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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. |