still very good and no one can complain about the quality!  Citrus is fairly stable, with most seasonal varieties and Navels finishing off.  Lemons continue to be in tight supply with lower production to blame – and that’s all about available water for many orchards in Riverside.  Limes will continue to be tight on the organic front for some time after March hailstorms damaged fruit in several regions of Mexico.Greens continue to be an interesting department, with the same weather challenges as strawberries – seems as the prime production areas are in the same place.  After a hot spell to start the central California season off, it has been cooler than Vancouver for most of the last two weeks.  Even some salad items are being prorated – spinach most noticeably.  On the other hand, pricing on cucumber, tomatoes and zucchini continue to tumble with the last set out of Mexico colliding with early California desert production.  Roots haven’t changed substantially, with transitions from Canadian storage potatoes moving to new California supply and from Washington storage onions to new desert harvests from the Imperial Valley.Fairtrade month starts today, and we hope to feature dozens of fruits and vegetables through the month so you can take advantage of a national media push and growing consumer traction.  We’re kicking off the month with all the ingredients for a fabulous Fairtrade Melon display!