After large rainfall early in the season and recent tornadoes that wiped out replanting, the squash supply out of Florida has slowed to a trickle, driving up prices and pushing the market west.
“This time of year, Florida is where all the squash is coming from,” Darrell Fricks, buyer for Alexander Produce, says. “We’re having to pull in from the Arizona area. That slows down the supply, and it’s why the price is so high.”
The average cost of a three-quarter bushel is usually around $15.00, but it’s currently hovering around $47.00. Florida saw around nine inches of rain early in the season, which damaged the crop of more delicate squash, like zucchini and yellow squash. Heartier squashes, like butternut and acorn, can stand up to bad weather better than the more fragile varieties. But a second round of crops were wiped out when tornadoes hit the area, damaging replanting efforts and setting back the harvest.
Although replanting has begun, Fricks doesn’t see much relief until Spring.
“It’s going to be bad until around May,” he says. “It takes 90 days for it to grow back. It’ll be late April or early May when we’ll have a good supply again.”
