Although some areas in the Idaho-Eastern Oregon growing region experienced a later-than-normal harvest, consensus among industry insiders was that quality is good this year.

Candi Fitch, executive director of the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee based in Parma, ID, said in mid-September, “A cool and wetter-than-normal spring slowed planting, causing harvest to start a little later than normal in some areas of the growing region. However, the Idaho-Eastern Oregon onion season is underway, and we look to have an average crop with good quality and a consistent supply.”

No doubt Texas needs rain, but the Rio Grande Valley has not been as dry as the rest of the state, and there is enough water available that even record-setting drought should not have much impact on the state’s citrus season.

“The total crop size is going to be off some,” Ray Prewett, president of Texas Citrus Mutual, told The Produce News Sept. 28. “No one is sure how much, but there’s agreement it’s going to be off some. That’s pretty clear.”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off the marketing campaign for Make Half Your Plate Fruits & Vegetables at a Sept. 26 press conference in Sacramento, CA.

The latest dietary guidelines advise Americans to fill half their plate with fruits and vegetables, and Secretary Vilsack picked California, the top agricultural producing state, to unveil the first themed message supporting the new MyPlate food icon.

Aggregate Hass avocado volume in the United States from all sources totaled a record 1.28 billion pounds in 2010. But due to light crops, and particularly a light California crop, the first three quarters of 2011 saw a decline in volume — the first significant decline in over a decade — coupled with record-high prices.

With the new-crop harvest now underway in Mexico and Chile, both of which have larger crops for 2011-12 than they did a year prior, product availability was beginning to build and prices were moderating.

ICEBERG LETTUCE

Salinas Valley lettuce shippers were expecting supplies to be ample with good quality heading into the week of Oct. 3. Shippers continue to harvest as many as five days ahead of schedule to ensure clean lettuce with good shelf life. Entering fields a few days early is resulting in the occasional lightweight carton and/or puffy head. All in all, quality is strong with good color and shelf life after delivery. Lettuce prices have been very reasonable for weeks and little change was expected heading into early October.

Brooke Franklin

Oxnard, CA-based Mission Produce Inc.