Mexico's Big Freeze (Read: Doooom!)

[k-os]

EE_ and I went to a gun shop today, and as I was rummaging through a junk bin looking for a sling for Mrs. EE_, the gun shop operator and EE_ were talking doom.

I walked up, just as the gun shop operator was talking about the food crisis, and how his buddy received a notice that Sysco had delivered to all of their customers stating they have had nearly a total loss of crops in Mexico.

EE_ told the guy how much I love doom, so he asked me if I'd like the notice printed out. I said "Sure!"

The notice is below, but here are some excerpts:


- Losses of crops in the range of 80 to 100%.

- Even shade house product was hit by the extremely cold temps.

- Mexico hasn't seen temperatures this low in 50 years. This time of year, Mexico supplies a significant percent of North America's row crop vegetables such as green beans, eggplant, cucumbers, squash, peppers, asparagus, and round and roma tomatoes. Florida normally is a major supplier for these items as well, but they have been struck by severe freeze damage in December and January and up until now have had to purchase product out of Mexico to fill their commitments, that is no longer an option.

- We will experience immediate volatile prices, limited availability and mediocre quality at best.

- Because of very strong blossom drops, this will also impact supplies 30-60 days from now.

- With the unprecedented magnitude of this event we wanted to immediately make you aware of the conditions.

The guy was really cool, and could have been a GSUSer. He's planning to get out of this area and head to the Pacific Northwest - he is probably gonna hunker down with one of you PNW GSUSers. ;)

[Serpo]

May have to get used to looking at this...................

[Plastic]

Oh noes, this means moldy assed compressed Mexican garbage weed is gonna get even more expensiverererer.

Looks like everyone needs to build heated greenhouses for their veggies, that or plant more cold tollerant crops.

[BillBoard]

I knew it was bad, but not this bad!

[Gaillo]

All this following the gulf oil spill. Coincidence? I'm thinking NOT. :o

[Gaillo]

All this following the gulf oil spill leak accident geo-engineering project. Coincidence? I'm thinking NOT. :o


Fixed that for me. ;D

[BillBoard]

http://thepacker.com/UPDATED--Severe-Mexican-vegetable-shortages-expected-into-March/Article.aspx?oid=1306738&fid=PACKER-TOP-STORIES&aid=684

UPDATED: Severe Mexican vegetable shortages expected into March


(UPDATED COVERAGE, 6 p.m.) Supplies of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other vegetables from Mexico will be severely limited until at least March following an early February freeze.
Severe Mexican vegetable shortages expected into March

Submitted photo

Damage to Mexican bell peppers and other vegetable crops was severe following an early February freeze.

Prior to Feb. 4, southern Sinaloa had not suffered a real freeze since 1957, said Jerry Wagner, sales and marketing director for Nogales, Ariz.-based Farmer's Best International LLC.

The results in the short term, and the mid- to long term for some crops, are devastating.

“The end of February and first half of March, there will be even worse shortages of product” than in the first half of February, Wagner said.

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, however, said damage wasn't widescale, due to “microclimates” that protected some areas while destroying other fields. Some items will have “steady but reduced” volumes for up to 8 weeks, according to the association, Nogales.

“Contrary to some early prognostications, we expect to see steady supplies of key items like tomatoes, bell peppers and melons throughout the season,” said FPAA president Lance Jungmeyer in a news release.

Heavily damaged vine-ripe tomato plants, for instance, won’t be bearing new fruit until late March, Wagner said. Even then, volumes are a big question mark.

“Future volume has been greatly affected, and even on plants that presently look sound, they’ll have to start from scratch trying to make flowers,” he said.

Similar losses were expected on romas and grape tomatoes, Wagner said.

On Feb. 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported prices of $22.95-24.95 for two-layer cartons of 4x4, 5x5 and 5x6 vine-ripe field-grown tomatoes from Mexico, up from $6.95-9.95 the week before and $5.95-7.95 the year before.

Short- and longer-term problems are expected on bell peppers, said Wagner and Mike Aiton, marketing director for Coachella, Calif.-based Prime Time International LLC.

The short-term problems are reflected in green bell prices, which jumped $30 a box from Feb. 2 to Feb. 9, Aiton said. The prices of colored bells shot up 50% in that same period, he said.

Aiton did not expect prices to go much higher, however, before stabilizing.

Longer term, plants that suffered flower damage won’t produce again until the end of March, Aiton said. Severe shortages on green bells are likely until Prime Time begins shipping from California in April, he said.

“We’re in for a long, tough haul,” Aiton said.

Regarding cucumbers, if 20% of the crop in the ground at the time of the freeze survives, “it will be a miracle,” Wagner said.

Green, grey and yellow squash crops, meanwhile, suffered perhaps the worst damage of all, Wagner said.

“Some plants will come back but the vast majority is lost,” he said. “New acreage will begin in a very light way at the end of February, first of March, but we’re really looking at the 10th of March until we see any real relief.”

Farmer’s Best also lost most of its eggplant crop, Wagner said.