Markon Cooperative's latest field update reports industrywide end-of-season challenges across California's Salinas and Santa Maria Valleys, affecting quality, shelf life, case weights, and yields. The biggest problems are pest pressure in cole crops — broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower — and plant virus and disease pressure in lettuce, including iceberg, green leaf, romaine, and tender leaf varieties.
Diamondback moth larvae and pupae are nestling under broccoli and cauliflower florets in field-packed commodity items, while late-season diseases are spreading exponentially in the final days of crop growth cycles. Growers are harvesting fields early to cut losses, which is compressing case weights and shrinking yields across the board. Markon says most suppliers will struggle to deliver consistent high-quality row crop items through the rest of the season.
For buyers, this is a short-window situation — order for quick turns, keep the cold chain tight, and don't expect the situation to improve before the transition to fall and desert growing regions. Worth monitoring whether the Hurricane Polo disruption adds additional pressure on already strained supply.