Border Foods Crop Update as of Mid December 2011

Chile:

 With the Holiday season rapidly upon us, it seems to be an appropriate time to post a few words about the season we recently completed and the next season which is currently in the planning stage. 

Early on last year we noted that we were in a La Nina season which historically produces high yields of excellent quality peppers.  Our predictions came true.  The quality of the crop from the 2011 crop was as good and likely better than any in recent memory.  The large pods with thick wall provided us excellent material to work with and the quality carried through to our finished product.  We are in a very comfortable position with our inventories and we move into 2012. 

We enter 2012 in a mild La Nina situation.  Five inches of recent show in Deming and showers have provided much appreciated moisture replenishment in the New Mexico growing area.  We are contracting with our growers for 2012 green chile and anticipate planting activity in the greenhouses in February and the fields in March.

Jalapenos:

The local jalapenos and green chilies have a significant overlap in their areas of production and the comments above about chile pertain to jalapenos.  The supply of jalapenos is more diverse and our use of jalapenos requires differing varieties and heat levels.  In order to meet specific customer needs, we sometimes reach out to other growing areas and purchase specialized jalapenos during the off season.  The supply of fresh jalapenos for processing is currently very tight; we anticipate the supply will increase as we head into 2012.

Tomatillos:

We received a very high quality crop of tomatillos from our growers during our pack season and have a comfortable inventory of our tomatillo products.