Thursday White sale

Looks like a winter storm fizzle on the NCR.  We picked up about an inch of snow last night and it is trying to change to rain as I write this.  As per usual, the more a storm is hyped by the weather channel, the less likely it is to actually appear.  Instead, deadly tornadoes that were barely anticipated roared through flyover country leaving a trail of devastation.  It seems the tornado season starts a little earlier each year and the heavy duty twisters appear further and further from the traditional "tornado alley" area of Oklahoma and Texas.  Something to look forward to in the future.  In the produce world, Wednesday continued the lackluster performance of the last few weeks.  Prices for desert veg in the Southwest are off around 60% from last winter, and I think that does not include February figures which will probably push that to 70%.  There will be more than a few Salinas shippers returning to the valley with their tails between their legs.  If they modify their plantings for the summer and fall it would go a long way to restoring some sanity in the market.  Since growers and shippers can no longer count on wholesalers and chainstores to help move product at reasonable prices, self discipline is the only way to keep supply and demand in balance.  The insidious creep of extra acreage planted to honor cost plus contracts with processors and chains will be the death of growers in the long run.