Although the full extent of damage is not yet know, the storms have at least slowed harvest activities in the region. While retail prices for overall fresh vegetables grew slightly, the farm value dipped this year, compared to 2017. This is at least partially due to a dramatic spike in prices caused by spring flooding in California in 2017, which delayed the harvest and drove up commodity market prices. Both consumer and producer price indices for fresh vegetables showed gains, indicating strong markets.
Overall increasing export values for both fresh and processed vegetables is the trend in 2018 year-to-date. For vegetables, both fresh and processed, the U.S. imported more and exported less in 2018 that one year previous. Mexico and Canada, our closest trading partners, remained dominant in the fresh markets.