Both the supply and volume of sweet corn out of Florida are in a better position than they were coming into the spring season. "We definitely have heavy spring volume," says Bert Barnes, director of sales for SM Jones & Co., adding that the supply looks similar to last year at this time. "Coming into the season we had some cold nights–about 10 days where we really didn't get above 50° F which is pretty rare for us. It slowed the plants down a little bit. However, the heat units caught everything back up."
The Florida corn season will run until the end of May and then will slightly overlap with the plantings in Georgia. "In Georgia, we planted a bit later by about a week. It seems like they'll start a few days later than they normally would," says Barnes.
Memorial Day ahead
As for demand, it has increased substantially this week, which could coincide with regions such as the northeast and Canada warming up in temperatures. Demand is expected to continue to grow until Memorial Day–the corn "Super Bowl" for the southeast region.
This is a welcome development following a slower Easter pull for corn. "It was tough. There was a lot less demand than we normally have for Easter. It was a later Easter too so we thought it might be better because we had more volume but it was lackluster," says Barnes.
All of this is leaving pricing relatively average for this time of year, though there are hopes that with the increased demand for corn, the price will strengthen as well.
For more information:
Bert Barnes
SM Jones & Co
Tel: +1 (561) 996-6662
https://www.smjonesco.com/