Green Chile:   

Crop Conditions: What started as a bumper crop has now turned into what appears to be a 5%-10% below budget pack if lucky. The lucky part comes from the unknown weeks ahead as we wait to see the degree of damage from the diseases and viruses that too much rain can cause. At this time the biggest concern is for the Bacterial Leaf Spot which causes a circular water-soaked lesion on the leaf and the pod. The infected leaf will eventually turn brown and fall off and the chile pods are not usable. If the plant survives it will produce a smaller and thinner walled chile, once again reducing the tonnage needed to achieve a budget pack. At this time 100% of the fields have some degree of the Bacterial Leaf Spot disease. We have growers that have lost most of their acreage and others that have a surplus of tonnage to offer based on where their acres are grown.

Market Conditions: We are back into supply of all chile items. It was a rough start with the rains shutting down production over 9 days during the heart of chile packing season. Our growers have been challenged with shortage of labor in the fields as this is a hand harvested crop. The farmers have ended up in a bidding war and the highest bidder for the day gets the workers. This has raised the cost of goods. Pricing is firm as the pipelines are being filled.

Jalapeno:  

Crop Conditions: Due to many different growing areas for Jalapenos, the rains have not caused any concern for shortage of crop.

Market Conditions: Over all supply this year looks to be adequate. Pricing will adjust with supply and demand.