Lettuce and leafy green demand is starting to pick up. "In the last 10 days, it's kind of been slow. However last week we could really feel a good shift and there's a lot more demand that still seems to be building," says Jay Angulo of Baloian Farms.
While that increased demand could partly be due to the overall lighter supply right now compared to this time last year, some growing regions such as the coastal areas, are also preparing to transition supply to Yuma, Arizona, or the Imperial Valley.
"Last week we could really feel a good shift in demand and there's a lot more demand that still seems to be building," says Jay Angulo (right) of Baloian Farms.
For Baloian Farms, it started production in Fresno, California about 10 days ago on new crop romaine lettuce and leafy green lettuce. "The supply looks good and we should be steady from now until we transition to the desert, which will be at the end of November," says Angulo, adding that it will also start its harvest of romaine hearts early next week.
2023 vs. 2024 acreage
California's recent high temperatures did help the crop along and it was ready slightly earlier than anticipated. However, Angulo says the quality overall is still very good. "We're steady on our acreage though some of the industry's acreage is down. Last year, a lot of people planted speculative crops because there were issues with coastal areas and fires. So last year there was more than what everyone needed and this year, it doesn't seem to be that way. It's more of a normal year," he says.
The lettuce supply should be steady from now until the transition to the desert at the end of November.
While last year's pricing was lower, this year it's in the high teens, with romaine pricing being stronger right now than the green leaf lettuce pricing. "I think that will stay where it is or increase above that. We're about to get the Thanksgiving pull as well which also helps," says Angulo.
For more information:
Jay Angulo
Baloian Farms
Tel.: +1 (559) 485-9200
[email protected]
www.baloianfarms.com