Tropical Storm Hilary has left a significant impact on several vital growing regions, leaving behind a trail of damages. Southern California and Baja faced the brunt of heavy rain and strong winds, leading to unfortunate repercussions. Fortunately, proactive measures were taken by most shippers, harvesting ahead of the storm and securing as much produce as possible. Nonetheless, we anticipate encountering shortages as the intense weather hindered production in the fields. This weather event has taken its toll on a range of common commodities, with some significant effects as outlined below.

Asparagus: Limited damages as Central Mexico is where the bulk of production happens and remains unaffected.

Green Beans: Fall harvests could experience delays due to seedings in the ground during the storm.

Green Onions: Unrelated to the storm, excessive heat in recent weeks has caused the majority of quality and supply issues. Most sheds are without power due to the storm, slowing ability to cross the already limited supplies across the boarder.

Grapes: The market on grapes is rising steadily. It is too soon to tell the extent of the damages from the heavy rain and winds, shippers will be assessing the consequences.

Melons: The Westside deal is unaffected by the wrath of this Tropical Storm. Strong wind gusts will affect winter plantings in Yuma, AZ, but damages are expected to be minimal due to the plants young age.

Onions: Harvesting operations were hindered due to the excessive rains from Tropical Storm Hilary. However, no long term affects are anticipated for this commodity at this time.

Peppers: In the west, bell pepper markets are elevated. Oxnard, CA was hit with extremely heavy rain, diminishing much of the production efforts. The start of red bell peppers out of Oxnard, CA will be delayed until at least next week. Hot pepper markets are also elevated due to storm damages. Overall, rain related quality issues may be prevalent with products coming from the Baja, CA growing region. Quality issues resulting from the storm may include mold, dimpling, and scarring.

Tomatoes: In the Baja, CA growing regions, 2-4 inches of rain are being reported. Grape tomato markets will be specifically affected, and are expected to rise. This market is much tighter now and is struggling with several quality issues. We expect to see these affects over the next few weeks.

Squash/Cucumbers: Over the next several days, we can expect #2 type quality to be prevalent on cucumbers coming out of the regions affected by this storm. The plants will need time to recover from the stress of this weather.

Tropical Storm Hilary has drenched and flooded many growing regions and have had to withstand very high winds. Understanding the potential impact of supply chain, we are committed to closely collaborating with our partners to ensure consistent and quality products. Seashore in partnership with PRO*ACT will continue to keep you updated on these markets and source the freshest product available to us.