On top of that concern, I want to make sure everyone reading this notices this piece of the article:

"''No one has ever - I mean ever - seen this type of situation with prices,'' said Steve Skuba, of the US Department of Agriculture's Fruit and Vegetable Market News. ''We've had shortages, but this is uncharted waters for sure.''

For 25 years Skuba has made his living monitoring even the slightest developments in lettuce. If lettuce prices change a nickel, he knows. His phone rings a lot these days."

This guys entire job is to study lettuce. LETTUCE! Is it me or is there something a little pathetic about that?