The Arizona and California desert region experienced strong winds early in the week, resulting in current morning temperatures dipping into the low-to mid-30°Fs, causing widespread lettuce ice to form.
Low temperatures will persist for the next five days, with continuing lettuce ice events through the early next week. Harvesting and loading delays can be expected.
"In the short term, plant growth will slow down, and we might see a slight dip in case weight for commodity lettuce packs," said John Galvez, quality assurance director for Markon. "There is potential for us to see a new round of epidermal blister and peel develop in romaine and iceberg crops, but supplies are in much better shape compared to last month when we had extended periods of cold weather. Having better supply and plant maturity now is a big help, but we'll have to see how long and how severe this current cold snap will be before fully knowing what the long-term effects might be."
For more information:
Cathy Gomez
Markon Cooperative
www.markon.com