Supplies of summer squash out of South Georgia could shortly be looking light.
“Supplies of squash are decent right now but I think it’ll be limited within the next week,” says Eric Bolesta with Ken Corbett Farms LLC in Lake Park, Ga. “We’ve had a good 1.5 weeks of cloud coverage and rain so you should start seeing those effects in about 10-14 days. There’ll be a lack of pollination due to the bees getting out and moving.” This is on top of a slightly lesser supply available this year from the area.
Effects of other markets
At the same time, Georgia also sees other markets going with squash. “California is competing with us right now. Some Mexican squash is still crossing the border, but not a whole lot. There are also newer regions coming on like the Carolinas and probably New Jersey around the 14th of June. There’s still some availability in Florida but they have gotten an awful amount of rain. Most people have just walked away from orders down there because there are too many quality issues.”
Meanwhile, demand has been strong for summer squash. “As far as movement goes, they’ve nearly sold out every day so there hasn’t been a lull of demand for sure,” Bolesta adds.
That puts pricing at moderate levels. “Prices are a bit higher than last year—it’s not drastic,” he says. “I think pricing may change minimally with the lighter supplies. It won’t be outrageous because newer areas are coming on.”
Looking ahead, Bolesta anticipates in about two weeks, Ken Corbett should see supply levels come back up. “That said, we’re getting towards the tail-end of our season so it’ll be a short-lived supply,” he says. “On squash, we usually wrap up around June 20th at the latest. It just gets too hot. If we turn into 90+ degrees, this deal could wind up even faster.”
Eric Bolesta
Ken Corbett Farms LLC.
Tel: +1 (229) 559-9051 ext: 1101
[email protected]
www.kencorbettfarms.com