It might be too dramatic to say that the avocado has had a rags to riches career over the last few decades, but it’s not an exaggeration to note its meteoric and unprecedented volume growth in that time frame.

Virtually everyone agrees that the current cult status of the avocado and its ever-increasing popularity was impossible to predict and a very pleasant surprise. At least almost everyone.

Veteran potato salesman Ken Gad of Cambridge Farms, which is based in South Easton, MA, admits that the current potato marketing situation is very difficult to judge. I'm going right down the middle, he said.  I usually have a strong opinion about what is happening and what is going to happen, but this year I just can’t put my finger on it.

The week following Thanksgiving typically marks a drop in demand for most fruits and vegetables as the heavy holiday pull subsides. This year, the super high prices for so many commodities prior to the holiday left warehouses empty and there has been no change in the supply-demand curve.

A week before Thanksgiving, veteran California vegetable salesman Mark McBride noted the high prices were unprecedented. “If anybody tells you they’ve seen this before, they are lying,” said the Coastline Family Farms sales executive. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, not even close.”

In his 35 years as a tomato specialist, Joe Bernardi of Bernardi & Associates has never seen the price of red round tomatoes soar as high as they currently are.  “The prices are historically high,” he said on Nov. 28. “Today a 25 pound box of rounds was being quoted at $50.95. A typical market at this time of year would be $16 to $20.”

The Organic Grower Summit, held Nov. 30 – Dec. 1 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa in Monterey, CA, provided two exceptional days of thought-provoking educational sessions, a sold-out trade show floor and a variety of networking opportunities for attendees.

The Southeast Produce Council has an exceptional lineup of speakers for upcoming Southern Exposure: Produce — The Final Frontier. Blasting off March 3-5 at the Swan & Dolphin Resort in Orlando, FL, the conference will encompass SEPC Chairman Tim Graas’ platform: inspiring innovation today for a sustainable tomorrow.