Michigan began packing its asparagus under a full schedule last Monday. "That puts us two weeks early with volume," says Tyler Hodges of Superior Sales, Inc. "Usually we're just getting going in a very small way the week of 05/05 and it slowly starts ramping up. However, this year we're getting an earlier front-end flush of production."
That flush is largely due to growing conditions in the state which included an earlier, warmer spring with good moisture in the ground. "Starting earlier puts us into a bit of a longer season and that's dictated by the weather. Looking at the forecast, we have a beautiful forecast with nice mild temperatures that promote longevity of the season," he says, adding that harvest will continue in Michigan until June 25th.
Good rainfall is also part of that forecast but Superior Sales also has more growers adding irrigation to its fields and that also helps extend the season.
Strong demand in May anticipated
As for demand, so far it's been good. A small drop in retail demand is anticipated because the product tends to be a more expensive item for consumers. However, foodservice and other business demand is expected to be stable, if not up. "We also generally have good demand going into the Memorial Day holiday," says Hodges. "With how early we're starting and having good supplies, we anticipate having good supplies for promotions. This month especially is going to see great demand, as long as import product doesn't come in too heavy."
That said, Hodges notes that interest generally seems to be strengthening for local product. "People are looking closely at the benefits of supporting local asparagus," he says, noting that it's a perishable product and it doesn't have to travel via boat and go through a fumigation process similar to what Peruvian asparagus has to do. This season, Superior Sales also has a newly designed tag on its bunches to highlight USA/Michigan Grown for consumers as well.
As for pricing, it's consistent with last year. "In a perfect world, we'd like to get a bit more money to offset the higher labor costs. They passed a labor hike again this year and every year we're seeing a higher labor rate. Asparagus is very labor intensive," says Hodges. "However right now we're not able to get too much more than last year."
For more information:
Tyler Hodges
Superior Sales, Inc.
Tel: +1 (616) 896-6500 ext 117
[email protected]
www.superior-sales.com