Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce Produce markets remained relatively calm despite ongoing attention surrounding the cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce from Central Mexico. To date, the outbreak has had little impact on pricing, while iceberg lettuce appears to be stabilizing, avocados posted modest gains, and onion markets continue following normal seasonal trends. Outlook: Procurement teams should expect generally stable produce pricing, with only modest seasonal fluctuations anticipated over the coming weeks.   Grains Grain markets moved higher as geopolitical tensions and rising crude oil prices fueled renewed buying activity. Wheat experienced the strongest gains following disruptions affecting Russian export routes and continued uncertainty surrounding Black Sea shipping. Outlook: Grain markets are expected to remain volatile, making forward purchasing strategies and ongoing market monitoring increasingly valuable.   Dairy Cheese markets continued to strengthen, with block cheese prices climbing nearly 16% over the past month, while butter, dry whey, and nonfat

Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce Produce brought some welcome relief last week, especially in lettuce, where iceberg prices dropped sharply after several elevated weeks. Avocado prices also continued to ease, and while both markets may be nearing a floor, current levels are a much better buying environment than earlier in the season. Outlook: Lettuce and avocado pricing should stay more favorable in the near term, with lettuce likely stabilizing soon and avocados facing only modest upside risk into August.   Grains Grain markets were mostly stronger early in the week as hot Corn Belt weather raised production concerns, but cooler forecasts later in the week took some of that urgency out of the market. Wheat ended on a strong note, while corn still appears rangebound unless weather becomes more threatening. Outlook: Grains will remain highly weather-driven, but without a meaningful crop threat, prices may struggle to push much higher

Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce Produce buyers got some welcome relief last week, especially in categories that had been running hot. Iceberg lettuce posted its first weekly decline in five weeks, dropping nearly 28% week over week as supplies improved modestly and elevated prices likely slowed demand. Avocados also moved sharply lower, with 48-count Hass down another 19.7% to a six-week low, while 25 lb. large roma tomatoes fell 16.8% to a new year-to-date low. Even with the pullback, some items may still have upside risk as the summer progresses. Outlook: Produce markets are offering some near-term relief, but operators should stay alert since several categories could stabilize and turn higher again later this season.   Grains Grain markets finished mostly higher last week, with corn and soybeans recovering after early pressure tied to pre-report positioning ahead of the USDA’s June Acreage and Stocks reports. The biggest surprise came

Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce Most produce markets are relatively calm, but iceberg lettuce is standing out. Supplies remain snug, and pricing has climbed for four straight weeks, with cartons recently averaging around $16.95, up from $14.95 the prior week. Regional transition issues continue to limit relief. Outlook: Lettuce costs could remain choppy in the short term, so this is one category worth monitoring closely for menu-heavy operators.   Grains Corn, soybean, and wheat markets were mostly quiet heading into one of the most important USDA reporting windows of the season. Corn acreage expectations are sitting near 95 million acres, while soybean acreage is projected closer to 83.7 million acres, both of which could move markets depending on final government estimates. Outlook: Grain volatility may increase quickly as traders digest updated acreage and stock data, which could eventually affect feed and ingredient costs.   Dairy Dairy markets softened again

Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce Lettuce prices continued climbing due to ongoing supply challenges, while tomato prices are showing normal seasonal increases after returning to more typical levels. Most other produce markets remained relatively stable. Outlook: Lettuce will likely stay elevated until supplies recover, while tomatoes may continue a gradual seasonal climb through mid-July.   Grains Grain markets were mixed, with corn, soybeans, and wheat showing signs of stabilizing after recent declines, while soybean oil continued to weaken. Overall, markets remain influenced by energy prices and crop expectations. Outlook: Grain markets are expected to remain volatile, but current trends suggest limited upward price pressure in the near term.   Dairy CME spot activity was active but most dairy markets trended lower for the week; nonfat dry milk hit near three-month lows as buyers delay purchases expecting cheaper prices, while butter has shown unexpected firmness despite lower international prices. U.S.

Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce With tomatoes, yellow onions and avocados easing, lettuce—especially 24-count iceberg—became the main price story as multiple supply gaps pushed prices to a year-to-date high and created unusually volatile early‑year pricing. Supply constraints in both western and eastern growing regions have kept upward pressure on iceberg. Outlook: Buying pressure for lettuce should remain short term (1–2 weeks); broader relief likely won’t arrive until supply gaps close later in the season.   Grains Grain losses slowed last week; wheat even ticked higher after touching its 100‑day moving average, soybeans largely held ground, and corn rallied early in the week before pressure resumed on Thursday after larger South American production estimates and good U.S. rainfall. December soybean oil is testing the $70 area and remains vulnerable to macro or geopolitical headlines that could send prices lower. Outlook: Volatility remains likely—watch South American crop estimates, U.S. weather, and

Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce Avocado prices surged more than 80% in the past two weeks to their highest level since May 2025 due to an early end to Mexico’s main harvest, with relief expected late in the month; 24-count iceberg lettuce showed a slight bounce but is expected to stay near the $20/carton level through summer before the typical September/October surge. Outlook: Avocado buying pressure should ease later this month as the Loca harvest begins earlier than usual, while lettuce prices remain range-bound near $20/carton for most of the summer.   Grains The grains sell-off continued, with soybeans joining the losses and weighing on soybean oil’s rally; corn declined amid shifting Corn Belt weather forecasts, with solid underlying demand even as the July contract approached $4.20. Outlook: Corn may find technical support and attempt a bounce, but negative momentum could push prices toward $4 before stabilization.   Dairy

Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce Tomatoes, lettuce, and onions continue to ease from earlier highs, though the pace of decline for tomatoes has slowed. Potatoes and 48-count Hass avocados showed renewed price strength. This uptick in potato prices is occurring earlier than the typical summer rally as old-crop supplies tighten. Avocado prices have jumped as Mexico’s main crop winds down earlier than normal, though other origins may fill some supply gaps. Outlook: Expect further upside for potatoes and avocados into the summer before new-crop supplies arrive (potatoes) or Mexico’s next harvest begins (avocados); tomatoes and lettuce should normalize gradually.   Grains Grains were mostly lower last week. However, soybean oil (SBO) has rallied for five consecutive sessions and cleared the ~$75/cwt resistance level. Further technical upside faces historic highs from 2022 and likely requires crude oil support to extend materially. Soybeans themselves showed little direction. Outlook: SBO could see

Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce Produce markets were quieter last week as tomato, onion, and lettuce prices continued easing from recent highs. Roma tomato pricing has now fallen to its lowest point since March, while onion and lettuce markets are also gradually normalizing. Attention is beginning to shift toward avocados, where an earlier-than-usual crop transition in Mexico and weaker upcoming supply projections are expected to create tighter market conditions. Outlook: Operators should continue seeing some relief on tomatoes, onions, and lettuce over the next several weeks. Avocados, however, could become one of the more pressured produce categories this summer, with pricing expected to remain elevated through the seasonal crop transition.   Grains Grain markets were relatively quiet last week, with much of the movement tied to broader energy market activity and geopolitical developments. Early optimism surrounding a new U.S.-China agricultural purchase agreement briefly lifted corn markets, but prices quickly

Alerts & What’s Trending   Produce Significant price relief is emerging for key produce items. Tomato prices have dropped sharply due to new supplies from the Eastern U.S. and Mexico, with 25 lb. large romas expected to return to the $10-$15/carton range by late June. Onion markets are stabilizing as the transition from old storage crops to new ones in California and New Mexico is underway, with a sharp price downturn anticipated in the coming weeks. Lettuce prices remain historically elevated after an April surge but are expected to normalize by the end of May, with 24-count iceberg cartons projected to be in the $15-$20 range by mid-June. Outlook: Expect further price reductions for tomatoes and onions through June, with moderating lettuce costs by mid-June. This presents an opportune time to plan aggressive summer promotions for salads, BLTs, and other produce-forward dishes as availability improves.   Grains The May Crop