Produce prices skyrocket with freeze in Mexico, Southwest

[cali]

by Wayne Havrelly, KGW Staff


PORTLAND -- Get ready to pay double or even triple the price for fresh produce in the coming weeks after the worst freeze in 60 years damaged and wiped out entire crops in northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S.

The problem started less than a week ago, when our nation was focusing on the Superbowl and sheets of ice falling from Texas Stadium.

Farmers throughout northern Mexico and the Southwest experienced unprecedented crop losses. Now devastation that seemed so far away, is hitting us in the pocketbooks.

"We've had to double and triple some prices and consumers come in and it's quite a shock to them," said Rusty Peake, GM of Food4Less in Southeast Portland.

"Increase, increase, increase," said produce manager Troy Winterhalter as he watched urgent messages coming across his laptop computer. "Peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, asparagus, the entire asparagus crop was wiped out," said Winterhalter.

Roma tomatoes have more than doubled in price since Thursday and very soon they may not be available at all.

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http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Produce-prices-skyrocket-overnight-115985429.html

[dkf]

1. No price inflation my butt.

[pinqy]

5. Why would you expect to see any...

...when the problem just started? The effects might not even be seen until the March inflation report is released in April.

[dkf]

6. Ag is already up a lot.

I did some posts on it earlier. 40% plus iirc.

[Denninmi]

2. OK, some of this I buy, some I don't

I don't get the "entire asparagus crop was wiped out" thing. I grow asparagus, a couple hundred feet of it (for personal use). It's quite common for it to get zapped by a hard freeze, but asparagus produces over a roughly 6 to 8 week period, and new spears emerge all the time during that timeframe. So, even if it froze off, there would be fresh new spears in a few days.

[catabryna]

4. It's KGW...

there's a reason why I refuse to watch that station, and this type of reporting is one of them. :D

[MadHound]

3. This is only going to get worse,

As natural disasters and speculation drive food prices up, up, up. If you have any arable land, I suggest that you start a garden this spring, and learn how to can, dry and freeze your harvest.