Payment due

The early spring we were all enjoying came to a screeching halt on Sat. and Sunday as thermometers struggled to reach 40 degrees.  Tee off on Sat. morning was just at 40 and it dipped below that during the round, but at least there was not wind.  Today, we expect 40 MPH gusts and highs in the 30s.  Seems like March is doing the lamb/lion thing.  At least the long range is saying next week will be above normal again.  The veg markets are still stuck in neutral or reverse.  Most California shippers are leaving the Desert areas with their tails tucked firmly between their legs.  If not the worst marketing season in memory, it has to have come close to that.  Unfortunately, if weather does not take a toll, the plantings in Huron, Oxnard and Salinas will insure low markets continue through April.  As I have said before, the combination of excess acreage and salubrious weather is a perfect storm of cheap pricing and glutted markets.  A perfect analogy for this is the opening of "The Hunger Games".  Americans shelled out over $150 million to be entertained by starving teenagers killing each other for the amusement of a "bread and circuses" dystopian society.  The sated capital city is today's American public, and the starving teens are the east and west coast producers.  On second thought, that is a little strained, but I think most growers and shippers will get the sentiment.